Hmmm, where to even start. The Mariners have had their fair share of great draft picks for sure, too bad most of them play, or even became stars, for other teams.

But if you were to wonder why the Mariners futile losing just keeps coming, all you have to do is take a look at this list of players who were deemed the next big thing, only to come up as duds in the MLB game.

But, this wouldn’t tell the entire story if I just stuck to draft picks. Of course I have to add at least one bomb free agent signee, and of course a trade or two.

If there is anything the Mariners have been good at over the past 36 years its their inability to choose talent.

It is being said that today’s organization has one of the best farm systems in the league. Only time will tell if those players ever amount to anything other than their pre-draft stock rankings.

But one thing is for sure: Up to this point in time this team has failed more times than not when it comes to filling out the roster in the offseason.

Ryan Anderson

Long before the “big 3″ burst onto the scene and into our dreams there was another catch phrase the M’s were using for one of their touted prospects.

Ryan “The Little Unit” Anderson was going to be the two in the one-two punch that was to be the top of the rotation alongside Randy Johnson.

The Little Unit did little right for the Mariners. (Photo: angelfire.com)

Not that the pair would have really pitched together anyways, Johnson was dealt the following year, but it sure had the fans in Seattle hyped about it.

As usual with Mariners prospects, Anderson suffered injury setbacks that would make Franklin Gutierrez jealous.

Anderson was drafted in 1997, and went on, somehow, to play in professional baseball until the 2005 season. Thankfully the Milwaukee Brewers took him off of our hands.

Jose Cruz Jr.

Another player who was supposed to team up with one of our superstars, Jose Cruz Jr. was taken 3rd overall in the 1995 draft.

Although he came from baseball royalty, he never amounted to the high expectations the Mariners and the baseball world laid on him.

Normally high draft picks like Cruz stick around once they make it to the show, but he was dealt away one month after making his Major League debut in 1997.

The M’s maybe jumped the gun on the trade as Cruz was a member of the 30-30 club for the Toronto Blue Jays, while we ended up with Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric in return.

Who is Paul Spoljaric you ask? Exactly my point.

Chone Figgins

Nothing like signing away a top free agent from your fiercest rival, right?

Well when it comes to the Mariners, those sorts of deals seem to backfire. And badly.

Figgins was going to be a top of the order guy who would hit behind Ichiro and produce the fastest one and two to start a lineup in the entire league.

They did end up with the speed, but the problem was, Figgins forgot that it was actually okay to strike the ball with his baseball bat.

And his fielding wasn’t that great either. Whether he was at third, short, second, or in the outfield, there was always a more reliable glove (and bat) sitting on the bench ready to spell the high dollar man.

As Florida or Arizona have been called the places where old people come to die, Seattle has that same exact affect on free agents.

It was a celebration the day that Figgins was no longer a member of the Mariners. And that isn’t even close to being an understatement.

Richie Sexson

Richie Sexson was supposed to be the big Pual Bunyan type player for the Mariners. Returning to his home state (Sexson lived in Battle Ground) to bring the M’s some pop.

Richie Sexson’s huge contract brought huge headaches. (Photo: Google)

Sexson was signed to a rather large deal, $50 million over four years, and started his career with the M’s on the right path. He hit 39 HR and drove in 121 RBI’s on the year.

But then it started happening. He started swinging at every pitch, all the while trying to put it over the fence.

His HR numbers declined, and by the time his last season rolled around, he was hitting around the Brendan Ryan mark.

Homeruns are nice and all, but for $50 million you had better be able to put the ball in play during the 25 at bats in between blasts.

So long and thanks for all the K’s Dick.

Eric Bedard

This one still stings for Mariners fans.

Eric Bedard was the feel good story of the year when the M’s dealt our entire farm system to the Orioles for him.

Once again the injury bug came to bite the Marines where the sun don’t shine.

But I think the biggest reason why this still smarts for us, well at least for me, is the fact that the star player in that deal is now an All-Star for Baltimore.

Adam Jones was the next player who was named “the next Ken Griffey Jr.” for the M’s. He had the speed, the glove and the bat to actually make that name stick for him too.

But instead he is now known as the next Paul Blair in Charm City.

