~ Chapter Twenty Five ~

"We close in on the traditional halfway point of the season - the All-Star game."  Dave Niehaus waxed poetic, killing time while the pitcher and catcher conferred on the mound.  "It feels like it takes forever to get to this point, but now that we're here, it'll be the playoffs before we even realize it.  Of course, the Mariners have two players invited to this years Mid-Summer Classic.  Neither were voted by the fans, but Cleveland manager Rob Walker selected both Howie Dorough and AJ McLean to this years All-Star team.   McLean declined the invitation a few days ago, preferring to spend the break with his family, but Dorough will be traveling to the east coast tomorrow with the other All-Stars. 

"As the first half of the season draws to a close, the Mariners have put together a strong drive, winning the last four games in a row, and eight out of their last nine.  They've almost caught up to the division leading A's, and since it is only early July, things are looking up for the Mariners.  A lot can still happen in the next three months..." Niehaus trailed off as the game resumed.  "Here's the pitch to Kinomoto..."

~*~

"You're gonna hate me for what I did." 

Kevin jumped.  Brian had suddenly appeared at his arm in the parking garage.  Kevin hated it when Brian snuck up on him like that - and he suspected Brian knew, which was the reason he kept doing it.

"And what did you do?"  Kevin inquired, making his voice as sugary as possible.  He doubted it could be that bad.  Even if it was, Kevin was in a good mood.  He had the next three days off, and it was going to be a nice break.  As much as he loved playing baseball, the grind could get to him after a few months. 

"Well, y'all know the picnic?"  Brian started.

Kevin did know the picnic.  The last two years, over the All-Star break, some of the players and their families spent the day at a local park, consuming too much potato salad, and playing extremely competitive softball games.  This year, it looked to be Brian; Kevin and Scott's families; and AJ and his wife, whom Kevin had invited this year. 

"What about the picnic?"

Brian crossed himself.  "Father, forgive me, I think I sinned..."

Kevin rolled his eyes.  "I ain't a priest here."

"I kind of invited Nick."  Brian said quickly.

"Kind of?"  Kevin's hands formed quote marks as he repeated the words.  "How do you ‘kind of' invite someone?"

Brian shrugged.  "Okay, I invited Nick."

There went Kevin's All-Star break.  He drew in a deep breath, scowling down at his cousin, who strangely enough, still looked happy.  "What the f--- possessed you to do somethin' like that?"

Brian arched one eyebrow at Kevin's choice of words.  "Nothing ‘possessed' me, Kevin.  I was merely being nice.  I didn't realize it was gonna be this big a deal to you."

Kevin unlocked his SUV and shoved his bag in the backseat.  "It's not."  He said sharply.  Actually, it was.  There was something about Nick's attitude that rubbed Kevin the wrong way.  He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was something phony and almost hypocritical in a way about Nick.  If there was one thing about people that Kevin couldn't stand, it was someone who pretended to be something they weren't, and he was getting more and more of a feeling that was his main problem with Nick.

"Just thought y'all might want to know."  Brian bared his teeth in a cheesy grin and headed for his beater of a car.  Kevin stood next to the door of his SUV and watched Brian march to his Civic, fiddling with the lock for a few moments until the key finally unlocked the door. 

Brian had owned that car since he had graduated highschool, claiming he kept it because of emotional attachments.  Kevin couldn't understand how Brian could be attached to a mechanical object that wouldn't unlock half the time, usually killed while going down hills, and had only one working speaker.  But, Brian kept everything - as was evidenced by his apartment and the back seat of his car.  So he chugged around in his little Civic, perfectly happy, his blue and red fuzzy dice still hanging from the rearview mirror from when he had played in Anaheim. 

The Civic started, choked once or twice, killed, started again, and slowly putted out of the parking garage.

"Yeah..."  Kevin muttered, starting his car.  "Thanks for letting me know."  Suddenly, he was feeling depressed. 

~*~

Newsbit in Seattle P.I. - July 5th

Trade rumors have been flying the last few days, and Mariners general manager Joseph Wright has confirmed that they have received offers regarding the M's #1 starting pitcher Tim Casella and closer AJ McLean, but neither of them will be leaving the team.  "We're looking to add to our pitching staff, not subtract from it.  We are looking at several different deals, but Casella is not part of them, and McLean is certainly not an option."

The Mariners could part with third-baseman Howie Dorough.  In past years, Dorough has been somewhat of a hazard in the infield, but he can hit, and this year is putting together a career season.  The Mariners would miss his bat in the lineup, but now that Carter is swinging the bat well, holes could be filled in the offense if the Mariners were to get a good quality starter for the stretch run.

Rumor also has it that the Mariners are looking to trade right fielder Nick Carter.  After being traded to Seattle, Carter never returned to his previous rookie of the year form.  However, Carter's sometimes insolent attitude both on and off the field is earning him a reputation in the league, and other teams, while interested because of his playing ability, are shying away.  First baseman Scott Martin is another option for the front office.  Martin has been a good solid first baseman his entire career, but is expendable for the Mariners, provided they could acquire a good arm in the deal.

Unconfirmed sources with the San Diego Padres say there's a deal in the works that would send both Carter and Martin to the Padres for starting pitcher Doug Drusell and left-handed reliever Mark Wagner, but the Mariners front office denies the trade.