James Yates

@jamesyates.bsky.social

371 Followers 291 Following

Writer, runner, basketball fan, baseball fan, animal lover, pessimistic optimist, he/him

The Seattle Mariners logo with the quote "it's time for your daily 3 hours of suffering." A forlorn black and white sketch of a person hugging their knees to their chest responds "Yes, Mariners."
A horizontal Topps 75 Paul Skenes baseball card
An Instagram post from Dugout Report: Bryan Woo wearing a backward ballcap, his face pinched in confusion. He's also wearing a teal and blue jacket. The text says "It's baseball, and it's kicking my ass"-- Bryan Woo
A brown wicker basket sits on a white folding table, on top of an old white tile floor. My knee in jeans is visible in lower right corner. Behind the table: the side of a washing machine, a blue bottle of detergent, florescent lights overhead.
Me, a cis white male wearing a white t-shirt. I have a brown and white beard, I'm reclining on a couch, and I have a tortoiseshell cat on my chest.
Hannah, wearing a sleeveless leopard-print dress, sitting at a table, with a water glass, a white plate, a menu, and a candle in front of her. There are string lights behind her.
A grassy area, a fence, a black and white goat, all in front of a decrepit barn with hollowed out windows and broken wood panes.
Sunny woods, a partial wooden walkway, and a stone bird bath.
A giant sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit on a white plate, sitting on a brown coffee table. The table is messy, with a green coffee mug, a white disposable coffee cup, coasters, bowls, and various papers and notebooks scattered about.
A basketball backboard, hoop, and net, photographed from the side baseline. There's a curved railing above the court, with lights and pipes in the ceiling. Beyond the court: an exit door and metal bleachers.
A baseball field. It's a cloudy day, and there are gorgeous mountains visible in the distance. The outfield wall is covered with local advertisements.
A screenshot of the why.bsky.team account profile. Their profile image isn't visible. Below the handle, the message: User Blocking You.
Screenshot from MLB.com KANSAS CITY-- The streak is over. No, this is not a recreation of "All my Children's" Susan Lucci winning an Outstanding Lead Actress Award in the 1999 Daytime Emmys after the icon lost 18 straight nominations. It's about the White Sox claiming victory at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday night with a 2-0 decision.
A tweet from amelia elizalde: every book is called 'the tiny things we know to be small' or 'the darkest wife'
A gorgeous assemblage of green grass and green and pink trees on either side of a running path. Mill Mountain is in the background in front of a cloudy sky.
Me, a cis white man, wearing a Seattle Mariners baseball cap with an aqua bill. I'm wearing a white t-shirt, sitting on a sofa in front of white miniblinds.
Me, flushed and sweaty, smiling in a car as I hold up a pink race medal. I'm wearing a black baseball cap and a blue and gray t-shirt.
A basketball hoop above a basketball court. It's circled by a metal railing covered in ads for local businesses, with curved windows beyond the railing.
A striped brown and black tabby cat sits with his paw on my hand. My hand is holding a cup of coffee. I'm wearing gray sweatpants and a gray zip up hoodie. My face isn't visible.
A collection of books: DARK DAYS, HOT SPRINGS DRIVE, OUT THERE IN THE DARK, CONCEPTUALISMS, ANOTHER DAY OF INSANE THINKING, THE BODY IS A TEMPORARY GATHERING PLACE, THERE IS NEWS ALONG THE OHIO RIVER, AND THEN HE SANG A LULLABY, all laid out against a green comforter.
Writer Anna Vangala Jones on the left, me (James Yates) on the right
Me, a cis white man wearing a gray hat, a gray shirt, and a blue hydration vest. I'm holding up two fingers in front of piers in the water outside downtown Baltimore.
A screenshot from the Strava app, showing a 13.55 mile distance, accompanied by my photo of an underpass mural (a bird drinking from a colorful stream).
An asphalt running path with a yellow divider line in the middle. In white chalk is a hopscotch pattern and the message "Don't wait for life to be easy to be happy!"
A TV display of "MLB: The Show 25." A computerized Julio Rodriguez circles the bases. The graphic onscreen says "SEATTLE HOME RUN, JULIO RODRIGUEZ"
A blue and red outdoor basketball court with a hoop. There's a field of grass and trees behind it, and some gorgeous mid-afternoon clouds.
Me wearing a ballcap and a sleeveless maroon running shirt. I'm smiling in front of some trees and holding up a Triple Crown race medal.
Me, wearing glasses with disheveled hair, holding a chunky tabby cat by the scruff of his neck. His back leg is dramatically raised.
A basketball court, photo taken under one of the hoops, facing toward the other end of the court. There are local advertisements hanging on a railing circling the court.