Oh well, we got burned, we get over it right?

Rest easy M’s fans. If all the experts are indeed right, the future will be bright in Seattle. We have seen flashes of this this season. The wait will be worth the payoff I think.

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It’s safe to say that Raul Ibanez will be nominated for AL Player of the Week after his performances over the past seven days.

And when you’re hot, you’re hot. And Raul Ibanez is definitely hot.

Five homeruns on the week for the Mariners veteran back-up outfielder, and it all started at the house that Jeter built.

Using the old adage of Lou Piniella, Raul got the start against the Yankees in game one. After going deep, he got the nod again in game two.

And he didn’t disappoint, hitting two home runs, including a second inning grand slam.

It’s always nice to have a plethora of options for a Mariners play of the week, it doesn’t always happen with this team, but I’m going with the twin bombs by Ibanez against the Yanks.

The first one

With the M’s already up two in the first inning, Ibanez got a 0-1 breaking ball that he liked, and put some good wood on it.

Raul go ahold of it and knocked it into the bullpen area. Not the monster shot that he hit the night before, but a Grand Salami against your former team is a nice gesture to the team that refused to re-sign you.

Introducing the new Bronx Bombers. (Photo: seattlepi.com)

The Mariners went on to score seven runs in the first inning, and walked all over the Yankees for a win by the score of 12-2.

The M’s should have had the sweep in the Bronx after Felix Hernandez pitched himself a nice little ball game the night before, but Charlie Furbush lost the handle and the M’s dropped a close one.

Putting up a 7 spot before the Yankees even stepped into the batters box was pretty much an automatic win with Hisashi Iwakuma on the mound.

Three runs were all that were needed, but c’mon, putting up a double digit run margin against the Yankees is always cause for celebration.

The second one

Ibanez was at the plate in the 5th inning with a runner on, and facing a 2-2 count.

No breaking ball this time, Ibanez got the fast ball, a 91 MPH heater on the outside part of the plate.

As a veteran hitter, Ibanez didn’t try to pull the ball, just got the barrel on it and tried to put it into play.

Well, he failed on that one. Instead he got an opposite field two-run homer to go with his 1st inning grand slam.

Two homeruns, 6 RBI’s, two swings of the bat.

Offense doesn’t come much faster than that in the game of baseball.

The greatest part of this video is the fact that it includes the Mariners TV broadcast call, the M’s radio call, and the call from WCBS Radio in New York City.

The three different calls is a nice touch.

A link to the video is here courtesy of mariners.com.

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There is something of an uprising starting to rumble in the ranks of the diehard Mariners Nation.

Why is it that we continue to field not one, but two short stops at our professional level who are hitting sub .200 when there is a more than capable guy at Tacoma?

I have come up with two conclusions.

#1, Jack Z can’t admit when he is wrong.

#2, Eric Wedge is more comfortable with platooning the two guys, awaiting a hot spell, all in the name of defense first.

The first one seems the more likely to me. Jack Z is a man who is treading very lightly on job security at this moment.

More than one of his sure thing prospects at the top level are failing to get it done behind the plate.

But the second reason could have some merit too. If, and that is a big if, the rest of the lineup continues to pick up the slack for Brendan Ryan, and Robert Andino.

So where does Nick Franklin sit in all this?

It seems we have the answer to all of our problems sitting down in Tacoma right now. Nick Franklin is tearing the cover off of the ball for the Rainiers so far this season.

And as a seasoned minor league vet, it’s not like it would be a rush to send him up to the parent club this year.

Nick Franklin has proven he is no fluke in the minors (Photo: Google)

The one problem that lies in management though is the fact that Franklin is not on the 40-man roster.

To make room for him, a player would have to be released, traded, DFA’d, cut, or any other reasoning management gives to players they no longer wish to employ.

It seems like a no-brainer to me, and a few other people have vented their opinions on the inter webs as well, but we aren’t the one’s who make these decisions.

It’s probably a good thing too, because I already have a plan in my head that would make the Mariners a World Series Champion this year, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

So who gets the axe?

It seems to all boil down to one of two players getting shipped off into the world of baseball infamy, but which one of these two players is more worthy?

