A Cactus League schedule that includes 33 games, starting with the annual charity contest against the San Diego Padres Feb. 27 at the Peoria Sports Complex, was released Tuesday by the Mariners. In recent seasons, the Mariners have played a number of preseason contests outside Arizona (Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Sacramento), but this year the entire schedule is in Cactus League ballparks.
The slate includes eight night games, the most the Mariners have played in spring training (March 8 at Dodgers, March 10 at Arizona Diamondbacks, March 12 vs. Chicago Cubs, March 14 at Rockies, March 18 vs. San Diego Padres, March 21 vs. San Diego Padres, March 25 at Kansas City Royals, March 28 vs. Colorado Rockies).
The Mariners finish with two games against the Colorado Rockies Friday, March 28 at Peoria (7:05 pm) and Saturday, March 29 at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale (12:10 pm). The Mariners hold a workout in Anaheim March 30, and open the regular season against the Los Angeles Angels March 31.
Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Peoria Feb. 12 (physicals). The first workout is Feb. 13. Position players are report Feb. 17 and the first full-squad workout is Feb. 18.
The radio and TV schedule for spring training will be finalized later.
12 Comments
Who gives a rats ass?
Wow. A sweep of emotions from tedium to apathy and back again.
That might be an improvement.
Remember those tens of thousands of empty seats in the Kingdome when the Seahawks weren’t winning? Or at Husky Stadium during the Willingham Era? Or the past few seasons at Safeco Field, for that matter?
I expect everyone to be back on the bandwagon if the Mariners play well, even in Arizona. That’s the nature of fans in Seattle and almost everywhere else. The Mariners are somewhat unique in that the front office has earned that tedium and apathy from people who used to support them (like the Seahawks when Ken Behring owned them), but the general rule still applies: People love you when you win and turn on you when you lose. Fan loyalty is all about the W.
What I liked about those Kingdome games: sit behind home plate for only $3! If being on the 300 level wasn’t an issue you got a bargain! No way was Bill Scott gonna go all the way up there to serve you beer though.
Yeah, I was sitting up there in Perry’s Perch the night Gaylord got his 300th win (still have the ticket stub and certificate they handed out after the game). It speaks volumes that there were so many more people in the stands a few nights later for “Funny Nose & Glasses Night” instead of being on hand to witness some legit baseball history.
And you’re right about Bill Scott. The Beerman and Rick Kaminski were 100 level guys all the way. Those were fun days because we didn’t have any expectations back then…we knew what kind of team we had but tickets were affordable, we never got rained on and got to see lots of Hall of Famers (on the visiting teams).
There will always be hard-cover lovers of the sport, but it’s the less intense fans that fill a park to be part of the excitement. It’s hard to shsre losing.
Ho Hum.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Why should we care? The owners don’t. They will make their millions weather they win or lose, so why spend the money to better the team more payroll means less profits. Even if they would spend the money what decent player would come here? The culture of apathy in this organization has to be well known through out the league. If I were a player there is no way you could get me to come to the Mariners, because I would want to win and want to join an organization that felt the same way.
Obviously I care, I am just so frustrated. . . .
Well said, Ian. Similar sentiments are everywhere, yet nothing changes except the manager, and he changes nothing.
That, and in their infinite wisdom, of all the possible candidates, they hired the one that when you speak his name, reminds you of Mr. “We didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle…”
Geniuses at the top of the M’s brass, I tells ya. Absolute geniuses.
Who Cares…..Mariners…Just GO Away….Away….Away.