Me, wearing black glasses and a gray shirt, laying down on a gray couch. Tasha, a tortoise shell cat, is stretched out asleep on my chest and stomach, faced away from the camera.
An AI account named Bella 'writes:' Ahoy Mariners fans! Picture this: cozy nights, game nights, and the thrill of cheering for our boys in blue while snacking on good vibes! Who else loves the M's atmosphere? Let's chat about those siren vibes of the ocean and baseball magic #Mariners #HomebodyVibes
A screenshot of the MLB app's live simulation of tonight's Mariners Blue Jays game. It's an animation of the field and current box score.
Me, a white cis male wearing a New Orleans Pelicans ballcap and a blue and red running shirt, holding up a race medal. I'm smiling and my face is splotchy.
An extremely worn, faded Wilson NCAA basketball, sitting in a car trunk.
A deer stands behind a chain-link fence, on which is a white sign with black text reading NO PETS ALLOWED.
The Mariners come out of the dugout after winning the 2025 AL West title.
A late September sunset on the Roanoke River Greenway. There's a cyling/running path with grass, trees, and small hills on the right-hand side. The sky is blue with a couple small clouds visible.
Hannah wearing a black Randolph Wildcats sweater and pink headphones around her neck, sitting in her home office. She's holding Mikey, our fluffy black kitty, on her lap.
A screenshot of the American League West standings on September 7th. Houston leads Seattle by 2.5 games and Texas by 4.0 games.
The sun sets behind a bridge in the background. A black metal fence in the foreground stands in front of a bunch of rocks, trees, and the Roanoke River.
A copy of REAL LIFE: a novel by Brandon Taylor. The font of title and author name is yellow. The jacket is orange with black lines and boxes, with an illustration of a gray and white bird.
A copy of the book LIKE LOVE: ESSAYS AND CONVERSATIONS by Maggie Nelson. The jacket is purple with pink, blue, and yellow font.
The cover of TERROR COUNTER by Fargo Nissim Tbakhi. The border is a dark gray, with a charcoal and pen drawing by Hani Zurob depicting a solitary, faceless person sitting on a long bench, surrounded by white space.
A copy of the book CULTISH by Amanda Montell. The artwork has a UFO and psychedelic color schemes. It's held up in front of a yellow wall and a white door.
A duck swimming across a pond, leaving ripples in the water. The pond is surrounded on all sides by green trees and bushes.
A large, green hillside with white letters spelling ENDLESS CAVERNS
Me in a gymnasium, from a distance, wearing a tan cap, blue shorts, a gray shirt, and white sneakers, holding a basketball. I'm about to shoot at the hoop at the top of the frame.
Text: BLACK BALL: KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, SPENCER HAYWOOD, AND THE GENERATION THAT SAVED THE SOUL OF THE NBA by Theresa Runstedtler Image: a black and white photo of Spencer Haywood, wearing a #24 Sonics jersey, holding a basketball above his head. Half the book cover is black, and behind Haywood are stripes representing the Pan-African flag
A copy of GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin. The cover photograph is boy, copyright Leonard Freed/Magnum Photos. It depicts a young Black boy standing against a wall between a window and curtain. He has a sad look in his eyes, and his face is half-covered in shadow.
The book PRETEND THE BALL IS NAMED JIM CROW: Poems by Dorian Hairston. The book is blue with white text. It has a photo of the late Josh Gibson, with baseball stitches on the left and right side of the cover.
Me, a white cis male wearing a tan Cubs cap, wearing a gray sleeveless Champion shirt. I'm sitting in the driver's seat of a car, holding up a race medal.
Tweet from Sean Leahy, @thepunningman "The bond's Name. James Name" Pleased to...what? "Bond Name's the james" Are you alright? "Bames Nond's having a stronk, call a Bondulance"
A copy of GOOD TALK: A MEMOIR IN CONVERSATION by Mira Jacob. The book cover is read, and the title text is blue and orange, with illustrations of the family members and acquaintances who appear in the book. The book is perched on a black shelf in front of a yellow wall.
Allen Iverson steps over Ty Lue during Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals.
A copy of Susan Steinberg's SPECTACLE. The background is yellow and the cover photo is a kinetic, distorted shot of a spinning carousel with seats and riders in motion.
Nerd dog with glasses and a raised finger
One of the bridges on the Roanoke River Greenway
A copy of the book THERE'S ALWAYS THIS YEAR: ON BASKETBALL AND ASCENSION by Hanif Abdurraqib. The cover has a blue background with a young Black boy sitting on top of a basketball hoop against a white backboard.
Me standing in front of a bathroom door, wearing an off-white shirt with buttons and a purple ballcap with "NOLA" in gold lettering.
A metal drawbridge across a small river. There are rocks in the foreground and trees in the background. The sky is blue with a touch of pink clouds.