The Mariners are on a hot streak
Besides the ever-amazing Seattle Storm, and those few years when the Seahawks were actually good, Seattle hasn’t had too much to celebrate in the world of sports. This year’s Mariners team is aiming to change that. Their eye-popping 14-game winning streak sets a record going into the All-Star break, and another win could tie the franchise’s all-time longest winning streak.
Imagine if they hit 16? Imagine if they make a deep run in the playoffs? Or don’t bother — in the grand tradition of Seattle sports fans — so as to not to get your hopes up.
That said, the Mariners themselves are pretty optimistic!
“This group is a special group,” Manager Scott Servais told ROOT Sports, after beating the Texas Rangers to clinch that 14th victory. “We are riding some kind of momentum high right now. It’s what baseball is supposed to be.”
And that momentum hasn’t been in Seattle since 2001, when Ichiro Suzuki came out swinging in his rookie year to set that 15-game record. Now, breakout star Julio Rodríguez is bringing some of the same hype, knocking in his first career grand slam in a June 15 game against the Rangers to all but guarantee the 12th win of the streak. Strange times, indeed, to find ourselves excited about Seattle baseball, but here we are!
New suicide line debuts
On Saturday, July 16, the nation’s new 988 crisis hotline went live, rebranding but not replacing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. While 988 will now link to the 200 independent crisis centers that currently compose the network, the Lifeline’s number will also remain active.
“Moving to a 3-digit dialing code is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen and expand the existing [Lifeline],” the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration wrote in an online fact sheet. The new easy-to-remember number is designed to mimic 911, making it simpler to use in moments of crisis. The key difference will be that instead of connecting to cops and firefighters — who may not be the best option for people experiencing mental health crises — the number connects to trained mental health professionals. The line will serve people who are suffering from substance use disorder, a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts.
Dr. Emily Krebs, a Fordham University assistant professor who studies suicide, wrote on Twitter that while additions such as the simplified number and promises to expand crisis response teams were improvements, the Lifeline’s centers still use what some consider to be invasive practices.
“It’s still linked to nonconsensual active rescue which means they can [and] will trace your call [and] send police if they deem it necessary,” she wrote.
If you or someone you know is in distress, call 988.
Tobias Coughlin-Bogue is the associate editor at Real Change.
Read more of the July 20-26, 2022 issue.