Julie and I went to our first and last Mariners game of the season on Friday. We had a great time. Some of the highlights:

• Julie’s parents offered to watch the kids, so the game was really a date! Thanks, Mom and Dad.
• It was Dan Wilson’s last game in the Major Leagues. He was set to retire this year anyway, but an injury kept him off the field for most of the season, so he played catcher one last time for the first inning of play, and walked off the field for the last time at the top of the second. Not only is Dan my favorite baseball player, he’s also the last Mariner that was on the team during their 1995 season, which “saved baseball in Seattle,” and got Julie and me hooked.
• Dan Wilson caught for Jamie Moyer, another of my favorite players. It’s always been clear that Wilson was Moyer’s favorite catcher, so it was fun to see them together one last time. They embraced when Dan left at the top of the second, and I daresay there were quite a few moist eyes in the stadium as he left, including mine.
• Willie Bloomquist, yet another of my favorite players, had been getting a lot more playing time this season before his recent injury, and won an “unsung hero” award. (Eddie Guardado got “best pitcher” and Richie Sexson got “best player”.)
• Julie and I shared a big pile of garlic fries. Yummy.
• Ichiro, the shining star of the Mariners, managed to break another record. He hit his 200th hit of the season, and became the first player to do so during each of the first five years of his Major League career.
• The Mariners won 4 to 1, sealing Moyer’s perfect record at home at 10-0. It also maintained Julie’s record; the Mariners are undefeated at home whenever Julie has been in attendance.
• The kids stayed the night at Julie’s parents, which meant that Julie and I got to sleep in a bit on Saturday morning. Rebecca has a knack for waking up by 6 a.m., so that was a real treat. Thanks again, Mom and Dad!