I’ve done a lot of Mariners bashing here over the last 2 years.  But they honestly deserved it.

So congratulations for making 2009 way more interesting than I expected, and giving me hope, faith and optimism to 2010 and beyond.

For the first time in years, I’ve found myself tuning in sporadically to games on the radio.  Well, maybe not whole games, but innings at least.  And all of the recent trades, minor league call-ups and debates are exactly what baseball is supposed to be like.

Baseball shouldn’t be like it is for the Red Sox and Yankees who (until the Rays got good) were almost allowed to write their own personal ticket to the playoffs every year thanks to 57 games against the most inept division-mates in baseball.

Baseball is cooler than basketball because you can’t go to the 7th, 8th and 9th innings and let Kobe Bryant go to bat every time.  And it’s cooler than football because Peyton Manning can’t pitch every game.  The fabric of it’s coolness comes in a combination of players battling for more innings of that enormous 162 game, 1500 inning season, but also needing a superstar to come up huge in the ninth inning of game 76 with 2 men on and 2 outs.  

So instead of dreading the off season, this year we’ll argue about the starting 5, what we should do with Felix, if Griffey should come back, whether 8 million is too much for a defensive shortstop, and if there’s any chance to salvage Morrow’s career.  These are the kind of arguments we should be having in a baseball off season. 

Sure, I know technically they are still in it this year.  But that’s more of a quirk in the way the schedule is presented, not actual reality.  And I don’t really care.  Because next year, 2011 and 2012 look like a lot of fun.  At least, a lot more fun than 2003-2008.  Thanks M’s, for finally pulling your heads out of your you-know-whats.