... if you want to share the fate of an original 1995 STATS AOL fan, circa 2000-2001.

He'd been in the "Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid" bleachers from 1995-2000, and watched Pat Gillick turn a losing 1999 team into a 90-win 2000 team. 

But after the 2000 season, ARod left and then we fans debated all winter how best to spend ARod's $20M salary.  :- )   Guess how Chuck and Howard spent it?  You got that right.

Going into 2001, you had the devastating loss of an 800-homer shortstop, you had Jay Buhner in his death throes, you had Edgar turning 38, you had the Mariners picked 3rd of 4 teams in the division, and you had a few $2-4M Honda Civic signs to replace ARod.

Our good amigo angrily swore off the Mariners after 2000, and he meant it...

Here's the punch line.  How much do you think this added to his enjoyment of the 2001 Mariners' multiple 15-game winning streaks?  :- )  As James put it, "I believe in going through the losing.  It makes the winning more fun."

.

Q.  Which new team would Dr. D pick?

A.  You've picked the wrong time to bail, gentlemen.  :- ) Exactly the wrong time. 

Matty's thread is one of the best of the year.  Good stuff.  But now is the time to start stocking up on your M's rookie cards, not the time to start chucking them in the dumpster.

Dr. D's new team will be the one with Dustin Ackley, Justin Smoak, Nick Franklin, Felix Hernandez, and Ichiro.

.

Q.  You don't think the shot-callers here deserve to face a mutiny?

A.  The "Spirit of Soccer Mom" richly deserves anger from the devoted fans.  And has since at least the time they powerflushed Randy Johnson.

The M's differ from, say, the Pirates, more in their resources than in their attitudes.  The Pirates are also capable of turning a pretty penny while losing games and providing a nice family evening at the ballpark.  

But the "Spirit of Soccer Mom" corporate philosophy is a handicap, not a death sentence.  The Spirit of Soccer Mom was also firmly in place when the Seattle Mariners won 116 games, you'll remember.

By the way:  do you imagine that the Angels and White Sox don't get Soccer Mom to their games?  Blugh.  Fight with bare knuckles and you'll get all the fans, not just the ones who don't hold you accountable.

The fact that the Mariners (and all MLB teams) sell a pennant race, while the Mariners don't prioritize a pennant race, is extremely annoying.  But the annoyance has to be balanced against other factors.  Such as, I'm glad I don't live in a non-MLB city.  Istanbul, for example, would offer me less than Seattle does.

I like the Mariners.  There, I said it.  I take the good with the bad.

.

Q.  You really think this team can overcome the top-down message?

A.  The 2001 M's did.  The Rays are currently doing so.

SSI doesn't think that even hardcore Mariners fans are aware of just what kind of Tampa-like Perfect Storm is, um, brewing on the horizon.

.

Part 2

.