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Seattle Mariners Fans Be Thankful
Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
‘Tis the season for giving thanks. It is time once again for the annual holiday where we eat too much, tolerate distant family we only see once or twice a year and fall asleep watching football.
But it’s also a time to reflect on the year that was as a sports fan. So we here at Sodo Mojo will give you a list of 5 things Seattle Mariners fans can be thankful for in 2013.
5- A promising future
While we as fans sit here and anxiously wait for the Mariners to make some moves in free agency to improve the club for 2014, we can rest assured that the future will be indeed bright – even if it’s still a few years out.
The youth is being served already, with Mike Zunino, Nick Franklin, Dustin Ackley, Abraham Almonte and Kyle Seager all showing M’s fans some hope in 2013.
The Mariners have several young prospects coming up through the ranks, including two players ranked in the Top-25 on MLB.com: Taijuan Walker (#4) and Danny Hultzen (#23).
Add to that, the promising end of 2013 shown by SP James Paxton, plus the promising year that Mariners Minor League Player of the Year Chris Taylor put together, things are indeed looking bright.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports
4- Safeco Field
One of the nicest ballparks in the country, hands down, end of story. There isn’t a bad seat in the house (and I’ve sat in various spots).
The retractable roof allows for beautiful blue sky Seattle summer days and also allows – when the roof is closed – for an open-air experience, with the added benefit of staying dry, when the rain comes as it often does in Seattle.
I personally liked the Kingdome. My first MLB game was a Mariners game in the Dome. I saw Cecil Fielder hit a home run in the Dome, I witnessed Cal Ripken‘s 1,111th and 1,274th games of his 2,632 consecutive game streak. I watched Randy Johnson pitch a one-hitter, days before he was traded to the Astros.
But nothing can beat watching a Mariners game in the Safe, smelling the sea air, listening to the trains go by.
I can’t wait to go up there this Spring.
Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
3- A rich history
The Mariners may have never made an appearance in the World Series, but there have been a number of dynamic ballplayers that have called Seattle home over the years.
Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson and Dan Wilson have all been inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in recent years.
Alex Rodriguez, Ichiro Suzuki, Omar Vizquel, Tino Martinez, Arthur Rhodes, Bret Boone, Adrian Beltre and Norm Charlton all spent a significant amount of time here.
Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe, R.A. Dickey and Kevin Mitchell all spent a little time here.
In all, Seattle has been home to two AL MVP awards (Griffey- 1997, Ichiro- 2001) and two AL Cy Young awards (Randy- 1995, Felix- 2010).
They have also had several other players who had won or would eventually win awards with other teams (Kevin Mitchell- 1989 NL MVP, Rickey Henderson– 1990 AL MVP, Randy- NL Cy Young in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, Alex- AL MVP in 2003, 2005 and 2007, Cliff Lee– 2008 AL Cy Young, R.A. Dickey- 2012 NL Cy Young).
Remember when the Mariners won an MLB record-tying 116 games in the 2001 regular season?
Times have been rough of late, but M’s fans still have some history to be thankful for.
Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
2- Felix Hernandez
Every 5th day, King Felix holds court and it is a sight to behold.
Hernandez had a bit of an off year in 2013, mostly towards the end. But you can rest assured that come Opening Day 2014, Felix will be on the bump for the Mariners and they will have a decent shot of winning the game.
With the emergence of Hisashi Iwakuma, the 1-2 punch should give M’s fans a lot to be excited about.
If the M’s are able to add a solid No. 3 guy to the rotation, this could be a very pitching-dominant year for Seattle.
Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
1- We have a team
We probably take it for granted most days, but the fact that Seattle has the Mariners is something to be thankful for. Regardless of how you feel about them in their current state.
There was a time, not that long ago, where the Mariners were going to move to Tampa Bay. It would have been the second time in two decades that Seattle lost an MLB franchise.
But the “Refuse to Lose” Mariners of 1995 put the fire into the casual fans in Seattle and resulted in the approval of public funding for the construction of Safeco Field, allowing the Mariners to stay in Seattle.
It may not be too comforting, but as an Oregon native, I am very thankful that the Mariners exist and that they are in Seattle.
What are you thankful for as a Mariners fan? What are you looking forward to in 2014? I hope that there is some news to report to you over the four-day weekend. If there is, we will have it for you.
Have a safe and happy holiday.