Seattle Mariners: The Dynasty that Wasn't

I remember a time when my hometown team had the best collection of talent in baseball and winning the World Series seemed possible.

Oh, how times have changed for the Seattle Mariners' fans. Watching the Mariners always reminds me of the team’s glory years, and in my opinion, what should have been a dynasty.

I grew up in the Seattle area and adopted the hometown teams, as any young sports geek would. I don’t have a great story about attending my first game in Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. My memories were built inside the largest concrete structure in the world (before it was blown up).

Yep, I grew up going to the Kingdome. I remember walking through the tunnel at my first Mariners game, and seeing the bright lights and beautiful green Astroturf—it almost even looked like grass.

I was four-years old at the time and wasn’t the sports purist I am now, which is why I liked Astroturf. I was deprived in that respect. I loved the Kingdome—I remember sneaking beers inside with my friends during high school. Damn, that was easy to do back then.

I remember watching the Mariners when they had no business calling themselves a major-league team. When I was real young, the Mariners were a joke. I remember cheering for guys like Alvin Davis (Mr. Mariner) and Harold Reynolds.

I remember being upset when I heard news that the Mariners traded their best pitcher, Mark Langston, for some guy named Randy Johnson. What were they thinking?

I also remember watching the fortunes of my team change with one at-bat.

I remember watching Ken Griffey Junior’s first big league at-bat on TV. It was in Oakland, against pitcher Dave Stewart, one of the best of his era. Junior hit a double off the wall, and for the glory of this sports geek, that lowly Mariner franchise was never the same.

I listen to people like Bob Costas and Billy Crystal rant about what Mickey Mantle meant to them when they were growing up. I can’t help but feel the same way about Griffey. He was my guy. Hell, he still is.  

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