As badly as the 2008 season played out for Mariners fans, 2009 can’t get here soon enough. Can’t do anything about the calendar, but M’s fans got something to look forward to today: next year’s schedule.
Major League Baseball released its tentative schedule (starting times and broadcast information haven’t been determined, but the dates are solid), and this one looks like a dramatic improvement for the Mariners.
There won’t be any early season trips to snow country (remember the four straight April snowouts in Cleveland in 2007?), and the East Coast trips have been cut from five this yeara to three in 2009.
This year, the Mariners made five trips to the East Coast, three of them before the end of July. In 2009, they’ll play at Baltimore from June 9-11, at New York and Boston from June 30-July 5 and at Tampa Bay and Toronto from Sept. 22-27.
The Mariners will open April 6 at Minnesota, their first opener on the road since the 2003 season. They’ll open their home schedule April 14 againt the Angels on what will be the only homestand the first month of the season. For those who froze their fannies on those windy, damp, chilly April nights the past few years, that could be a relief. Beware, because May sometimes isn’t a lot warmer at Safeco Field, and the M’s will play 15 home games that month.
The Mariners will play three 10-game homestands in 2009, including a set May 15-24 that begins with three games against the Red Sox. The M’s-Bosox games have been among the most spirited in recent seasons, mostly because of the energy provided by the hordes of Red Sox fans. That homestand will run through Memorial Day weekend with three games againt the Giants. Sorry, no Barry Bonds, although if the pitching rotation falls right we could get a first-hand glimpse of Tim Lincecum.
The June schedule features a home interleague series against the Diamondbacks, with former M’s manager Bob Melvin and pitching coach Bryan Price returning to Safeco Field for the first time since they were with the M’s.
August is the busiest month with 18 home games, including a four-game series Aug. 14-16 against the Yankees. The Yankees also return for three games Sept. 18-20, and the Mariners finish the season at home Oct. 4 against the Rangers.
The late start and late finish to the season will mean the World Series could run until Nov. 5. And that would introduce the possibility of snow. My guess is that the Mariners would gladly put up with some wintry weather if they got that far.
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