Between Brendan Ryan, and Robert Andino, there really isn’t a lot of upswing in the offensive department.

Ryan definitely has the upper hand on defense, but Andino is a more flexible choice for Wedge, as he has played most of the infield and all of the outfield in his past career.

So who goes?

The M’s have essentially put out a National League lineup for most of the 2013 season. Like a NL team, they are taking the bat out of the equation in the 9 hole.

But in our circumstance, we are utilizing a defensive commodity all the while using a DH at the same time. It has worked so far, to an extent.

We can’t blame Ryan or Andino for all of Justin Smoak’s bases loaded strike outs, or Dustin Ackley’s ground outs. Or the injuries early in the season to the outfield.

But, let’s say if Franklin was brought up Wedge could use him in the 7th slot, slide Montero to the 8th slot, hit Ackley in the 9th slot, and have a better chance of pushing a run in from all 9 spots in the batting order.

I would envision a batting order of this: Michael Saunders, Kyle Seager, Kendrys Morales, Michael Morse, Justin Smoak, Jason Bay, Nick Franklin, Jesus Montero, and Dustin Ackley.

Seems like a pretty potent offense to me, even when players are struggling.

So how ’bout it Jack?

Let’s give Nick a shot!

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The Mariners are officially rolling.

May has been very good to us fans so far, and with the Mariners taking down Oakland on Sunday afternoon, second place in the AL West is now becoming more of a reality than it has been in a very long time.

Pitching has been great. Runs are being scored. And defensive gems have been key.

Three things you look for in a winning baseball club. That and the fact that if you can dispose of the opposing team two or more times during a series, you are doing something better than right.

This team has me very surprised, especially after the sluggish April they had.

But don’t let the numbers fool you, there is still a few project players not quite living up to par, but as a collective group, these guys are finding ways to win.

Take this weeks POTW for example.

Montero goes deep for the win

After battling the Pirates in a one run game for much of the night before, and for much of the game in hand, the M’s needed that extra spark to get Felix Hernandez the win in the Steel City.

Enter Jesus Montero.

Roundin’ third, and headin’ home. (Photo: wpxi.com)

Montero hasn’t yet been on the outs yet in Seattle, but his playing time certainly has been diminished of late.

So to call him the unlikely hero of Wednesday mornings game might not be accurate, but it sure is justified.

Anyway, Montero comes to the plate in the 7th inning of a 1-1 game. Felix had been battling all morning keeping the M’s in this one.

Jesus gets a first pitch fastball to his liking and puts a pretty good swing on it.

The ball is hit to straight away center field, but the wind gets ahold of it and starts carrying it into the right-center gap.

On the chase is Andrew McCutchen, one of the fastest center fielders in the game today. As McCutchen finally gives way to the warning track, the ball flies over his head into the stands.

The best part of this video to me is the fact that Dave Sims is laughing, almost like he doesn’t believe his eyes that the ball made it over the fence.

The shot ended up being the game winning run, as the M’s split the series with the very dangerous Pirates en route to a winning road trip and momentum heading into the ever important weekend series with Oakland.

The link to the video is here at mariners.com.

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The Seahawks are entering uncharted waters. They are heading into the season as the favorite to win not only the NFC West, but the Super Bowl as well.

With all of the shiny awe inspiring weapons they have on offense, the guys that keep the team in games reside on the other side of the ball.

Here is my player by player write up on each member of the Legion of Boom.

Brandon Browner

The corner out of Oregon State finally made a name for himself in the NFL once being signed here in Seattle.

Brandon Browner has lightning speed, and plays the ball extremely well against the man he is covering.

His 94 yard TD return still holds the record for the Seahawks, and barring another stupid reason to miss games next year, his numbers should eclipse the numbers of his first year in Seattle.

Last year when his suspension started, he was only 10 tackles off his mark from the previous season.

He would have gotten those 10 for sure since our opponents were playing from behind and passing for much of the time the Hawks were on defense.

Kam Chancellor

The heart and soul of the Seahawks defense. (Photo: Google)

4th year strong safety out of Virginia Tech. Drafted in the 5th round, Kam Chancellor didn’t see much significant time during his rookie season in 2010.

