The title of this article is an homage to the signature line of Dave Neihaus, who was the voice of the Seattle Mariners for many years.

As most of you know, I am a die hard Mariners fan. What you may not know is that the Mariners are dangerously close to not sucking, something that was DEFINITELY not among the forecasts in the crystal ball of the "pros". They're a game under .500, true, but well above the 90 loss season that was pretty much forecast for them, and within a few games of the top of the division, and most importantly, out of the cellar. While I would love to see them come back and take the division, I would be happy with a substantial rebuilding year.

The NL has been especially good to them. With 9 of their 15 games on the interleague stretch out of the way, they've won 7. One more win out of the next 6, and they secure a better than .500 average for this tour of the senior circuit. And their 9 game NL road trip, a sore spot for outfielder Carl Everett, has been a boom rather than a bust: 4 wins out of 6, they've taken both series 3-2. Three more games in Arizona will net them a winning record for the road trip, a positive achievement for a team in first place, and a VERY positive achievement for the team predicted to be the whipping boys. If they take the series, it will net an even more impressive 6-for-9 performance that will have a few forecasters backtracking on their positions. And they come out of their NL stretch with a series against the Angels, the true doormats from the AL West (and a part of the Mariners' resurgence, as the acquisition of the Angels' ex-ace Jarrod Washburn improved the pitching staff immensely).

That they have something to play for should spur these players on to give everything they've got. Who knows, maybe I won't have to switch to the Extreme Needlepoint Channel during the ALCS this year! And if they go in against the Yankees, sorry, Randy, team loyalty trumps individual loyalty...and, besides, you play for the YANKEES!