This is my first year following Minor League Baseball.

Don't get me wrong. I've been a casual fan of the Rainiers since I was a kid. But the farthest I've gone towards following the Rainiers (27-34), or any minor league team, is attending one or two games at Cheney each year.

Then this year comes along. I switch my stat-following, blog-perusing affinities away from that team from the north and focus on the Tacoma Rainiers. I immerse myself in Minor League Baseball. And I'm pleasantly surprised to report that it's pretty much like Major League Baseball. Sure, there are a few more errors and the fanbase isn't as large. But for me, it's the same game.

The same game except for one thing I still can't get used to: when players get called up to the Mariners.

I know, I know. It's a good thing when players get called up. It's good for the player, who gets a chance to show off his stuff at the highest level. It's good for the organization. It's good for the fans. It's good for... hell, it's good for a lot of things.

But it's hard to get used to. It's hard when 2-time PCL Player of the Week and Weekly Volcano favorite Mike Carp gets snagged away. It's hard when, very soon, Dustin Ackley no longer plays second base for the Rainiers. It's hard because the fan portion of me wants to see the club hold onto their best players.  

I know guys like Mike Curto and other baseball analysts would try to reason with me by saying something like, "What's good for the Mariners' organization is good for the Rainiers." I know this is true. My rational mind knows players need to get called up. The half-assed Rainiers' analyst in me knows I need to distance myself from day-to-day changes in the roster. Minor League players get called up to the Bigs. These are the facts of life.  

But it's still hard to not to get a little disappointed when my favorite players have to pack their bags.  

Speaking of things that are hard to accept, how the hell are we here at the Volcano ever going to make up for the loss of Mike Carp to the Mariners? I guess we could make fun of Matt Tuiasosopo. But his name has so many vowels that we're afraid of frequent misspellings.  For a reputable Minor League Baseball blog like the one we're running, misspellings mean suicide.

Notes ...

-Outfielder Michael Saunders is a player who has gone the other way. Instead of getting called up to the Mariners, he was recently sent down to the Rainiers. As much as getting sent down must suck for Saunders, it rocks for the Rainiers. Since June 3, Saunders is hitting .333 with an OPS of .901.

-The Rainiers had an off day between their loss in Tucson on Tuesday and their 8-4 win over the Sacramento River Cats last night. We here at the Volcano can't help but wonder what the team does on a road off day. Travel? Sightsee? Catch up on sleep and prepare for the next game? Or maybe there's a cool team lunch that we never hear about - you know, one where the guys bond over how many meatballs they can fit in their mouths. A nice, teambuilding team lunch.

-We really hope they have a team lunch.

-We haven't talked about Rainiers pitchers much lately. That's probably because there hasn't been too much to talk about. Last night though, Rainiers starter Chris Seddon pitched more than seven innings and only gave up three hits and two earned runs. While not a 2010 season Luke French-like performance, this is a nice outing for a team that has often lacked nice pitching outings this season.

The Rainiers face the River Cats again tonight at 7:05 p.m. Tonight is "Family Campout Night" at Raley Field in Sacramento. Attendees are encouraged to stay after the game and spend a night on the baseball field camping under the stars.

You know, Mike Carp's tent is so big it's got a kitchen and.... Oh, wait. Carp will not be attending the campout.

Sniff, sniff.