And then 2011 happened. Chancellor became a household name for the 12th man in the Pac-Northwest, garnering a nod to the Pro-Bowl that season as well.

A hard hitting safety, Kam is known for punishing receiver’s who dare try to hang onto the ball. But, even with 101 tackles last season, his game needs to see some improvement this year.

In 2011, he had 13 passes defensed, compared with only 4 this past season. And then there were the interceptions. 0 in 2012.

Winston Guy

Winston Guy didn’t get much mention last year, mainly because he didn’t see any time.

The second year SS out of Kentucky will hopefully get some more time this season. It’s not easy following a player like Kam on the depth chart.

At 6’1″, 218, Guy isn’t the biggest guy on the team, but Pete Carroll is hoping that he will be the guy the Kam was in the Nickel when they first drafted him.

Jeron Johnson

3rd year SS out of Boise State. Jeron Johnson was signed as an undrafted free agent.

Johnson is another player who has yet to see significant time on the defensive side of the ball. He has been used a lot on special teams thus far, like Guy, is fighting for real time behind Kam Chancellor as a starter.

That will probably never become a reality for Johnson, but he did get into the action in all 16 games last year.

Look for Carroll to use him a bit more this season.

Jeremy Lane

2nd year man Jeremy Lane (out of Northwestern State) has some big shoes to fill this season. After Wednesday’s news of the Jacksonville Jaguars signing Marcus Trufant, the reality of him no longer being a Seahawk became true.

Lane started 3 games last year, I don’t expect that number to go up this year, but I do expect his production to increase by a lot.

15 tackles in his rookie year aren’t bad, but they are nothing where they will be this season as he will step up production with the added playing time.

Byron Maxwell

Third year corner out of Clemson, Bryron Maxwell saw time in 9 games each of the past two seasons.

While his numbers haven’t been great, he did show some upside last year, as he got his hands on 4 passes defensed.

Another guy who has been a spot guy instead of a go to guy, I expect this trend to continue this next year.

But, coming from a guy who got drafted while watching a movie, I somehow don’t think he is too worried about starting, just getting the most out of his time on the field.

Chris Maragos

4 Pro Bowlers this year? (Photo: facebook.com)

One of the biggest interceptions against the San Francisco 49ers had to have been when the Seahawks signed him after the Niners released him in 2011.

Maragos is a 4th year free safety out of Wisconsin, who played in all 16 games last season.

With a guy like Earl Thomas playing ahead of you, cracking the starting lineup isn’t the easiest thing to do.

But Maragos saw plenty of action in select packages, and recorded 11 tackles in 2012.

Richard Sherman

Sherm is a beast, plain and simple. The third year corner out of Stanford will smack you around with both his fists and his mouth.

Not to be outdone by his game on the field, Richard Sherman has been the outspoken leader of the Legion of Boom in the media as well.

With numbers that have increased in his first two years, including doubled in interceptions, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries, the best is still yet to come from this guy.

The best thing about the depth of this secondary unit is, even if offensive coordinator’s want to stay away from Sherm, they will still have to contest with Earl, Kam, and the rest of these guys if they want to come away with any sort of passing game.

Earl Thomas

The original Boom member, the 4th year FS out of Texas may be the best of the group too.

The original Boom member

Thomas has been a first class defender for the Hawks. Starting every game in his pro career, he roams the center of the field looking to unleash his powerful body on a defender.

With 10 career interceptions, Thomas has some great hands for a defender. Probably the best on the defense.

And last year he got in to break up a career high 9 passes to go along with his 3 interceptions. Not to mention his ability to intimidate receivers as well. Those drops don’t show up on the stat sheet.

Walter Thurmond

4th year corner out of Oregon, Walter Thurmond could be the future at the corner position for the Hawks opposite of Kam.

Only getting into two games last year, he made his best with the time given by recording 3 solo tackles while starting only 1 game.

His best year was 2010, where he recorded 37 tackles, and 7 passes defensed, while getting into 14 games.

If the games are there, his numbers will be there as well. It all depends on how well he can keep up, and keep in the game.

Antoine Winfield

The big free-agent signing of the group, Antoine Winfield is a veteran of 15 years with a more than adequate resume.

