Rain out ramblings from the road

Well after all my worries about watching the Mariners today while on vacation rather than enjoying myself here on the Oregon Coast……they got rained out so it looks like I was saved by divine intervention. 

Jeff in action over weekend

So I thought I would give you this photo from my last weekends softball tournament where due to injuries I got to fill-in at shortstop for several games and actually made a few tough plays. Not quite Jack Wilson type plays but at 52 sometimes it is an effort just to put on my cleats! 

Still out-of-town currently on the Oregon Coast enjoying the beautiful weather and forget all my worries. Unfortunately I scanned my usual news sources and came across an interesting article by Geoff Baker at the Times regarding journalistic integrity of bloggers vs. the main stream media see:Call me an idiot, Mariners fans. Just don’t call me an idiot on steroids . While as usual he makes some valid points, I couldn’t help but wonder if he like a lot of paid sports journalists these days is feeling the heat from amateur bloggers like myself and the other folks who write about the Mariners. 

  I doubt he reads my blog and his comments were not directed to me, but I still felt like saying something. So for the record I do post opinions and analysis of the games I watch, primarily because I am a fan of the Mariners. I try to research things before posting and though I have written some spoof articles, I do not find it necessary to make up lies to slander anyone. In fact if anything I would say that the main stream media (not necessarily Geoff) do a pretty good job of  creating stories such as the Larry Larue piece on Griffey to grab the limelight. 

   It is unfortunate that journalists like a lot of American workers including real Merchant Mariners, have lost their jobs due to technological advances and outsourcing. But like most of the Baseball Bloggers I know, I do this as sort of a hobby  for free and to express myself in a creative venue I enjoy. 

   So I am going to keep writing as long as you all keep reading, using my moral compass that has guided me through rough waters through all my years as an actual Merchant Mariner and now as a  blogger on the sport and team I love.http://jeffsmariners.com