If you're a Mariner fan, Opening Day (actually Opening Night) is coming up this Friday. Yes, it's the home opener at Safeco Field. Are you going to the game? I'm not, but I have a few friends who are going and all of them just can't wait!
Seattle Mariner baseball fans are, in my opinion, some of the most loyal in all of sports. Why? Because they have supported the team and come out in relatively large numbers over the past 3 years. During that time frame, the team has been playing FAR from good baseball. The Mariners have been downright awful when it comes to hitting. That's hard to watch, but the fans still came. In many places...like Philadelphia, Detroit, and even Boston, you would see much lower attendance if their teams were playing poorly. Even in Tampa Bay, where it seems like they have a competitive team every year, people just don't come to watch them. Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays made the playoffs, and only averaged 22,700 fans a game. Compare that to Seattle, and we know how poorly the Mariners played last year, and more people came to watch baseball at Safeco Field than did in Tampa Bay.
So far this year, without even playing at home friendly Safeco Field, the Mariners are holding their own and playing pretty well. The beginning of a baseball season is always a time of hope and renewal. Let's hope the Mariners make 2012 their comeback year. Seattle deserves a respectable baseball team, and who knows, we may just have one.
Will Johnson
[photo courtesy of mistycabal]
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