Wait Until Next Year-A Seattle Mariners Mantra.

So, why am I a Mariner fan after all of these years of losing? One word sums it up for me "Loyalty", yes, the L word. I watched the very first Mariner game ever in 1977,and I still watch every game on television. We had a few good years like 1995, 1997, 2000,and of course 2001 , all years when we played for the AL championship , but never made it to the big dance. We had the years of Ken Griffey Jr, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Dan Wilson, A-Rod when he was a puppy, Tino Martinez, Freddie Garcia, the ageless Jamie Moyer, John Olerud, Brett Boone, and of course the great manager Lou Pinella. But, mostly, it has been more like watching the Wallace Miners eight man team playing the 1967 Green Bay Packers.

So, why do I still never miss a game, and why do I live and die with this team? If I were to go before Judge Judy, she would say that I am an idiot. If I were to tell a shrink, they would probably call the men in white coats to come and get me. The  sad part and the good part is that I have turned my wife into a die hard Mariner fan, and since she was a born and raised Baltimore girl, that was no easy task. We both sit and cheer, and then sit around with long faces when we lose another one.

Still, I have hope. We have a new crew of what looks like real good kids coming up, Dustin Ackley, Pineda, Carp, Smoak, and of course Felix. As I keep telling my brother, who by the way is a die hard Texas Ranger fan, wait until next year, We will get you next year.(Well, at least I won the bet last Fall when I picked the Giants over the Rangers in the Series. I won some great Starbuck's coffee from him.).

So, why do I root for the Mariners? Just because.They are my team.