How 'bout them M's?

The Mariners have three months and one day before the start of their next season. Kirby Arnold explains that they still have three big items on their to-do list. We'd like to add an item.

No 4. Give Seattle sports fans a reason to live again.

Please.

Elementary, my dear Watson. Two experts are trying to get to the bottom of a baffling tree mystery. Reading about it, we can't help but think fondly of Sherlock Holmes or maybe "CSI." In this case, though, at least the victims and witnesses can't run away -- and none of the suspects are carrying guns. All of the thrill with none of the danger. Well, except those low-hanging branches.

It's gonna be a bumpy ride. Dungeness Spit drivers are a hardy bunch. In all weather, they make the 5.5-mile drive to the lighthouse. Lately they've been making the expedition in deep snow that makes it hard to see what's going on. "There could be boulders or even a seal underneath, and you might not know it," one driver said.

New resolution: Stop complaining about the commute unless it includes the need to dodge a snow-covered seal.