More than 6,000 turn out for fun with M's

Fans enjoy chance to meet players

ELLIOTT SMITH, THE OLYMPIAN

SEATTLE -- The power of the Seattle Mariners is so strong, even a snow squall couldn't stop thousands from turning out to see their baseball heroes.

Mariners FanFest was once again a big hit, as more than 6,000 people turned out on the opening day of the two-day event held at the Stadium Exhibition Center across from Safeco Field, lured by an array of exhibits, games and most importantly, a chance to meet and greet Mariners players.

"It's a good event," said Ben Choy of Seattle, holding a freshly signed baseball by Mariners pitcher Paul Abbott. "It helps people get excited about the season and it really shows that the Mariners are good people when you see them outside the ballpark."

Lines snaked through the building for Mariners autograph sessions and fans listened intently through Q & A sessions with several players and Seattle front office members.

For the players, getting a chance to reconnect with the fans makes the FanFest worthwhile.

"It's cool," Mariners utilityman Charles Gipson said. "You kind of get back in the swing of things. The fans get me hyped up. After doing this, I need to get out and start ballin'."

While Gipson was out signing autographs, he was part of another fan favorite at the event, "Who Wants to be a Mariner?"

A contestant was faced with the question, "Who came off the bench to play six different positions for the Mariners last season?" and incorrectly answered Stan Javier instead of Gipson, sending moans through the assembled viewers.

"This is the best thing they have here," said Russell Gay of Maple Valley while waiting for the next round of the game to start. "I'm just going to be doing this the rest of the day."

While FanFest was an opportunity for everyone to get back into the baseball state of mind, Saturday was the first day that individual game tickets went on sale as well, with a long line of buyers standing outside Safeco Field and an even bigger crush from outside sources.

"At one point today we were selling 400 tickets per minute," Mariners media relations director Rebecca Hale said. "Ticketmaster was at capacity and 1/2 est's phone lines were at capacity. As of two hours ago, we had sold 80,000 tickets. This is probably the heaviest one day sales we've ever had."

Which means anticipation for the upcoming season is at a fever pitch, a fact the players said was evident in their dealings with the fans.

"It makes you feel so lucky to play in Seattle," Abbott said. "The fans really love it. It's so much better when you have fans that support you."

That makes it a lot easier for the players to put an end to their offseasons and come back to Seattle.

"That's why I always do the Mariners Caravan and the FanFest," Gipson said. "I like to give something back to the fans."

The Mariners know that all eyes will be on them when the season begins, but Abbott said that instead of trying to duplicate their 116-win season, the team has much loftier goals.

"We know we have a good product," he said. "We want to bring a World Series here and have a parade through downtown Seattle. That would be amazing."

Mariners FanFest

- When: Continues today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

- Where: Stadium Exhibition Center, across from Safeco Field in Seattle.

- Cost: $8 for anyone 15 and older, $5 for children ages 6-14.

- Appearing: Bret Boone, Jay Buhner, Jamie Moyer, Dan Wilson.

For related stories go to the Local Sports section.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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