Slog - Comments on Officially Obsessed http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed Okay, I floated the idea in the comments thread on an earlier post about the M's hosting a gay night at Safeco—like so many other baseball teams. A gay night would make a statement: The team recognizes its gay fans, welcomes their support, and is willing to make its appreciation for gay fans visible. And isn't visibility what it's all about? And maybe that's a statement the team needs to make for its own sake. I'm thinking that maybe a curse settled over Safeco field after Rev. Ken Hutcherson staged his "Mayday for Marriage" rally there on May 1, 2004.... Copyright 2008 Fri, 30 May 2008 13:28:05 -0800 Sat, 31 May 2008 08:00:43 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by thehim Oh man, that's funny. I'll see what I can come up with...

]]> thehim http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036218 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036218 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 13:45:45 -0800 Comment by brett so you want to figure out if an unverifiable and superstitious phenomena was caused by an event in which people gathered to uphold their own unverifiable and superstitious phenomena.

sure, makes perfect sense.

]]> brett http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036233 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036233 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 13:55:16 -0800 Comment by cub fan Hey, that billy goat curse is REAL!

]]> cub fan http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036238 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036238 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 13:58:30 -0800 Comment by patrick Why is it surprising to encounter unequal treatment at a ball park when you support a Presidential candidate that doesn't have the courage (he has the historical insight) to support equal treatment in other public accommodations?

One mouth - two sides talking.

]]> patrick http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036240 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036240 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 13:58:52 -0800 Comment by Lloyd Clydesdale Gomez?

]]> Lloyd Clydesdale http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036247 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036247 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:03:53 -0800 Comment by P to the J Patrick,

Yes, but a statement made at a ballpark in a progressive town can be made a lot more effectively as the ballpark does not have to win over the hearts and minds of southern baptists and methodists, no matter their color. Baseball fans in Seattle don't have to worry about pissing off southern bigots, but unfortunately, politicians do.

]]> P to the J http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036251 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036251 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:07:07 -0800 Comment by Mac Hey, I'm a stat geek.

Before May 1st, 2004, the Seattle Mariners were 229-147 (.609) at Safeco Field since it opened on July 15th, 1999. Since May 1st, 2004, the M's are 179-164 (.522) at home.

Overall, the Mariners were 401-271 (.597) in all games between July 15th, 1999 and May 1st, 2004. Since then, they are 310-368 (.457).

Now, I would say this has more to do with Bill Bavasi, Howard Lincoln and the gradual departures of Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson and Lou Piniella than Rev. Hutcherson, but the numbers don't lie. The M's were better before 5/1/04 than they've been since.

]]> Mac http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036259 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036259 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:11:40 -0800 Comment by heywhatsit It's not a curse, they suck. But hey, I'm all for doing anything that might tick of the Mariners front office.

]]> heywhatsit http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036265 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036265 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:14:40 -0800 Comment by joykiller Randy Johnson never played for the M's at Safeco.

]]> joykiller http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036271 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036271 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:16:18 -0800 Comment by Dan Savage Thanks, Mac! You proved the existence of the Ken Hutcherson Curse! Someone alert the M's—only a "gay day" can save them now!

]]> Dan Savage http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036275 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036275 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:19:25 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Only a Kiss Fest can break the KH Curse!

Quick, it's time for an intervention - we have to save the team!

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036305 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036305 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:28:57 -0800 Comment by elenchos It looks to me like Hutch turned things around for the M's in 2004. At least until 2007.

]]> elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036312 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036312 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:31:49 -0800 Comment by Starin Shone I’m not happy about the way the M's are treating the gays because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And the diminished win rate and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you’re not nice that bad things happen to you?

]]> Starin Shone http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036319 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036319 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:34:33 -0800 Comment by bg Awesome. Just awesome.

]]> bg http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036341 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036341 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:42:07 -0800 Comment by Mac @9: Correct. Johnson never played for the M's at Safeco.

However, after they traded him (for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillen and John Halama), he won 4 Cy Youngs and still won 15+ games in the years after the M's dealt Garcia and Guillen away (for practically nothing).

]]> Mac http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036342 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036342 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:42:14 -0800 Comment by skweetis Didn't Matt Hasselbeck participate in that Hutcherson bullshit? Can we get a gay day at Quest field too?

]]> skweetis http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036359 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036359 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 14:55:55 -0800 Comment by Fnarf so you don't need a Gay Day, you need an exorcism.

The only problem with that, from my perspective as an M's fan, is that I don't WANT the M's to turn it around until they are forced to get rid of the dead wood in the front office -- namely, Howard Lincoln, Chuck Armstrong, and Bill Bavasi. Until I see those three heads on pikes outside the stadium, I'm not going to be happy seeing good things happen to the M's.

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036408 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036408 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 15:22:08 -0800 Comment by gnossos I'm with Fnarf on this one. Much as it pains me to say it, I do not want to see a a magical turnaround and resurrection of this season...I want to see 100 losses and a wholesale cleaning of the front office (including the hapless Johnny Mac) and a purging of about 15 from the 25 man roster.

]]> gnossos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036431 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036431 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 15:27:48 -0800 Comment by Hernandez As long as the event is called "Gayday for Mariners", I'm all for it.

]]> Hernandez http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036451 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036451 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 15:32:14 -0800 Comment by Vince I still want to kiss Ichiro.

]]> Vince http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036529 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036529 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 15:52:02 -0800 Comment by JenK Oh, Dan, you poor, poor sap.

The curse originated when the ASSHOLE LEGISLATORS decided to spend public money on the GODDAMN FUCKING MONSTROSITY. That is when all of us who had voted AGAINST wasting yet more money on a GODDAMN FUCKING BALLFIELD spat curses that will NOT be erased until the place has been BULLDOZED.

Ahem. Not that I actually, you know, sacrificed any chickens to cement the curse or anything.

]]> JenK http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036732 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036732 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 17:02:42 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle So, you sacrificed tofu?

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036808 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036808 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 17:44:02 -0800 Comment by Mike in MO Can we get a gay day at Quest field too?

Now that would be a fucking miracle.

I certainly hope y'all are forced to stage a gay-kiss-in before you get a gay day. It would be so boring if the Ms just capitulated...

]]> Mike in MO http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036986 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1036986 Sports Fri, 30 May 2008 20:52:27 -0800 Comment by Andy Fucking hell, maybe this is why the gave up 7 runs in the first inning tonight.

]]> Andy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1037120 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1037120 Sports Sat, 31 May 2008 02:48:25 -0800 Comment by pigglywiggly http://www.seriestravel.com/outatsafeco.html

Hey Dan. Looks like a gay night at Safeco. The Gay World Series of Softball is going to be in Seattle this summer and they're apparently planning to make a night of it at Safeco on Tuesday August 26.

]]> pigglywiggly http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1037155 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/officially_obsessed#c1037155 Sports Sat, 31 May 2008 08:00:43 -0800