Why Are the Mariners Followed so Vastly?

[Chris]

Inside, I grew up the son of a Marine (no, not a "military brat," - what a lame term) and lived all over the country and have been to SafeCo, the Ballpark in Arlington, Fenway, the dump in the Bronx, Dodger Stadium, the old Candlestick Park (I was only about 5 at the time, and it was here that my love for the game began), and Angel Stadium.

One game I went to at Angels Stadium was about 10-11 years ago and was against the Mariners and there had to have been more Mariners fans there then Angels fans. Not kidding. Granted, I know things have changed DRASTICALLY since then for the Angels organization. Griffey belted a HR that game and the fans went nuts cheering.

I just need to throw this in too: Yankee Stadium is a dump and I for one don't really care about there history (am I the only one that didn't care when they'd tell you before every game that he pitched that Roger Clemens went and rubbed the Babe Ruth statue?); I'm glad they're getting a new stadium.
BTW, the Yankee and Red Sox fanbases are about the dumbest you can find. The only sad part is, when you prove them wrong, they still think they're right.

It's fun trying to argue with my college buddies that Felix Hernandez is better then Chin-Mien Wang and all they can say is "Wang's nasty. Look at the ERA." But they're right, I'm wrong. FIP, ERA+? I must be making stuff up.

[Goose]

Yeah, we defiantly have our fair share of uneducated fans. Some of the John Q Marinerfans drive me nuts sometimes.

[RotatorCuff]

Well Goose you don't have to be a genius to know that this team has sucked for 3 years and is going to continue to suck.

After Ichiro leaves is there really going to be any good reason to pay money for a Mariners ticket?

Jim Rome was talking about Ichiro today and he echoed my statement that the string of last place finishes for the Mariners is going to continue for years to come.

Rome is an idiot, but he sure has the M's pegged.

I say they finish the rest of the decade in the basement.

What a **** product.

[Goose]

Your posts are gonna start to turn into a cliche RC.

[bedir than average]

So RC, Rome is an idiot unless he agrees with you?

[RotatorCuff]

I think Rome is immature. I just thought his remarks on the Mariners were spot on.

I don't know how anybody can NOT be disgusted at what state this team is in.

I still cannot get over the Soriano trade.

[bedir than average]

I'm more frustrated by the Jedi and AAA K master getting dealt for an old DH.

[Inside Pitch]

Originally Posted by Chris

Inside, I grew up the son of a Marine (no, not a "military brat," - what a lame term) and lived all over the country and have been to SafeCo, the Ballpark in Arlington, Fenway, the dump in the Bronx, Dodger Stadium, the old Candlestick Park (I was only about 5 at the time, and it was here that my love for the game began), and Angel Stadium.

One game I went to at Angels Stadium was about 10-11 years ago and was against the Mariners and there had to have been more Mariners fans there then Angels fans. Not kidding. Granted, I know things have changed DRASTICALLY since then for the Angels organization. Griffey belted a HR that game and the fans went nuts cheering.

I just need to throw this in too: Yankee Stadium is a dump and I for one don't really care about there history (am I the only one that didn't care when they'd tell you before every game that he pitched that Roger Clemens went and rubbed the Babe Ruth statue?); I'm glad they're getting a new stadium.
BTW, the Yankee and Red Sox fanbases are about the dumbest you can find. The only sad part is, when you prove them wrong, they still think they're right.

It's fun trying to argue with my college buddies that Felix Hernandez is better then Chin-Mien Wang and all they can say is "Wang's nasty. Look at the ERA." But they're right, I'm wrong. FIP, ERA+? I must be making stuff up.

Angel Stadium in the mid to late 90s was a sad sad place. As someone who had grown up an Angels fan and had lived through their initial rise to prominance, the fall was hard and ugly -- not unlike what I'm assuming many Ms fans who were kids/teenagers in 95 are probably feeling now.

A lot of people don't know this, but the Angels had led the entire AL in total combined attendance for the 80s decade. That park used to fill up with as many as 65K screaming fans going absolutely nuts for the Halos, for many years the Angels held the single season attendance mark but, then came Jackie Autry, then came the strike, and then came the collapse of 95. At one point in time, I honestly believed all those old time Angels fans had died away -- it was sad and while I knew many had just walked away unable to deal with the pain anymore I understood it.

