Buy Me Some Peanuts To Make A Mess

Oakland Athletics 6 at Seattle Mariners 8 

American League Baseball 

Thursday 30 June 2022 

Played at T-Mobile Park, Seattle 

(The Voice Of The Mariners, Dave Niehaus, has a statue in the Park. Here he is, pictured in classic Carrier Bag Firm pose, compiling the Meaningless Bits Of Paper)

"Take me out to the ball game"

The song goes. You're supposed to get on yer feet & belt it out in the middle of the seventh.

"Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack"

The song continues. Tonight, matey in Row 10 peaked early. The point being, the Carrier Bag Firm were up there, in the 300s, $10 a ticket, on Row 10. We edged along…

" 'scuse me, pardon me"

… edging along. Lady points to coat on seat 11 …

"Let me know if you want me to move that"

Computes - if that's 11, you're sat in 10, and your large group seem to be in 1 to 9. Yet. Yet. I have 9 & 10. What to do?

"Well, I'm sorry, but I think you may be sat in my seat"

Consultations of tickets. Checking of numbers behind them. Glimpses at seats in front, behind, left, right.

"Is this Row 11?"

"No, sorry 10"

"Not 11? Which one is 11?"

Thinks - it's a fucking alphanumeric grid system, probs that one behind.

Then her colleague, matey in Row 10, Seat 9 (for which I have the $10 ticket) pulls out the master plan as he says to one of his many companions.

"We might as well stay in these seats, they're better…"

Yeah. Righto. Anyway. Eventually. All ten of them climb backwards into Row 11. Row 10, where they've been, IMMEDIATELY fills up with nice, polite people who've been waiting patiently for their seats to be vacated. But, he's left his calling card. He's seven innings too early, but he's fucking piled into the peanuts. All the shells, husks, rejects and associated detritus. Right at my feet. On my, correct, row. He then proceeds to peanut destroy Row 11. Before deciding he'll get a better view, and more room for peanut droppings on Row 12, so he climbs over.

"I don't care if he never comes back"

I pushed my American Beer Ticks up to 83 tonight in T-Mobile Park. The best one was…

10 Barrel Brewing Co. (Bend, Oregon), Apocalypse IPA on Keg at 6.8%

As you can see, taking a photo was impossible without "mateys peanut background".

Pre-first-pitch, I'd hoovered up the last of the "value beers".

Big Sky Brewing Company (Missoula, Montana), Moose Drool Brown Ale from a Tin at 5.1%

A smidgen of nice hazelnut off that one.

Dru Bru (Snoqualmie Pass, Washington State), Bavarian Hefeweizen from a Tin at 5.1%

Not bad. Banana all over it.

Oakland had a three run bottom of the fifth to make it 4 all. But, the Mariners, with a lot of error help from The A's took the game away in the top of the fifth. With a lovely comedy play.

I think the term the Americans use is - Little League Homer. The Mariners Cal Raleigh thunderbastareded one to centre field. Skye Bolt really should have tracked it down. But, he couldn't get out from under it & it bounced off his glove. Two Mariners scored as Bolt sorted himself out and relayed to Oakland's Nick Allen at second.

Cal Raleigh had basically already done the divey slidey at third base. Superb. A Triple to the wall. Two runs batted in. But, FFS, Nick Allen at second got it in his bean that there was a play at third. He turned and wallumped the ball past everything at third base to the fence.

Raleigh strolled in for that inside the park, error strewn, Little League Homer. And we were done.

Peeeaaanuts.

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D'ya Want Mac n Cheese With That Beer?

Baltimore Orioles 0 at Seattle Mariners 2 

American League Baseball 

Tuesday 28 June 2022 

Played at T-Mobile Park, Seattle 

Better from the Mariners tonight. Now Won 35 Lost 42. (Exactly the same as tonight's oppos, the Orioles as it happens). But still way off the pace in the AL West. Where Houston lead with 46 wins.

We're picking and choosing our games this week. Partly because there's a few Value Games around. Essentially half price tickets. We're having them. The stadium has basically four tiers. Field level, the 100s, the lower bowl of the stadium (we were there yesterday). And, right up at the top, the 300s, (we're there later in the week). Below the 300s is a proper, full on Club Level set of hospitality boxes & suites. And, below that is the 200s. Which is where we were tonight. Just ten rows of seats, with a food and drinks court behind. You can perch on stools at the front of the bar, at the back of the seats, and watch the game half in the bar, half in the seats. Love that.

The oval shaped island bar behind us was selling spirits. In the 100s yesterday, you could get pre mixed cocktails. But, tonight in the 200s, that's a proper bar. Consequently, there are pissed punters. No one on the floor. No one causing mayhem. But a good few stumblers, shouters & dancers. A few mirrors being looked in tomorrow methinks.

Of course, the Carrier Bag Firm weren't after Bourbon. We're hunting the Beer. Which meant we couldn't really order from that grown up bar. No. Because as well as tracking down the Value Tickets. We're also tracking down the Value Beers. It's a bit of a con. The value beers are all 12oz cans (just over 350ml). And the rest come in 16s, 20s & 24s. They're really "smaller" beers, not "value" beers. And, it has to be said, the prices are eye watering anyway. And, don't forget that fucking tip, the USA is not a living wage employer.

But, at least those smaller beers allow the CBF to explore the VARIETY we crave. Of course, they're not available at that proper, adult bar I mention. No. That would be too fucking simple. To get the value beers on the 200 level, I had to queue up, out there in the rear, at the - you've guessed it - the Mac n Cheese counter. Obvious really. FFS.

