A Little Hope Goes A Long Ways

By Josh:

I’m a Mariner fan and over the past 15 years there hasn’t been a lot of reason to hope. There were times as a fan I got really excited and then each year my hopes would be stepped on, ran over, beat with a stick an then tossed out with the trash. However, this year has been different for a lot for reasons.

Early in the season someone I know who is also a Mariners fan asked me point blank if they should have hope this year, because like me their hopes have been ripped from them. I answered very simply with this team is different and I was going to keep hope.

Then the Mariners went through a lot of injuries and a sort of slump. Losing some games, falling back in the race and seemingly falling out of contention put my little bit of hope was on the edge. Something still felt different about this team and I kept telling people this team is different, keep hope.

Now suddenly the Mariners are playing as good as anyone and are only two games out of the Wild Card. My hope is at its highest point in 15 years and suddenly I am thinking that Felix Hernandez might get his first chance to pitch in the playoffs.

As a fan of baseball and a fan of the Mariners getting to watch Felix take the mound in the playoffs, especially a one game Wild Card, would be amazing. Felix has been one of the best pitchers in the game and despite being on a losing team; he has been loyal to Seattle and its fans for years.

As a fan I need this hope. Even as a lifetime fan I’ve started spending more time watching and talking about other teams. At spring training over the years as Mariners players snubbed fans, despite have horrible teams, other teams with superstars were great with fans everywhere. It caused me to question whether or not I really wanted to support a team that not only was a losing team but also not fan friendly.

Like I said before this year’s team is different. The players are fan friendly. I’ve seen Cano, Cruz, Felix and many others have amazing fan interactions over the years. This team is in contention and playing well enough to compete for a playoff spot. I would take a Wild Card spot, but honestly if the Mariners can stay hot I wouldn’t be shocked to see them take the AL West. Wouldn’t that be amazing for a fan like me.