The foundation has been layed. In the coming weeks, Yeti Park will be erected piece by beautiful piece. Part webcomic and part baseball blog, Yeti Park will make you laugh, cry, and give you small but important reasons to keep on loving the Seattle Mariners. Check back often for updates… the blog will happen at least a few times a week until the comic gets posted. Once we have comic lift-off Yeti Park will be ready for regular updates and improved features and celebration of America’s two greatest past times: baseball and comics.

The Tigers came alive tonight… well, all except for Gary Sheffield. And how about that glimmer of Mariner hope at the end? Leave it to Miguel Cario to hit in to a double play and squash whatever speck of a chance we had at making things really interesting.

Not all is lost though. Wladimir Balentien walked twice! The walk he drew in the 7th I found particularly impressive. He’s had trouble so far (even earlier in this at bat) at laying off of breaking balls out of the zone. Against all odds he help up on a couple of them and landed himself on first. Dave Sims wisely commented that Wladimir was “growing up”. If only growing up meant smashing home runs and making spectacular plays in the outfield.

If the Mariners are going to lose though, at least they kept it interesting. Nothing kills me more than seeing Bedard or Felix throw a gem with zero run support.

I keep up with most of my Mariner news from a few of sources, but most often find myself at either U.S.S. Mariner or Geoff Baker’s blog over at the Seattle Times website.

U.S.S. Mariner offers incredibly deep statistical analysis hand in hand with relentless criticism of the organization from top to bottom. While I find it a little harsh at times, it’s well informed and entertaining. It clearly has a good following and I enjoy reading comments from other visitors to the site.

Geoff Baker follows the Mariners around the country including game-day pictures and video in his blog. I really enjoyed all of his spring training coverage back when we all shared excitement about the promising season to come. Baker regularly posts multiple entries to his site during and after games, offering Mariners summaries and insights in easy to chew portions.

These days, no matter where you look everyone is singing the same tune about the M’s. The team has imploded. They never had a fall from grace this year - they started out with cold bats and haven’t been able to heat them up since. Pitching has been equally dismal with few exceptions.

So, what is a fan to do? I try to find something to be happy about. Jose Lopez for example has shown us that he could turn around last seasons less than stellar numbers, unlike Richie Sexson who has made it clear that last season wasn’t a fluke, but a fine example of what he has to offer a ball club at this point in his career.

It’s times like these when I need to take a step back and realize that baseball is a beautiful thing, and that exciting things happen every season whether or not your favorite team is involved with them. Enter the Rays. Here’s a young club that has one of the lowest payrolls in the league, and is currently half a game behind the A.L. East leading Red Sox. What’s even more thrilling is that as their players mature they should remain a force in the east for years to come.

Or how about the first place Marlins? What will it take for their fans to wake up?! They have won 2 of the last 11 World Series. If that happened to the Cubs, the city of Chicago would blast in to space, exploding in to millions of golden pixies that would feel endless joy for the rest of eternity.

There is still a lot of baseball left to be played, and even if the Mariners don’t stand a chance at the playoffs, I’m still going to watch and enjoy. If Wladimir Balentien learns some patience and turns in to a solid player, we can all have the pleasure of seeing it happen. And as long as Erik Bedard is in a Mariners uniform, or any other baseball uniform for that matter (outside of the Yankees or Angels), I’m going to root for him, even if he doesn’t like eight cameras swarming around him after a game.

If you’ve got a reason to keep watching leave it in the comment box.

We’re still years out from knowing how favorably the Adam Jones package for Erik Bedard deal will pan out, but there is no denying that he is a special athlete. Bedard tallied 8 strikeouts in his fourth win of the season, making him the only Mariners starting pitcher with a winning record.

Living on a prayer in the form of a Yuniesky Betancourt solo home-run in the 3rd, the Mariners managed to give up just two hits through seven innings of Bedard, and an inning each of Morrow and Putz.

After the humbling experience of their last road trip, the M’s have something to feel good about: winning a series at home against the Red Sox, and getting quality pitching from their bullpen. Brandon Morrow was rock solid in back to back games, and while Putz did have a little trouble with the stirke zone tonight, when he missed he missed out of the zone.

Seattle gets to rest up tomorrow and will hopefully continue this momentum in to their match-up with the Tigers, who outscored them 30-14 in their last series together.

Just a couple of days following an impressive performance at Safeco Field by the great Tim Wakefield, R.A. Dickey proved tonight that he has what it takes to pitch at the major league level. After Carlos Silva got battered in the first inning, giving up 6 runs (with a 7th run still on base), Dickey scattered 5 hits over the next 5 1/3. He cooled down the hot bats of the Tigers and provided the Mariners with a chance to get back in the game. They wound up losing 7-4, but I’m trying my best to find that silver and teal lining.

Between rumors starting to float about the Mariners unloading a starter or two, and Cha Seung Baek no longer with the club, Dickey will very likely see more time on the mound. He seems to be taking all steps available to him to improve his game, and with knuckleball pitchers often peaking later in their careers, let’s keep our fingers crossed that R.A. will provide the Mariners a low cost innings eater.

Why is it that Washburn can give up 4 runs over 5 1/3 and I’m left feeling like he pitched a decent game? My standards as a fan are dwindling - Jose Lopez picking up 2 RBIs and a HR tricked me in to thinking that it wasn’t such a big loss.

The truth is that I couldn’t help but spend more time watching game 5 of the Stanley Cup go in to triple overtime. Ah… so that’s what the white-hot flames of competition looks like.

Perhaps if the Mariners grew beards they’d know what it means to play like warriors. R.A. Dickey has the right idea.

Tomorrow Erik Bedard will face an 8-2 Joe Saunders in what should prove to be a a real duel. Let’s see if Richie gets to start again, or if the sentimental McLaren just wanted to see him in a Mariners uniform one more time before putting him out to pasture.