With today's win, the M's won their first series of 2004, and although it was against the Rangers, I'll take it where I can get it. One thing I noticed was the excitement shown by two new acquisitions, Scott Spiezio and Eddie Guardado. I loved Everyday's (or, as my brother called him today, "Eazy-E") reaction to the win after he closed out the ninth. A polar opposite of Sasaki's relief just to get through the inning alive and well, Eazy was pumped, belting out a heatfelt "Yeahhh!" after recording the last out. And after Ibanez's 2-run job put the M's up by one, Ibanez kept his "just another game" balnk expression rounding the bases and upon returning to the dugout, where he was met by Scott Spiezio's enthusiastic high five and chest bump. The debate rages over the effect of emotions on a team's fortunes, and I'll make no such claims, but I will claim that, win or lose, the team is a LOT more fun to watch when they're excited.

Saturday's game was a good time. I got to hang out with my high school buddy Alex, whom I haven't seen in a while. I broke out the Sasaki samurai headband, that was given away at a 2000 or 2001 game and has been in retirement since the 2001 season. The M's record in "headband games" is in the nieghborhood of 35-10 or so (I had an Excel file that contained the exact figure, since lost). As long as the headband remains intact, I'll be wearing it to every game I attend in the future. The Baseball Gods smile benevolently upon the headbanded fan.

Non-baseball bit: Go see Kill Bill vol. 2.