Angels history was littered with tragedies, I think for many people they couldn't bear it anymore -- it was ONE thing to love a cursed franchise when you had Gene in charge but that had changed. Jackie Autry did as much to destroy the Angels' relationship with their fans as Gene had done to build it. Her penny-pinching and cut rate BS really alienated a lot of fans, when the strike hit, I remember the anger, I remember almost overnight how many of the fans I had grown up seeing (my family has had season tickets from the time I was 7 to this day), disappeared -- the fact that the team had become a second division afterthought only made matters worse. The M's, the Yanks, the Red Sox, The A's and the Indians ALL outdrew Angels fans when they came to town -- it was pretty bleak and a total 180 degree turn from what it has been like in the late 70s and all through the 80s.

I was at the park for all of the Angels postseason games in 2002, I was shocked at how many of the old timers, I'm referring to people my parent's age who had made it back to the park to finally see them win. People I had not seen in a dozen years were there, the look on their faces when they saw me was priceless, and for me, very very heartwarming. The night they finally won the WS I swear I must have seen about a hundred men in their 50s and older with tears in their eyes -- winning and overcoming what seemed like a curse was such a rush, and a cartharsis for many, it certainly was for me.

Thing is, winning didn't really bring back those fans, I think for many they just went back in hopes of finally fulfilling a lifetime dream -- they wanted a payoff for the faith they had once held in the team -- they got that, and then I think for many they were content to stay away.... Until Arte...

Arte Moreno has been a godsend to Angels fans, not just for dropping prices but for coming off in many ways as a younger, smarter, modern version of Gene Autry.. I've talked to many of those old timers, almost all of them say how they truly believe that Gene would have been happy to have Arte take over the team..

These days the Angels fill the park, a large number of fans go there to be seen or in order to tell their friends at work that there were at the Angels game the previous night. Many of the old fans that seemed to have faded away are back as well as a new legion of younger Angels fans that have no memory of Mike Miley's death in a car wreck, Lymon Bostock's murder, Donnie Moore's pitch, or Mark Langston lying prone at home plate as Ms hitters round the bases. Families have really really bought into the Angels, it's cool. I know a lot of people don't care for a kindergarten like atmosphere at the ballpark but I don't mind it, I have a soft spot for little kids and it's neat to see the way they get into games. Those are the next generation of guys like you and me.

Mostly I wonder how it must feel like to be a young Angels fan and never having experienced the losing. I envy them and yet I relish all those summers where it seemed the team would never get there.

If I can say ONE thing to you guys that were Ms fans when they sucked, where fans when the team finally got good and are now living with them as they try to refind their footing it's this. You guys will get the opportunity to experience something no Yankee fan ever will... Winning it all for the very first time -- it's awesome, simply freaking awesome.

I loved every minute of it, and when the day comes you guys get to experience it, Im sure there will thousands of Angels fans like myself that will sit there and smile knowing how great that feeling is, and how you will never ever be able to feel it again.

As far as Yankee Stadium goes -- I agree it's a dump. I don't much care for Fenway park either althought the atmosphere is very very cool, so long as you can get passed that whole stench of urine thing and the fact that the park was designed with midgets in mind.

BTW, most entertaining fans I have ever been around -- Phillies fans. I was actually in attendance for a father son game where one of the little kids muffed a roller and was booed -- totally funny, tragic and expected -- those people would Boo Santa Claus. Most knowledgeable fans I have come across in parks -- maybe Indians fans. They love their team, and know their baseball and man can they talk smack without getting indignant. Cool cool people.

[Inside Pitch]

Originally Posted by Goose

Yeah, we defiantly have our fair share of uneducated fans. Some of the John Q Marinerfans drive me nuts sometimes.

Every team has them. Heck IMO I don't care what park you go to... On any given night a team probably has 15-25K die hards in the place and everyone else is there for some other reason -- whatever, at least they are there.

No park is immune to the stupidity of John Q Public as far as I can tell. At least Ms fans seem to have fun when they are there -- has anyone here ever been to a Padres or Chargers game? San Diego fans are just bitter.. Bitter like that old guy who lived on some house on the street where you grew up who just had to complain about SOMETHING, ANYTHING...

Seriously, I don't get San Diego fans at all.

[Top Cat]

Must be the weather.