Wake me up for the ball game

Buy me some peanuts and NoDoz pills: Sports columnist John Boyle has nine reasons fans can look forward to the Seattle Mariners season, despite having lost a combined 196 games in the last two seasons. The Mariners open the Major League Baseball season with a game Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo, Japan. Because the game is half-a-world away, first pitch is at 3:04 a.m.

We’re joining Boyle in his early optimism, so we won’t suggest that all of Seattle’s games start at 3 a.m. to spare fans from having to watch another season of 90 or more losses.

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Just bring it back with a full tank: Executives with Japan Airlines were in Everett to take delivery of the airline’s first two 787 Dreamliners, one of whom triumphantly held each jet’s key above his head during the ceremony.

Moments later the JAL executive’s cellphone rang with a request from his teenage son: “Dad, can I have the keys; I’ve got a date Friday night.”

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Please remove your shoes and your sense of irony: At last finding common ground, Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives joined forces Monday to attack airport screeners with the Transportation Security Administration as ineffective, wasteful and rude.

To top it off, the TSA is redundant; it’s Congress’ job to be ineffective, wasteful and rude.

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