Last season with the Vikings, Winfield had picks and 101 tackles.

I can’t wait to see what kind of influence a veteran like this will have on the youngsters who make up the Legion.

If anything, they may be able to teach the old guy some new tricks.

Whatever happens, this Seahawks secondary will be the jewel of the NFC West, that’s for sure.

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As the Mariners finished off their second series win of the week Sunday morning, even in the loss, it made me think that I should include more than just the customary one play this week.

There were just too many to chose from really.

And with the team finally resembling the product we were promised out of Spring Training I figured this might boost morale for all.

So without further ado, I bring you the highlights from this past week.

Saunders back with a bang (x2)

Does anybody like story book endings?

Well Monday night was the epitome of a story book ending for two Mariners Players.

Michael Saunders finally returned from his stint on the DL with a first inning lead-off homerun to get the M’s offense rolling for Joe Saunders.

Joe Saunders really wasn’t returning from any place except the road, where he has plain stunk this year.

It looked like he was back in past years’ form, until Sunday rolled around. But he did look masterful in his outing against Baltimore, keeping his perfect Safeco Field record intact.

Dustin Ackley broke out the rye bread and mustard on Saturday. (Photo: komonews.com)

The fact that we all blamed the early season woes on Michael Saunders being out played off too, as he finished the week with 3 homeruns, the one Monday, and two on Saturday in Toronto.

Here is the link to the video for Saunders’ two homerun day in Toronto.

Pitcher perfect

Besides the offensive explosion this week, the M’s got a few more than quality starts from 4 guys this week.

The above mentioned Saunders went the distance for the win Monday night. Aaron Harang finally got in the win column on Wednesday night. Felix Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma were both lights out up in Toronto.

All in all, M’s starters went 4-2 on the week, including 2-1 on the road.

Here is the link to the video of Saunders’ complete game Monday night.

Rounding second and heading for third

No, that flash across your screen Wednesday night was not the one and only Flash Gordon, it indeed was Jesus Montero legging out his first career Major League triple.

As former Mariner Adam Jones went back to the wall for an almost routine out on a Montero fly ball, he misplayed it.

Jesus put his foot on the gas and reached speeds not seen in this stadium since the great Ichiro left town.

About half way between first and second, Montero saw that Jones had not maid the play.

Damned if he was going to stop at second, he made the turn and pushed his legs harder than I think he ever has in his entire life.

Diving head first into third base, hanging on for dear life with his finger nails as he over-slid. When he finally rose to his feet, he flashed that million dollar smile to his teammates, pumped his fists, and tried to catch his breath.

I’m happy for the guy, but I think I’m happier for myself and anyone who saw this live, because his running style is a mirror image of Phoebe from Friends.

Unfortunately, I can’t find a video of this anywhere.

Back to Baysics

Safeco Joe went the distance Monday night against the O’s (Photo: Google)

With yet another injury to Franklin Gutierrez, the M’s are in need of some talent out in the outfield.

Early struggles with Raul Ibanez left little options for Eric Wedge. But recently, Jason Bay has stepped up for the M’s.

He’s back hitting the ball like he was before he went to Shea. I don’t know how long this will last, but it has been nice to see this kind of production out of a guy who barely made the team in the first place.

Bay was an extra base hit and RBI machine this past week.

Here is a link to the video from his homerun in Toronto.

The Ack Attack is back, for a limited time only

Dustin Ackley is the guy most Mariners fans want to see succeed the most I think. I know I do.

He sure picked the right moment to hit his first homer on the year too, a full count, bases loaded jack off of RA Dickey.

The knuckler had already surrendered a solo shot to Michael Saunders in the first, and after a single and two walks, was struggling to find his stuff by the time Ackley came up.

Usually, if the M’s want to kill a rally, all they have to do is load the bases for either Dustin Ackley or Justin Smoak. Ground ball to second, rally over, or a strike out in Smoak’s case.

Not this time though, Ackley worked the count full, and picked up on a knuckler that he could handle, and somehow got enough juice on it to send it over the wall in left center.

Hopefully this will finally give him that extra boost of confidence, as he has been turning it around the past couple weeks.

