yes, I do prefer the Super Nintendo

Reason to feel old: this afternoon, I heard someone on the radio point out that the Dodgers haven't won a playoff game in 19 years. I was nine then.

Reason to feel young: Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for the Super Nintendo is still the greatest baseball game ever made. I love it not only because of its outstanding gameplay, but because of its idiosyncracies and flaws. Some examples:

• Try as you might, you cannot commit an error.
• Pitchers all bat .200 by default.
• Only pitchers can pitch.
• The stats track batting average, home runs, and RBIs for batters; wins, losses, and ERA for pitchers--that's it.
• Big sluggers sometimes break their bat when they strike out. Measly infielders either shake their fist in fury, or hang their head in humiliation.
• Each game features a newspaper recap, with a random headline on the second page, something like "Ump caught playing GameBoy during 7th inning stretch."

Because Nintendo didn't pay for licensing rights, the players have bizarre, sometimes thematic names. The California Angels, for example, are movie stars, including one Greta Garbo. The Oakland A's are poets, Charles Bukowski among them. Jello Biafra pitches for the Dodgers. Cartoonist Peter Bagge replaces Greg Swindell for the Houston Astros.

Sneakily, the game has a workaround. My brother and I once spent a summer rearranging the names based on stats found on baseball cards. This was all before they were posted on the internet, so we had to arrange everything by hand.

You kids don't know how good you have it.

Mudville mania

The Seattle Mariners, hot off their triumphs in the division and league championships, faced a determined squad from the northern shores of Montreal in this year's World Series. Both teams, new to the October Classic, faced hosts of questions. Would Ken Griffey, Jr. homer before Larry Walker? Would Felipe Alou or Lou Piniella be thrown out first? Would the unsung hero be Sean Berry or Mike Blowers?

Game One brought its share of answers. Ace met ace, as Piniella sent Randy Johnson to face Jeff Fassero. Seattle went up 2-0 early on a Tino Martinez bunt that scored Griffey, followed by an Omar Vizquel bunt to bring home Jay Buhner. Both aces kept the ball down and the score level until Mike Lansing's solo shot made it 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth. In the top of the seventh, Buhner doubled off the top of the wall, and Marquis Grissom's bullet from left field picked Griffey off third. Blowers smashed a two-run dinger in the top of the eighth, and Seattle led 4-1. Blowers' diving catch at third in the bottom of the eighth shut down an Expo rally, and Dwayne Henry closed out the ninth.

In Game Two, Erik Hanson was paired with Dennis Martinez, who kept Mariner bats silent until the top of the third, when the Mariner pitcher scored on a Griffey double. Wil Cordero's home run tied it at 1-1 in the bottom of that inning, but Seattle bounced back with a solo shot in the 4th and a run-scoring single in the 5th, both by Dave Valle. After a Buhner triple knocked Griffey home, Valle bunted to score The Bone, and the Mariners enjoyed a 5-1 lead. They never looked back behind Hanson's strong pitching, Hanson giving up only one earned run in twenty playoff innings.

Alou made a bold but costly move in Game Three, bringing Jeff Fassero to the mound again on only two days' rest. Delino Deshields led off the game with an inside-the-park home run, but his spark couldn't kindle an Expo flame, and the Mariners tore up the baseball, scoring seven runs off Fassero in the first and finishing the game up 12-1. Buhner was 4-5 with two homers, and Mike Blowers went 2-3 with a grand slam in the 1st. Chris Bosio pitched eight solid innings for the win.

On their last legs, the Expos again attempted to stop the Mariner onslaught. Alou, wary of his previous gamble, still decided to send Dennis Martinez to face Dave Fleming, called in because Randy Johnson suffered from stomach cramps. It looked like Montreal was about to find its offensive rhythm, as Larry Walker ballooned a two-run home run into upper deck off an 0-2 fastball in the first. The Mariners, though, responded with their trademark "small ball," scoring five runs in the bottom of the 1st off of eight base hits. Jeff Shaw tried to stanch the bleeding, but served up a three-run homer to Tino Martinez in the fifth. Tim Leary replaced Fleming in the sixth, and Moises Alou blasted a 440-foot bomb to left. It would be the last hurrah for the Expos, who lost 8-3 and were swept out of their first Series in franchise history by the newly-crowned World Champion Seattle Mariners.

melee in Mudville

How can you go into a series with a worse record and still be considered the favorite? Because you're the World Champeen Toronto Blue Jays. Powered by Joe Carter's home run blasts and cannon throws from right field, by Jose Guzman's stellar pitching, by Roberto Alomar's Gold Glove defense, by Ricky Henderson's fleet feet.

But when the spikes are laced up and the pine tar hits the handle, reputations don't matter. Each game is a brand new universe of opportunity, triumph, regret.

The Mariners continued their unlikely run through the 1994 League Championship Series with overpowering efforts in the first two games, held in the Kingdome. Randy Johnson outpitched Jose Guzman in Game One, allowing three runs in a complete game victory. Bret Boone led the Mariner charge, going 4-5 with an RBI and three runs. Final score: 9-3.

Game Two had a similar outcome. Erik Hanson carried the team through the fifth, bringing his scoreless streak to thirteen innings. Russ Swan finished the game, giving up only one run. The Mariner offense gave their pitchers plenty of breathing room, scoring nine runs on twenty-one hits. Junior Griffey was 4-5 with three RBI and a two-run shot, while Dave Valle went 3-5 with four RBI. Pat Hentgen gave up six runs in only 1.2 innings for the loss.

