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ALL-TIME GREAT HANDICAP MATCHES

1.  Bobby Riggs playing quality tennis opponents using a 1970's cast iron skillet

2.  The Great Khali vs Epico and Primo

3.  Paul Morphy vs. a senior master (James Thompson) at Knight odds (about an 800-point spread)

4.  11 soccer players vs 10 (viewed as ungrotesque in some parts of the world)

5.  Seattle Sports Insider against a 98-loss home team

6.  Pete Gray

7.  The 2016 Cincinnati Reds against the 2016 Seattle Mariners, three run head start

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The Reds' franchise encyclopedia goes back to 1882, when Will White amassed 11 WAR for the oldest team in the majors.  Granted, White needed 480.0 innings to do it, but he still allowed fewer runs than the 2016 Reds' bullpen has done.  On the radio, they gave 101 runs vs 38 runs in Cincinnati Reds games innings 7-9 this year. 

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GAMEFLOW

A handicap odds match can be a fascinating spectacle.  As the Reds built their 3-run lead, Hisashi Iwakuma looked like a guy who could use a thumbtack and emery board.  Alas, the camera angles these days make shineballs very much harder to prepare.  But giving the 2016 Mariners a frying pan to volley with only adds to the pleasure.

Dan Straily threw a "shutout" for a while, but gave up many, many, MANY foul blasts pulled down each line -- as well as this Billy Hamilton StatCast miracle.  Hamilton covered over 30 yards at a 98.4% route efficiency.

Alas, the smoke and mirrors came to an end, and the M's started scoring runs.  Torturously (for the Reds), there was a [longish] pause between each and every one of the M's eight comeback runs.  No two runs scored on the same play, so Reds' fans hope switched Down ... Down ... Down ... Down ... Down with each new single, hit by pitch or RBBI (run walked in).  ... oh yeah, forgot, two M's did score on Dae-Ho Lee's wonderful off-field single to break the tie.

Lee's timing at the plate is apparently not subject to laws of physics.  His laser beam to right field was off a 95 MPH painted fastball and Lee hadn't seen live pitching since ... when?  Then his home run was off a change speed pitch.  I guess if you've got a platoon bat that benefits from neglect, you may as well tend to the other players' needs.

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For the rest of it, we'll refer you to the SSI chat during the game -- chat 958, 6 pm to 9 pm.  If you use the second window on the SSI home page, the one with the most recent Shout at top, you don't have to re-load the Shouts.  Embedded in the chat is some amazing intel on Rick's 30-year rotisserie league, one which long predates the internet.  Dr. D thought that his 1997 league was Jurassic -- you got that old AOL dial tone when you signed on to play.  But Rick's league predates that by three presidential terms!

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SEATTLE SPORTS INSIDER MARINERS BLOG

Dr. D took the advice of SABRMatt and Biology Rick - here's the Facebook page.  We use that page to comment on the M's official Facebook page several times per week.  Also, Matt/Rick say they've been boosting the SSIMB page, though I have no idea what that means.  

There was also a rumor of a "Seattle Sports Insider Mariners Forum" and that page truly is a total mystery to me.  But see?  All you have to do is point us in the right direction and we're off like a shot.  Do tell what we should do next.

BABVA,

Jeff