If you’re waiting out the season, you’re not alone
DMZ · August 31, 2008 at 4:38 pm · Filed Under Mariners
I noticed today that USSM visits are down almost to pre-season levels.
Comments
26 Responses to “If you’re waiting out the season, you’re not alone”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Sadly I find that my interest in watching the Mariners is almost as high near the end of this dismal season, as it was at the beginning. That interest extends to visiting this website. 2009: Felix, Bedard, Rowland-Smith, Morrow, and Washburn, we’re in great shape, what’s not to like. (I mean, except a few gaping holes in the lineup here or there.)
Perhaps it’s the football drop off? I know I’ve been awaiting the NFL and college football so I don’t keep putting myself through the misery of tuning into each Mariner game and just getting ticked off. Coincidentally, as soon as I don’t watch three games in a row they sweep Cleveland…
Waiting out the season? No, I’m waiting out this administration. Back in June, I was looking forward to seeing the young players get playing time (and lamenting the loss of all those young guys traded for Bedard) but my deep feelings are that front office people need to go before I can begin to believe in the organization.
It’s hard sometimes. We’ve just got such a long way to go… But I know my time will be rewarded when someday they make it the World Series. I’m only 23… They’ve got some time.
Good for the server at least.
Johndango – I’m turning 40 in January. I’m getting worried.
> I noticed today that USSM visits are down almost to pre-season levels.
This is Pre season… Pre Spring training, Early tryouts as it were.
I really enjoy watching the young guys play and am eagerly awaiting roster expansion. It will be fun to go to the games again in the hopes that the gritty veterans will get some rest for a while.
Greg: waiting out the administration may take longer than we imagine. As long as the ownership balance remains intact, Lincoln/Armstrong are fairly likely to stay in place.
Worse, if upper management stays, I’m guessing that the big signing of the off season may well be an extension for Raul Ibanez. His traditional numbers–batting average and likely a third consecutive year with 100+ RBIs–make him an obvious choice for traditional thinking.
Indeed, if they don’t resign Ibanez, I’m betting that traditional blog commenting places–e.g., the Baker blog, the Mariners official blog–will feature a lot of bitter criticism from fans for not having so done.
You are correct.
I go to games that I bought tickets for, due to being a season ticket holder.
I watch Felix pitch.
I will watch Morrow’s starts.
Otherwise, as far as the M’s are concerned, I am just waiting until November when the new GM is hired.
I wish the team would sell to someone able to hire better people at the top of the Front Office. Until then, I am just hoping the new GM is someone able to remake this whole organization from the bottom up.
Not living in Seattle (I just finished school in Evanston, IL, and now am moving to LA), it is just not worth spending the necessary energy to full on follow a team that is going nowhere and only causes me grief. The more the organization continues to head in the right direction (getting the draft picks for Raul, finding a new shortstop that can hit and is under 240 pounds, trading Wash, convincing Silva to retire, finding Lopez a gym membership, rewarding minor league players who occasionally don’t swing at pitches that are about to get covered in dirt, finding a few quality free agents that will be solidly productive but won’t cost Boras money, etc.), the more I will follow.
That being said, USSM is terrific. Having a place where factual analysis and passionate fandom collides is something that has thoroughly improved my ability to appreciate the Mariners. Donation pending, once i have funds.
It’s hard sometimes. We’ve just got such a long way to go… But I know my time will be rewarded when someday they make it the World Series. I’m only 23…
Yeah, I felt exactly that way when I was 23.
That was 1988.
I eventually gave up, and only came back a few years ago. After two decades, there’s a nicer place to watch the game but it feels like the team is pretty much in the same place.
I suspect that the holiday weekend and decent weather, along with relatively early game times has something to do with it. That said, we are definitely on the downhill run…
I’m actually looking forward to the call-ups and seeing what the young ones can do.
For myself, I can tell you that my interest in this season took a serious blow at the trade deadline. That took my interest almost back to pre-firing Bavasi levels.
I’ve just lost faith that the team will do anything right:
Firing Bavasi means absolutely nothing unless you replace him with someone better. I don’t have faith that they will do that.
Not trading Raul so that you can get draft picks means absolutely nothing unless I have faith that the Mariners will not re-sign him.
Not getting rid of Washburn means absolutely nothing unless… they have a time machine and can go back and get rid of Washburn.
All I’m asking for is reason to think they are headed in the right direction. A legit, real, non-speculative reason to believe they are going to change.
Every worthless victory they get this year, if history is any indication, decreases that possibility. So they are impossible to enjoy. But rooting for them to lose, even though I do, as hard as I can, isn’t enjoyable either, just necessary. So no joy either way.
SoDo NoJoy.
That must mean your ad revenue must be down to pre-season levels.
Damn this economy, times are tough all over.
People think I’m crazy when I tell them I will have watched about 140 games this season, and of the remaining 22, I’ve only “missed” about seven (gamecast, following on my phone, etc).
To those people, I just always say “You’ll be welcome back on the bandwagon when another 1995, 1997, 2000, or 2001 rolls around, don’t worry.”
The nice thing is, when you’ve fallen in love with baseball, you can find something in every single game to keep you entertained and fascinated. Whether it’s Felix, Ichiro, a player from an opposing team, or just paying close attention to some of the more subtle things you may not notice when you’re on the edge of your seat.
Baseball always finds a way to reward you, you just have to look a little harder for the reward sometimes.
The Mariners are still playing baseball?
I thought they moved to Oklahoma.
Very nicely put Carson.
#12 Or offer him arbitration as he leaves…
Or say they do let him leave and offer arbitration, then they’ll use the two draft picks on college relievers.
We could all go on:)
Interest is seriously waning. 42 posts on a Felix Day game thread? I would expect September to be slightly better since some of us will want to see the call-ups.
John in L.A. — if the FO had a time machine on their hands, they would screw that up too. It would be very dangerous — Star Trek episode “time anomaly” dangerous. Vidro could end up meeting…Vidro (not Pepe).
I attended my first Mariners game when I was 23.
In 1979.
Actually, I wasn’t quite 23, but it was the month I would turn 23.
Guys, I come here as much or more than I go to check the daily scores. Your witty, informed and insightful commentary makes even seasons like this one exciting and damned interesting. Without USSM the Mariners would just be a team that stunk instead of the human, complicated, talented and ‘a few guys away from contending’ that you so deftly argue them to be. Nice work. Thank you.
Holy crap, you’re right — 42 comments during Felix’s last game thread…
Baseball always finds a way to reward you, you just have to look a little harder for the reward sometimes.
Baseball always finds a way to punish you, also, and sometimes you don’t have to look hard at all.
I haven’t watched a game in weeks, but still check USSM multiple times daily. go figure!
i like how you can edit your comment for 3 minutes! that’s sweet!!
Touche, joser.
“The Mariners are still playing baseball?
I thought they moved to Oklahoma.”
Yes, that’s along the lines of what I was thinking: things could be worse. Check out the traffic at Sonics sites, what little there is is strictly post-mortem gnashing.