Well if we have to lose....those damn Yankees better win the World Series. :-(

I'd rather we didn't lose. After all, the Mariner's have never gone 'all the way.' It would be so cool if they did. Also, Liz is going back to New York this week. Merciless will be the ribbings if Seattle doesn't win at least one more game.

I spent three hours tonight in the game listening to a player rant about how unappreciated she felt for all the hours she spent volunteering for our game. My mind went, as usual, down two separate tracks. First, why volunteer to do something if all you care about is the thanks you get? And second, are we not telling folks we appreciate them as much as we should?

It's something I've whined about in my sordid past, so I totally understand. Most people like to receive praise. They like to see their name in lights. They love recognition. It isn't so difficult to pat someone on the back and let them know they've done well, yet we often forget to do it.

Still, in this particular case, I know she's not right. I saw many posts on our boards, even one by yours truly, expressing appreciation for the work the players did over the summer when they hosted a fair for the other players. I know there have been pats on the back for the crew, both from my staff and from the other volunteering players. Sometimes, though, when someone gets a notion in their head that they're not appreciated, it's not that "no" one appreciates them but that "someone" in particular doesn't.

She wants me to hire her as an AGM. I haven't done so, therefore, I have not appreciated her. Could it be that simple? Is anything that easy to boil down to its essence?

Nah. That's putting too much on my role. All I did was give her someone to vent to tonight, someone who tried to get her to look at things from a different perspective without any success. I've never spent a more frustrating three hours in one person's company in my life.