The series seemed to be getting away from them, but the Blue Jays stayed in it with spectacular pitching by veteran Dave Stewart. He held Seattle to one run in a complete game gem, edging out Chris Bosio's two-run eight-inning effort. The Mariner offense stalled, scoring their sole run on ten hits. Ricky Henderson and Roberto Alomar homered for the Jays.

Game Four would prove to be crucial. Cito Gaston sent Jose Guzman to the mound again, hoping for a better performance against Dave Fleming, who made his second playoff appearance. Jay Buhner started things off with a bang, knocking a 440-foot solo shot to the upper deck in the top of the first. Dave Valle followed with a single, and scored on Tino Martinez's two-run dinger later that inning.

The Jays roared back when ever-reliable Ricky Henderson smashed a two-run shot to left field in the bottom of the third. Seattle answered with bases loaded singles in the top of the fourth, and a Mike Blowers two-run shot in the top of the eighth. Russ Swan fanned Joe Carter with the bases jammed in the bottom of the inning, but the heroics weren't over until the ninth, when Jay Buhner nailed Paul Molitor, who was trying to leg a double into a triple, and then robbed Ed Sprague of extra bases with a diving catch to seal the win. Fleming went five innings, fanning six Jays and giving up two runs in the 7-2 contest.

The Mariners let momentum carry them into Game Five. Lou Piniella, in a surprise move, started Tim Leary and let Randy Johnson rest. The gamble proved to be brilliant. Leary gave up three runs in six innings, which were of no consequence to an explosive Mariner offense that scored a record twenty-two runs on thirty-one hits. Toronto starter Pat Hentgen gave up eight runs in only one dismal inning, and his replacements fared just as poorly. Piniella let the bench play after the fifth inning, and Rich Amaral, Bill Haselman, Mackey Sasser, and Dave Madagan all chipped in runs in the blowout. Jay Buhner finished 5-6 with 4 RBI and 4 runs, while Tino Martinez went 3-3 with 6 RBI and 3 runs. John Olerud provided the only Toronto offense with a three-run blast in the third.

The Mariners, heading to their first World Series since the team was formed in 1977, will face the Montreal Expos, also new to the Series, in the October Classic.

more joy in Mudville

During the regular season, the Mariners took eleven of thirteen from the Twins. But in the playoffs, anything is possible, especially when facing a lineup stacked with power hitters--Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield, and Kent Hrbek.

In the first of a five-game series, Hrbek made his presence felt early, blasting a grand slam off reliever Jeff Nelson and spoiling Randy Johnson's eight-inning effort. The Mariner offense could take only three runs from Kevin Tapani, who pitched a complete game, winning 7-3.

Up 1-0 at home, but still underdogs, the Twins sent Scott Erickson to the mound. Despite his dismal regular season record, Erickson pitched like an ace, giving up just two runs in another complete game effort. But one was enough, since Erik Hanson scattered only five hits in eight innings to secure a shutout.

The Mariners' sleeping offense woke up upon their return to the Kingdome. Game Three was a bloodbath. Bret Boone homered three times; Tino Martinez cleared the bases twice. Chris Bosio and Jeff Nelson combined for four hits and two runs, as the Mariners pounded out 26 hits, 6 dingers, and an incredible 20 runs off six Twins pitchers. Willie Banks was charged with the loss, and Hrbek provided the only offense with a two-run shot in the fourth.

Game Four saw Tapani taking the mound again, as the Mariners sent Dave Fleming to finish off the Twins. Early on, everything was going Minnesota's way. Puckett smashed a three-run homer in the third, and Kidder effectively silenced the Mariner bats until the sixth, when Omar Vizquel bunted Tino Martinez home. Fleming, tiring in the sixth, was replaced by Nelson. In the seventh, consecutive sacrifice bunts scored Brian Turang and Griffey, but the Twins answered in the eighth with a Puckett solo shot.

Down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, the Mariners sent Junior Griffey to the plate. He singled, and was doubled to third by Jay Buhner. After a Dave Valle bunt tied it at 4 apiece, Tino Martinez singled to load the bases. Tapani, trying for his second complete game win of the series, gave up a dribbling Edgar Martinez bunt to end it 5-4.

The Mariners established a playoff record, scoring all five runs on bunts. They now face the world champion Toronto Blue Jays for the league title.

In the NL, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs in four games, while the Montreal Expos eliminated the San Francisco Giants. Toronto knocked off the Chicago White Sox in five games.

joy in Mudville

The Mariners reached the playoffs! No, not those Mariners, who lounge around Safeco Field and have aspirations of mediocrity, oh no--the digital Mariners who inhabit my Super Nintendo. Led by staff aces Chris Bosio and Tim Leary, powered by the hot bats of Junior Griffey and Jay Buhner, relying on the fleet feet of Brian Turang and Omar Vizquel, these Mariners went 137-25 in the regular season and face the Minnesota Twins in the wildcard contest.

Oddly enough, the weakest hitter has been Bret Boone, who was dumped by the organization yesterday for posting numbers eerily similar to his early seasons in Seattle.

I'll post updates, because hey--my virtual season means as much as any real one, if you stop to think about it.