The Associated Press
Sparked by exciting players like Ichiro Suzuki, the Mariners have turned a once moribund baseball town into a rabid one, with fans across the Seattle area champing at the bit for the 2002 season to begin.

Mariners have city in their control

Excitement in Seattle at fever pitch as opening day draws closer

JIM COUR, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Originally published Sunday, March 17, 2002

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Mariners can't do anything wrong in Seattle these days. They virtually own the city.

Coming off their American League record 116-victory season in 2001, they've sold about 2.5 million tickets for 2002. Mariners mania is at a fever pitch already, and the season is two weeks away.

"I don't think anyone within the Mariners organization ever expected something like this," Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln said. "I don't see how you can."

Forget that the Mariners lost in five games to the New York Yankees in the AL championship series last October. They provided so much excitement for six months in their second full season at Safeco Field that their fans can't wait for more.

The Mariners are projecting attendance of 3.15 million this season. They could easily break the franchise's all-time attendance record of 3,507,975 set last year when they went wire-to-wire to win the AL West by 14 games with a 116-46 record. After all, they can probably better last season's 59 sold-out games.

By tying the major league record with 116 wins, the Mariners have set the bar so high they realize they might fall over it.

"We're very fortunate and very appreciative of the kind of support that we're receiving from the fans," Lincoln said. "But I think we're also cognizant that fame can be fleeting. These things can change very quickly."

The Mariners traded Randy Johnson in the middle of the 1998 season, traded Ken Griffey Jr. after the 1999 season and lost Alex Rodriguez as a free agent after the 2000 season. All three are possible Hall of Fame players who got away.

In Seattle, all is forgiven, though, because the M's are winning big. They've turned themselves into contenders and have new stars now.

"Certainly, winning is healthy," Lincoln said. "It's helped soften the blow."

What's not to be happy about? These are the halcyon days for the Mariners, who lost more than 100 games three times in their first seven seasons in Seattle. Those were the darkest days of the franchise in their dimly lit first home, the Kingdome, which the team vacated in the middle of the 1999 season.

When the Mariners moved across the street to Safeco, the dark cloud over the franchise disappeared.

"I think everybody expected that baseball would be a lot more fun and a lot more viable in Safeco Field," Lincoln said.

They just didn't know how much fun.

Mariners glance

- Saturday: M's 10, Padres 5.

- Today: Seattle at Oakland; Milwaukee at Seattle, both games at noon.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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