Baseball lasts nine innings. And the rule in the Mariner's park is - alcohol sales cease at the first pitch of the 8th inning. I and indeed E you can't get a beer, and there's basically a quarter of the game left. Madness. Oh. Wait. It gets trickier. If they're drawing after nine innings, they just keep going. In 1920, the Brooklyn Robins and the Boston Braves kept going for Twenty Six innings. Nearly three times the normal length.

Makes beer pacing & strategy v diff. Tonight, as that last orders, shutters coming down, first pitch of the eighth was, quite frankly, hurled, the game was still tied at nil each. And, we only had one Tin on the go & one on the bench. Let's get this done…

The Orioles only had four base runners all night. The Mariners were a little better. Seven base hits & 2 ball on base. And, in the bottom of the beerless eighth, with two outs already. JP Crawford got a base hit. Some shit fielding and a dodged tag by J Rod moved it all along. Then Jesse Winker went for the fence. And to be honest, it looked from the 200s like it should have been caught. Wasn't. And the double brought the two runners home to win it. Large, and I mean large, numbers of Mariner's Marauders missed it. The bar was already shut, they were waiting in the car with the Designated Driver.

I went…

Reuben's Brews (Seattle), Crikey IPA from a Tin at 6.8%

Lovely. Hop bitterness all over it & a long finish.

Mac & Jacks Brewing Company (Redmond, Washington State), Log Boom Pale Ale from a Tin at 5.3%

That was a very nice beer straight up. Hoppy, but very drinkable. 'though it did fizzle out a bit as you got down it.

Mother Earth Brewing Company (Vista, California), Boo Koo, IPA from a Tin at 6.5%

A very nice and banging pine & bitter West Coast styleeee.

Kulshan Brewing Company (Bellingham, Washington State), Premium Lager from a Tin at 5%

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Thirty Eight Mate

Baltimore Orioles 9 at Seattle Mariners 2 

American League Baseball 

Monday 27 June 2022 

Played at T-Mobile Park, Seattle 

(Waves), nearly a fortnight since my last Blog!!! We start a lovely streak (our American cousins there) of games played with one ball or another out here in Seattle. I've BaseBallSupped and Blogged three times before. Twice from West Ham's ground when Major League Baseball brought the Yankees and the Red Sox to London. And once from Korean Baseball. I've actually been to baseball in Seattle before. At the old Kingdome in June 1994.

Today was a bit full on and gratuitous. We had an 0545am alarm to catch our flight from Heathrow. We "lost" eight hours in the air. And, we were front and centre when the gates opened at 1740pm, Seattle time. To cap it all, it was Bark At The Park night at the game. You could get special tickets to bring your dog along for the evening. I understand the mutts could actually run around the bases at the end of the game. But, the Carrier Bag Firm were long gone by then.

I use a Beer Social Media App called Untappd. It's a great way of finding beers you're hunting down, recording them, and just generally finding good places to drink. I use it to supplement beer ticking lists I've been recording on spreadsheets for years. I've got just over 2,350 different beers I've checked in on the App. But, I never really got an American Beer Ticking list together before I started using it. So, we'll call the three beers I had at the game American Beer Ticks 64, 65 & 66.

Now, whenever I find a plausible beer to drink at an English football game, in the ground, on the concourse, but not in view of the fucking pitch, no no no that's not allowed, I shout it from the rooftops on Twitter & this Blog. That shout is very very rare.

So, American baseball gives us a tantalising glimpse of what we could have won. If we allowed ourselves nice things. The online guide to T-Mobile Park lists the different beers you can buy in the ground, and where to get 'em on the concourse. Here they come. The ones you've heard of. Blue Moon, Coors, Corona, Miller Lite, Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Lagunitas, Modelo even. Buy 'em. Take 'em to your seat. Pile in high.

And, as I've said, the Carrier Bag Firm can deploy the Untappd App to list and hunt down any more lurking in the corners. Thirty fucking eight. Thirty fucking eight. Putting aside the Big Boys I've just listed, there are another thirty fucking eight more, smaller & independent, beers available in the ground across Keg & Cans. Thirty fucking eight.

I drank three. I'd need THIRTEEN games to dent 'em all. FFS. Alright, I can't guarantee all 38 are on at any given time. Alright, give & take one or two or more here n there. But, thirty eight mate.

Indeed, one of the bars was even advertising some more. Billed as Real Ale on Cask, with associated handpulls (beer engines as the American Cuz's call 'em). I mean, don't know the exact dispensing method. Don't know the exact provenance. But, put them on the list and we're North of Forty. I think one was a 10.5% Stout. And, I think another was a 13% Bourbon Barrel Aged Ale. In the ground. At your seat.

I went…

Georgetown Brewing Company (Seattle), Bodhizafa, IPA from a Tin at 6.9%

Columbus, Chinook, Citra and Mosaic Hops. Five pounds of hops per barrel (shrugs like he knows what that means).

Georgetown Brewing Company (Seattle), Johnny Utah, Pale Ale from a Tin at 5.6%

Showcasing Citra Hops using the Hop Bursting technique (shrugging like a good 'un here).

Hop Valley Brewing Company (Eugene Oregon), Bubble Stash, IPA on Keg at 6.2%

And, you shrugging guessed it, Mosaic Cryo Hop Resin…

The Mariners were awful. The Orioles built steadily. Runs in each of the first two innings. Then two home runs in the third. And two in the fourth took them off into the distance.

You can find ALL my previous Blogs at

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Would you please consider subscribing (free) to have my Blog delivered to your email inbox (via Substack). Thank you.

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Stats 

I have now Blogged from 1,122 games in 2,869 days