2255 Bagger and Baggee

Today's commentary is about bags. Not the ones in the grocery stores they're in the process of banning. The ones folks use for other things. Like bases.

Yes bases. As in, he tried to reach second base but was forced out when the short stop handled the ball perfectly and touched the bag first. The base is also the bag. A second bag is what the Mariners recently gave Derek Jeter.

As part of Jeter's well-earned farewell accolades in his final year in the majors, the Mariners bestowed upon him a bag that he once may have used in the Kingdome. This was because Jeter made his major league debut there in 1995. 

I say "may have used" because although he was actually given a base from the Kingdome, and the media all said it was second base, there's probably no way of knowing which was which. First, Second, and Third all kind of look the same. Square. 

Unless, of course, you presume that the abnormally retentive folks that populate baseball, what with its records of everything from most bunts in a non-roofed stadium to most hits to the private parts of  cupless third baseman that ended up as a two-bagger, would, in fact have stacked all the leftover Kingdome bases by year and diamond designation. 

Interesting though, that the Mariners or some other organization have a stack of bases left over after the Kingdome demolition. It did happen way back in 2000. Maybe the City of Seattle kept a warehouse full of them to sell to collectors on eBay. Help pay down the Kingdome construction bond issue that won't be retired until 2016. 

Thank you Derek Jeter. You helped remind the rest of us taxpayers what it feels like to be holding the bag. 

America, ya gotta love it.