Bigger than the game

There are two news items that came up today that, at least to me, are much more important than any games that were played.

The first of these is the death of Keith Smoak, the father of Justin Smoak, who passed away yesterday. I can tell you that baseball is the furthest thing from the minds of Justin and all of his family. We at Sodo Mojo would like to offer our heartfelt sympathies to the Smoak family.  This is a reminder that baseball is just a game.

The other news item is that MLB is officially taking over the LA Dodgers. This is similar to what happened to Texas last season. The commissioner’s office will take control of all aspects of the team, and a new owner will be found to take over.

What’s really sad about this is the franchise that is involved. This is the Dodgers. The team from Los Angeles. There’s no excuse for them to be borrowing money just to try and cover their payroll. The Dodgers should be what they used to be back in the 80’s, that is, the west coast version of what the Yankees are. It really goes to show you just how poorly that franchise has been run. And don’t get me started on the safety concerns and the guy who ended up with brain damage after getting attacked in the Dodger parking lot after a game.

I’ve seen a long of arm-wringing over the last few years about the Mariner’s management and the way they run things: always setting the budget to make sure they turn a profit instead of setting it so they can win the division. Also, being too worried about keeping Safeco “family friendly” and thus removing some of the “fun” at the ballpark, and seemingly only catering to the fans that prefer hydro races and dancing grounds crews instead of things like pitching, defense, and situational hitting. While I believe there is some merit to these complaints, the disaster that is the LA Dodgers right now does make me appreciate what we have in Seattle a bit more.