The Thursday Dispatch - 18 September 2025
A trip down memory lane.
I’m driving to Kansas City, Missouri, this morning to catch my Seattle Mariners playing the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen the Mariners play in person, thanks to COVID and financial issues. I think the last time I saw them was in 2019, in which I got lucky and got two games for one since it rained the night before.
I have a whole itinerary planned for this. I’m making two stops. The first will be at a MOD Pizza in Blue Springs, Missouri, about ten miles east of Kauffman Stadium. From there, I’ll head to the ballpark well-fed, where an IPA or two should do me well.
This whole trip plays into something for me, and that’s nostalgia. Literally, this whole day is nostalgic for me. I’ll explain step-by-step.
MOD Pizza is kind of like the pizza version of Chipotle. MOD literally stands for “made on demand,” and you can build whatever kind of pizza you want, whether that be a full-sized one or a personal. Once you have what you want on it, they throw it in a brick oven to cook it up, so you get that bubbly crust that’s parts crispy and parts chewy. A personal pizza and a drink will cost you in the neighborhood of $13 or so, which is cheaper than a pizza and drink combo at Kauffman Stadium.
MOD is based in Bellview, Washington, just a few miles from Seattle, and they’re all over the region. In each of my four trips to the Seattle area in the 2010s, I ate a MOD a few times. It got to the point that I was eating them so much during my trip in 2017, I decided to seek out different locations to hopefully not have the staff get to know me. Luckily, there are also a few in the Kansas City area, so I get a little piece of Seattle when I see the Mariners play in Kansas City.
Then, there’s the Mariners themselves. I’ve rooted for this team since the late 80s. They’re just ingrained in me at this point. I’ve been with them through highs and lows, mostly lows. But, I just can’t quit them. They were a part of me growing up, and I’ve just carried them ever since. Now, they’re just something that makes me kind of unique where I live, as there aren’t a lot of Mariners fans in the Midwest.
So, I’m looking forward to this day. I’m just hoping it doesn’t rain. There’s been a threat of rain in the forecast all week. It’s unfortunate Kansas City didn’t think to build a roof on their joint like they did in Seattle. But, I did only pay $20 for a lower bowl ticket, thanks to SeatGeek, so I’m not out too much if they don’t play today. Hopefully, the Mariners win, something they’ve been doing a lot of as of late. I’ll take it with this franchise.
Weekly Photo
Let’s flash back to the one time I saw a game at Safeco Field. I know it goes by a new name now, but I’m still calling it Safeco. Anyway, it’s a great ballpark. It’s in my top two ballparks in the league, with Oracle Park in San Francisco being the other one I battle with. Safeco feels like it belongs to Seattle, like it was taylor made for the city. It’s beautiful, easy to get around, and I love that you can still feel the cool, damp April air there at the beginning of the year while still staying dry. Just a great place.
This Past Week
Weekly Links
iPhone 17: A Photographer’s Review - Tyler Stallman’s iPhone 17 Pro review is out and it’s the one I’ve been waiting for. I’m buying the 17 Pro Max in part because of the camera system. The 4x zoom looks great!
The Evolution of How Rappers Construct Their Rhymes - A breakdown of how skilled MCs put words together. Anyone telling you hip-hop isn’t art is full of shit.
Don’t Make Your Bed - Joan Westenberg challenges the popular advice to start each morning by making your bed, arguing that this ritual—while visually tidy—often masks deeper mental chaos. Westenberg shares how neat sheets didn’t stop anxiety, fragmented thoughts, or inner distractions.
Songs in the Chaos
This is my weekly list of songs that either caught my attention or came to mind this past week. I post these throughout the week on a site called Crucial Tracks, where they’re also added to a playlist on Apple Music. Feel free to follow me on either space.