Here is the link to the video of the Grand Slam.

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As I sit to write this, the Mariners just finished off their second series win in a row, and against a pretty good Baltimore team to boot.

But this isn’t just about wins.

Winning is contagious, or so I’ve been told, but last time I looked at the papers, Seattle was not Boston.

The Seahawks were on the scene first here in town, and for the most part, have had the better crowds.

But comparing sell outs between baseball and football is like comparing apples and oranges, it just doesn’t add up. Especially since the Mariners have played thousands more games than the Seahawks have. 5,094 to be exact, prior to first pitch in 2013.

The Mariners came a year later, and were mostly seen as the ugly step-brother to both the Seahawks, and Sonics, and now even the Sounders.

The M’s currently own the only record breaking year of any Seattle sports team, while the Seahawks have seen more success in getting deeper into the playoffs.

This image shows exactly where the city’s heart belongs (Photo: Flickr)

The real difference lies in the ownership parties

At about the same time the Mariners were beginning their run as the darlings of the city, the Seahawks were not too far from getting the boot from the city.

The M’s faced the same adversity, but instead of relying on billionaire owners to save them, they got around to doing it themselves, by winning.

We still have yet to see another run quite like the one the M’s gave us between the years of ’95-’01, but we lost a lot of talent along the way too.

But, as soon as the M’s began their decline to the basement of the American League, the Seahawks came along and filled that winning void very nicely.

Microsoft trumps Nintendo

As the history of cutting edge businessmen in the area who like to spend their billions on our sports teams continued to add up, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allan came to the rescue for the football fans of this town.

Not only did he save the team from relocation, he set in motion the idea to build a new stadium right in the spot of the old Kingdome.

Alas, we would have outdoor football in Seattle.

Constructed adjacent to the Mariners Safeco Field, Seahawks Stadium would be the turning point in this city’s football legacy.

Mr. Allan went out and spent the money to hire the best football brain in the world, at the time. Mike Holmgren turned this team from a pretender, into a contender.

He brought in winning teams, and a winning attitude, and even brought us all the way to the Super Bowl.

Paul Allan made that become a reality for the fans in Seattle. And even when Holmgren stepped away, Allan went back to work trying to find the next best thing.

The real difference between the M’s and Hawks

Sure, the M’s had their own super-manager in Lou Piniella. And he did get us as far as the ALCS, along with the modern era record for most wins.

Neither team’s high caliber coach’s brought us a championship, but they did bring us the glory of being called a winner.

But the difference that seems to be more than a trend between these two neighbors is, the Seahawks are not okay with losing.

While the Mariners are now on season 12 of their rebuild, the Seahawks are on season two, and are poised for a shot at the Super Bowl this next year.

The Mariners will sit back for another 3 years, (Jack Z’s implication), while the Seahawks will go out and make their own destiny.

Who will win a championship first? Only time will tell.

But if I were a betting man, I would take my next paycheck down to the local bookie and put it all down on the Seahawks.

Maybe the Mariners will be there by the time my Niece starts working in another 12 years.

(By the way, it pains me to speak such harsh words on my beloved Mariners).

What’s better than the Mariners finally winning a series this year?

The Mariners winning a series against the Angels, that’s what!

I think the fact that the M’s have really sucked it up so far this year made this series win that much sweeter. That and the fact that they picked up such a big win off of former Mariners pitcher Jason Vargas.

A couple of come from behind wins against a fierce and hated rival like the Angels just adds to it.

Now if these guys can string a few more of these sorts of games together, we just may be on to something finally.

The pitch

After suffering through a set back that lasted a lot longer than most would have thought after breaking his pinkie finger, Michael Morse finally got that home run trot working again.

Jason Vargas had been pretty sharp all game long. With the exception of the long ball given up to Jason Bay the previous inning to tie the game, he had his change up working pretty well today.

Big Mike Morse came up huge with the go-ahead HR Sunday. (Photo: themlbnation.com)

On a 1-2 count to Morse though, he pulled a Homer Simpson “doh” moment, and gave Michael a nice fastball right down the middle - belt-high.

This is exactly the pitch that Morse, Eric Wedge, and all of the Mariners Nation had been waiting for.

