.500 Never Sounded So Sweet for the Seattle Mariners

I was a Sophomore in high school in 2009. That fall I was a stout 160 pound JV football player, a non-factor on the field, yet an avid fan of most sports.

I had seen many a Mariners game. In fact, my mom took my to the game at Safeco all the way back in 2001 when the Mariners won their 116th game of the season.

In 2009 the Mariners won 85 games and people were happy. Bill Bavasi was gone, the man who had traded away everything good in the system, and single handedly mutilated the entire organization top to bottom.

But that season seemed to indicate that maybe, just maybe, the M’s were on the up and up.

Not so!

61, 67, 75, 71. That’s how many wins the M’s won in the subsequent four season.

And last night, in a refreshingly offensive way, the Mariners won their 81st game of the season, assuring at the very least a .500 record for their 2014 campaign.

Now the Admiral, co-editor Dan Hughes, predicted the Mariners would win 83 games and miss out on the playoffs this year. His prediction, as of today, seems fairly accurate but on the low side. And don’t forget, if the M’s keep ‘kicking butt’ and do make the playoffs, Dan will have to make good on his bet and shave his head.

As Mariners fans we have all enjoyed the times of Ken Griffey, Jr. and Randy Johnson, the Edgar Martinez double and the Felix Hernandez perfect game.

This season we will be privileged to remember the epic, 2-out, 9th inning comeback in Boston against the Red Sox. We will get to remember the 13-2 drubbing the Mariners put on their rival Angels to secure their non-losing season. We will laud and praise Robinson Cano and his smooth swing and even smoother defense.

Is it enough? In my opinion, anything from hereon out is just gravy. This wasn’t the year the M’s were supposed to make the playoffs: 2015 seemed more likely as the young guys found their stride in the Major Leagues. If the M’s finish at 81 wins I won’t be mad. I won’t be happy because that would mean they go 0-for-13 the rest of the way, but I wouldn’t be angry. 85 games? Sweet.