M's fans try to face life without baseball

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published October 24

SEATTLE -- One Seattle Mariners fan was so desperate to extend the season another day he called the team to ask if he could come to Safeco Field just to sit in his seat for a while.

"I sent him to customer service," said Danny Cifaldi, the Mariners' front desk receptionist. "It's a sad day."

The trains were still tooting their whistles Tuesday, but the fever, the energy that captured this ballpark and this city starting in April was gone. Thanks to the New York Yankees, Seattle's season was done.

Instead of the rallying cry "Sodo Mojo," it suddenly became "Sodo No-Show."

The next event at Safeco Field is a football game.

Head groundskeeper Bob Christofferson's chore is to prepare for the inaugural Seattle Bowl on Dec. 27, featuring the fourth-place football teams from the Pac-10 and Atlantic Coast conferences.

"We're in mourning," Christofferson said. "We've got to get ready for football. We were geared all the way to the World Series."

The red, white and blue bunting around the stadium was coming down, the extra boxes of Cracker Jacks were headed back to the warehouse and the kegs of beer were being cleared out. It's officially time to winterize.

Those leading stadium tours were apologizing Tuesday that there wouldn't be another game. In the team store, American League championship merchandise was 50 percent off.

The Mariners were eliminated in a 12-3 loss to the Yankees on Monday night as the three-time defending World Series champions won the best-of-seven series in five games.

"The season I don't think was a letdown, just the playoffs," said fan Vicki Larson, 44. "Hopefully they'll do it next year. They have experience now and it's the same team. There's no reason they can't."

A few fans didn't feel like reflecting on a season that fell short. Some chose to second-guess.

"At the beginning, I didn't think anybody would beat them best-out-of-seven," said fan Jerry Harvey, a 53-year-old house painter. "They weren't bunting or stealing. When you play in the championships, you have to play all out. They were playing not to lose. I still love them. It was the best season they've had."

On what should have been a somewhat quiet day answering phones for Cifaldi, he reported he has been receiving about four calls a day from the same "annoying" man, a New York Yankees fan with an accent.

"He asks when World Series tickets go on sale," Cifaldi said.

Michael Daily was happy to have the season done.

"I work at Starbucks and now there's no traffic," he said of his company's headquarters just south of the stadium.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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