Morse sent the 88-mph pitch over the wall in left field, and us fans were taken back in time, momentarily, to when this team was actually fun to root for.

The pains of last week were diminished. We just witnessed the impossible. Or at least that what’s the sports writers were having us believe.

The flip of the bat was key

Morse knew he got all of this one. There was no need to will it over the wall, it was already headed there.

As he rounded first base, there seemed to be a sense of urgency about this home run trot. The speed at which he ran was almost saying “let’s get back on defense and let the bartender do his thing!”

There was a faint hint of a smile as Morse collected high-fives in the dugout, but the fierce look on his face told a more telling story. “I’m back.”

This was about as gritty of a performance as we’ve seen this year from these guys.

Finally it seems that the fairy tale spring training, and the even harder to believe end of the rebuild, may finally be upon us.

Here’s to hope anyways.

The link to the video can be seen here on mlb.com.

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Due to the lack of anything really positive happening last week, I decided to extend the week by one day, mainly to include a real highlight.

Last weeks segment features tonight’s win, Felix Hernandez’s 100th of his professional career.

The Mariners, fresh off a whooping in Arlington over the weekend, headed into Houston to take on the Astros.

The media reports have been swirling, and several fans have already threatened to jump ship. We’re not even into May and people are already counting this team out. But who can blame them really?

We were promised a better future, and we will see that future one day. But the month of April doesn’t seem to have us any closer to a .500 finish than we were the past three years.

And then Monday happened

Felix gets win number 100 in Houston on Monday night

Felix took the mound with an early one nothing lead. That can mean only one thing; trouble to the opposing hitters.

Kyle Seager had two RBI’s and two runs scored in three innings, Dustin Ackley had three hits. Heck, even Jesus himself decided to go yard for the Mariners.

All of this happened at the precise time for a struggling Mariners team.

Teams used to wish to visit Seattle when they were slumping. We now know the other side of that feeling. Houston has been the doormat of the NL for almost as long as the M’s have been in the AL.

I’m not saying that we will go on and win out for the rest of the year, but it sure is nice to be able to sit back and enjoy a baseball game for once.

Felix shines again

Felix Hernandez struck out 9 Astros en route to career win number 100, and win number two on the young season.

He was yanked after the 6th after throwing 93 pitches, and appeared to have suffered some sort of tightness, probably from going hard after a ground ball early in the game.

Whatever the cause, it didn’t seem to be as bad as the one that Franklin Gutierrez suffered. Guti was pulled off the field after diving for a ball in center. When he came up, it appeared he was holding his hamstring, which is never a good injury to have.

Here is the video up on Mariners.com from the win Monday night mlb.com

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Last years surprise team is now being called upon to make the league some money - via scheduling them on national TV 4 times this year.

Two MNF games vs. the Rams and Saints, a TNF game against the Cardinals, and a Sunday night with those hated 49ers.

Three prime time games against NFC West foes means one thing, our division is finally getting the credibility it deserves.

This year the Seahawks face off against the AFC South, all in a row weeks 3-6, and the NFC South.

Plus, we get to travel to the site of the Super Bowl to face the Giants, and we welcome the Vikings to the Clink to show off our brand new Norse talent.

The trip to Jersey starts on September 8th!

Here is my game by game breakdown for the upcoming season

Sun. Sept. 8 @ Carolina

Going back to the place where we saw exactly what kind of team the Seahawks were last year. Another road start to the season, but this is almost a non-factor for this team. The demons of east coast road games seems to have been slaughtered once and for all. Seahawks 28-Panthers 10.

Sun. Sept. 15 San Francisco

Ah, the game that the football world has been waiting an entire offseason for. The battle for the best in not only the NFC West, but possibly the NFL. Last year the Hawks should have had two wins against the Niners, this year I hope they will come through. I would love to see another blow out, but I don’t think it will happen this early in the seasons. Hawks 24-49ers 17.

Can Wilson lead us to the Super Bowl? (Photo: newstribune.com)

Sun. Sept. 22 Jacksonville

The first game of four in a row against the AFC South, and what should be the easiest opponent of them as well. Jacksonville isn’t much of a threat, especially not against the 12th man. I see this game as the first blow out of the year. Seahawks 35-Jags 3.

