2003 Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are a fairly new franchise to Major League Baseball. The team first started playing baseball in 1976 in the American League. The club's history up until the 1990's was quite poor, not posting a winning season until 1991.

The team's complexion changed in the late 80s and early 90s with five key events. The drafting and eventual call to the majors of Ken Griffey Jr., the rise to the majors of Edgar Martinez, the acquisition of Jay Buhner, the acquisition of Randy Johnson and the hiring of fiery manager Lou Pinella, who had managed the Reds to a World Series Championship in 1990. The team eventually went to its first post season in 1995 winning the American League West division, and eventually lost in the American League Championship Series despite beating the Yankees in a legendary division series. The team still plays in the American League West against such rivals as the Oakland A's, Anaheim Angels, and Texas Rangers.

The team has ushered in a new era of Mariners' baseball with Edgar Martinez being the only aforementioned person still with the team. The team is now managed by former Arizona Diamondbacks' bench coach Bob Melvin. Melvin was a coach on the 2001 World Championship team, and he hopes to bring this winning attitude to Seattle. The Mariners roster may be different than on the teams in the 1990s, but it still is a loaded with power. The most famous player on the team is probably Japanese right fielder, Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro was Rookie of the Year and MVP in the 2001 season when the team won 116 games and the American League West Division. Ichiro is thought of as perhaps the best leadoff hitter in all of baseball. Many of the large Asian population in Seattle hold tickets to Mariners' games to watch Ichiro, as well as closer and 2000 Rookie of the Year Kazuhiro Sasaki. The Japanese players are not all that there is on the Mariners; they also have great power hitting second basemen Brett Boone, five tool center fielder Mike Cameron, and young starting pitchers Freddy Garcia and Joel Pineiro.

From the start of their franchise until 1998 the Seattle Mariners played at the Seattle Kingdome. Seattle is known for its rain, but despite the rain it has great weather which Seattle ticket holders were being deprived of. This problem was solved in 1999 with the building of beautiful retractable roof stadium named Safeco Field. Since the Inaugural Game on July 15, 1999, Safeco Field gained a reputation locally, regionally and nationally as a terrific setting for baseball and a great place for baseball fans. Sweeping views of the downtown Seattle skyline and breathtaking sunsets over Puget Sound combined with excellent views of game action from all angles, giving fans at Safeco Field an experience unequalled in Major League Baseball.

There are other major teams in Seattle along with the Mariners. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL used to share The Kingdome with the Mariners, but now play at Seahawks Stadium. The Supersonics of the NBA have called the Seattle area home since 1967. The team's best-known players currently are Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. They play their home games at Key Arena. Seattle also is home to major college sports, with the PAC-10's Washington Huskies. The Huskies football team is always a competitive force in the PAC-10, winning a National Championship in 1991.