By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer
EVERETT — Like high school sweethearts who broke up a week before the senior prom, disappointed Mariners fans were left wondering about what could have been after Monday night’s season-ending loss to the New York Yankees.
The Game Five loss shattered Seattle’s dreams of a first-ever World Series appearance.
At Sporty’s Beef &Brew in South Everett, hope turned to horror around the fifth inning. A less-than-capacity crowd sat staring and sipping, many in disbelief, as the Mariners’ history-making season came to an end.
"I’m pretty sore," said Crystal Barth, a Woodinville resident who stopped at Sporty’s on the way home from work in Lake Stevens.
"Seattle has better players. They just didn’t come to play," she said.
"It’s over," said Paul Bonjean of Snohomish.
Bonjean said he had believed Mariners’ coach Lou Piniella’s prediction that the series would return to Seattle.
"I thought they had a good chance. I thought Lou made a bold prediction, but I thought they could pull it off," he said.
Just as disappointing, Bonjean said, is that the Mariners now won’t be mentioned during subsequent talk of all-time great teams because they didn’t make it to the World Series, despite a tie with Major League Baseball’s best-ever mark of 116 wins.
"It was a great year. Unfortunately, they’ll be remembered as having a great year," Bonjean said. "But they won’t be remembered as being a great team."
Assessments of what went wrong came quicker than an Andy Pettitte fastball.
"Every bad break that could happen has happened; bad calls, bad fielding," said Todd Barbeau of Arlington.
"I waited a long time for this year. I thought this was going to be it," added Tom Mareschal of Lynnwood.
"We couldn’t get our bats going," he added. "I think we spent too much energy getting to 116 wins."
But like others at Sporty’s, Mareschal wasn’t ready to call it quits completely on his relationship with the M’s, which has had its good times and bad over the past 19 years.
He said they would get back together again, and make it work the next time around.
"Looking ahead to next season, I think we’re pretty much have the same team. I look forward to a lot of good years ahead of us, " he said.
You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