Sun. Sept. 29 @Houston

Another playoff team early on in the season. What better way to build character though. This will be a tough game for the Hawks. I really can’t give an honest prediction for this one either way. Both are playoff teams, both have excellent backs, and both can punish with their defense. If the Hawks were to lose their first game of the year, I think this would be it. Hawks 17-Texans 20.

Sun. Oct. 6 @Indianapolis

If the Seahawks were the surprise team of the year last year, the Colts were second in line. Andrew Luck did a wonderful job of turning around the franchise, and almost, for a second, took the spotlight away from our very own rookie QB Russell Wilson. There could be a sighting of former Hawks legend Matt Hasselbeck, but only if this game gets out of hand. I think this one goes down to which QB has the guts to go for the jugular, which of course would be Wilson. Hawks 24-Colts 21.

Sun. Oct. 13 Tennessee

Back at home, and back to the confines of CenturyLink, this game is probably over already.

The Titans are a nice team, but not a high caliber team like our Seahawks are. Hawks 28-Titans 10.

Thur. Oct. 17 @Arizona

Thursday Night Football from the Pacific Northwest. First chance at the new look Cardinals for the Seahawks. I don’t see a 55-0 performance, but with a new coach, a new QB, and a new RB, our defense should have no problem disrupting the offense in all aspects. Remember, we did lose here last year. Hawks 31-Cardinals 14.

Mon. Oct. 28 @St. Louis

The sight of an offensive implosion last year. The Rams aren’t anything to joke around about, as both the Hawks and Niners can attest. This one should go to the Seahawks, but this is another coin flip for me. We should of beat them last year in the Lou as well. I give it to the Hawks though, Seahawks 21-Rams 14.

Sun. Nov. 3 Tampa Bay

Those pesky Bucs come to town to try and upend the Seahawks. This may work down south, but I think this one goes to the Hawks no problem. Hawks 24-Bucs 10.

This D will be punishing opponents in ’13 (Photo: Google)

Sun. Nov. 10 @Atlanta

There is no way the Seahawks are going to lose this game. Unless they either start, or finish the way they did in the playoffs. Atlanta is too good of a team to let the Hawks come back again like they did last year. A fast start is what this game needs if we are to win. I still give this one to the Falcons though. Hawks 31-Falcons 35.

Sun. Nov. 17 Minnesota

Finally a chance for new Hawks Percy Harvin and Antoine Winfield to show off what a winning team looks like to their old friends. Wilson to Harvin all day long, with the occasional pass to Sidney Rice just to rub it in. The D will have to contend with AP, but this is still a W. Seahawks 28-Vikings 7.

Bye Week

Mon. Dec. 2 New Orleans

The second of our two Monday Night Football games, and this one should be a good one. The Saints came to town and were embarrassed by the Seahawks a few years ago in the playoffs. I doubt they forgot that. And neither did we. Seahawks 35-Saints 28.

Sun. Dec. 8 @San Francisco

This is the one chance San Francisco is going to have a beating us before the playoffs. Last year we gave them this game, having lost at the end. We are a better road team now, but this one is personal. Seahawks 17-Niners 20.

Sun. Dec. 15 @New York Giants

As if the last two games weren’t tough enough, we now have to go to the Meadowlands to face the G-Men. Well at least it will be a walk through for the Super Bowl. Seahawks 14-Giants 10.

Sun. Dec. 22 Arizona

This is time for the blowout. By this late in the year Arizona will be eliminated from the post season, and on their 4th or 5th QB. The defense will be worn out from being on the field 80% of the time, and the Hawks will waltz right through them for victory. Seahawks 42-Cardinals 3.

Sun. Dec. 29 St. Louis

Last game of the year, and with the playoffs already locked up, we may get to see some Brady Quinn time. I guess that all depends on how the Niners fare, but this one should be a gimme. Seahawks 31-Rams 10.

I have the Seahawks going 13-3 on the year. The three losses all coming on the road, and to playoff teams from last year.

And all of this culminating with a win over the ever so hated Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl!

Go Seahawks!!!

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