Larry LaRue

"Most every Mariner could walk down the street of any town other than Seattle and go unrecognized - but just now no team in baseball wants to see them coming at all." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"Tied again, the game went to two bullpens. New York's blinked. Seattle's did not." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"Against the world champions, in the Land of the Rings - against Roger Clemens - the Seattle Mariners did what they'd done against the American League West. They won." -Larry LaRue

"Against a team that considers itself a tough, gritty champion, the Mariners matched 'em man for man through seven innings - then went on without them. You want tough? Freddy Garcia got through seven innings without his best stuff, and survived one bad inning to win his third game of the year. Looking for gritty? Called into a one-run game in the eighth inning, veteran Norm Charlton gave up a single and a walk -- but wound up striking out the side without allowing a run. There were bad calls by the umpires, some sloppy defense by the home team, and another clutch hit by cleanup hitter John Olerud. And as so many of Seattle's games have, this one game down to the ninth inning, where Kazuhiro Sasaki blew the Yanks away for his 10th save of the season." -Larry LaRue

"For most of April, they didn't lose a series. Now, the Seattle Mariners aren't even losing games." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"With another victory, their 20th of an improbable month, the Seattle Mariners made April's fools of all their spring doubters." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"On Friday, the Mariners changed their signs before the game. And some of those great swings Toronto players got last week in Safeco became considerably less effective in SkyDome." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"Then Ichiro Suzuki did what he does best: he drove the Blue Jays crazy." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"In 37 games this season, Ichiro has hit safely in 35 of them. And while no other Mariner can say the same, it seems no one on the roster has been all that far behind." - Larry LaRue

"'We've pitched well, we've played good defense, we play good fundamental baseball,' Piniella said, repeating the litany of the first seven weeks of the season. 'You do that, it doesn't matter where you play, you're going to win games.' And if Sele is on the mound. 'You're going to win games then, too,' [Lou] said." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"Baseball is full of surprises," [Norm] said." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"If the Seattle Mariners didn't rip the heart out of the heartland Monday, they certainly took a large chunk of something vital from the Kansas City Royals, who watched a four-game sweep with awe." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"He snatched it, and when he went down he straightened up his cap, adjusted his sunglasses and then stood up," Cameron said, making Ichiro laugh. "The man is always styling." -Larry LaRue

"Bret Boone likes to wear a T-shirt in the clubhouse that reads 'Chicks Dig the Long Ball' - the slogan for a Nike ad a few years ago. After Boone was asked to bunt Sunday, and did so successfully to set up the game-winning rally, he came into the clubhouse to find his T-shirt now read 'Chicks dig bunts.'" -Larry LaRue

"They have 100 games left on their schedule, and only two of them in Coors Field, for which the Seattle Mariners pitching staff has two words: Thank God." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"Garcia took it out on the A's lineup. After Giambi's home run, he didn't allow a hit until Johnny Damon's two-out double in the eighth inning." -Larry LaRue

"Paniagua walked to the mound and took the ball and an order from Piniella. "Lou said, 'Give me a fastball low and away and we'll get out of this,'" Paniagua said. "That's why I love Lou. He's never lost faith in me, he believed I could get out of that spot." Paniagua threw Larry Barnes a fastball - low and away - Barnes flied out and the Mariners were out of the jam." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"When they awaken in Texas this morning, the Mariners will be 59-21 - a full 38 games above .500. And the Anaheim Angels, who began their sabbath in second place in the American League West? They've won, uh, 38 games all year." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"Wise threw a fastball. Boone hit it to Disneyland, his 21st home run of the year, good for RBI Nos. 79 and 80." -Larry LaRue

"No one can know the future, but the Mariners wouldn't mind extending the present. Against a Rangers team that was talking about having found itself in the last three weeks, Seattle stood up late and beat Texas again - dropping the Rangers 28 games back." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"In 48 at-bats against the Rangers this season, Ichiro is batting .458 with three home runs and eight RBI." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter

"They have lost 22 times all season, and the Seattle Mariners haven't learned to accept even those defeats like gentlemen." -Larry LaRue, sportswriter