An Etsy witch and the Apple Cup

Today’s newsletter is a bit magical.

I’m serious. We’re going to be talking spells, but before we get to the local hero who hired a witch on Etsy to save the Mariners season, let’s get you caught up on a few other things:

1. Last week, I proclaimed Russell Wilson irrelevant and worried Seattle screwed up by not re-signing Geno Smith. It appears these assessments were perhaps a bit rash. Things look very differently right now with Wilson leading the NFL in passing yardage and Smith having been picked off more than any quarterback in the league.

   Ghosts of Seahawks QB past

2. The Apple Cup is this weekend, and I find myself feeling bad for the Cougs. I feel bad saying that, though. I know the Cougs don’t want my sympathy. They want to beat the Huskies, and maybe they will just like last season at Lumen Field. I don’t think so, though. I think what we’re about to witness will look more like a ritual slaughter that exposes the true cost of college football’s “Great Reshuffling.” I hate it here.

   The Cougs don’t deserve this | The News Tribune

It’s tempting to say the spell has been broken.

The Mariners did lose 7-5 in Kansas City on Wednesday, the first defeat they’ve suffered since a local hero named Steve paid $15 to an experienced spell-caster to … ummmm … fix the Mariners.¹

That was Saturday, Sept. 6. The Marineres had lost six of seven games at that point, and no sooner had Steven worked his magic … or asked SpellByLuna to work her magic … than the Mariners got it together.

The Mariners reeled off 10 consecutive victories after the spell, which included four games in which Seattle scored 10 or more runs and two games the Mariners won in extra innings.

The streak seemed poised to continue on Wednesday when shortstop J.P. Crawford homered in the top of the eighth, giving Seattle a 4-3 lead. Reliever Matt Brash allowed four runs in the bottom of the inning, however, and Seattle lost 7-5.

While the run is over, I choose to believe the spell did exactly what it was supposed to, correcting what appeared to be Seattle’s death spiral.

Several people asked about reimbursing Steven for the purchase of the spell, and he requested an alternative: donate to The Trevor Project, which focused on suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ young people.

The Mariners are currently one-half game out of the division lead and rank second in the wild-card standings, tied with Boston and 2.5 games ahead of Cleveland, which would miss the postseason as it stands now.

Seattle concludes its series in Kansas City on Thursday and then head to Houston for three games that may well decide the AL West.

• Friday: Seattle at Houston, 5:10 p.m. Pacific

• Saturday: Seattle at Houston, 4:10 p.m. Pacific

• Sunday: Seattle at Houston, 4 p.m. Pacific

1  He invoked a different F-word.