There are a lot of things to be excited for this year when it comes to professional sports in Seattle. Our football team will be competing for the game’s biggest prize this weekend. Our baseball team has bolstered their roster tremendously in the past few months. Our soccer team is still one of the best in the country. I think we can all agree that the only void is that we are about halfway through the NBA season and still have no Supersonics to cheer for, but let’s take this time to focus on the positives.
The Seattle Seahawks will be playing in Super Bowl XLVIII, their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, seeking their first victory. The game has all the makings of an epic showdown as Seattle’s number one defense led by the Legion of Boom will take on Denver’s number one offense led by future hall-of-fame quarterback Peyton Manning. It is sure to be a fun game to watch and just imagine how crazy things might get if the Seahawks are the ones bringing home the Lombardi Trophy.
As amazing as this Super Bowl will be, we will have to face the reality that once it is over, there won’t be any more Seahawks games until August–and that’s just the pre-season. So what can we look forward to the remainder of the year? Oh that’s right, we have a baseball team that will be starting its season on March 31st.
I’ll be honest: there hasn’t been much to be excited about with the Mariners in recent years. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2002 and the attendance has dwindled with each passing season. Last year there was a spark from an eight game winning streak but it faded quickly. But I think this year; the city of Seattle has something to be excited about. Now I’m not saying we are going to go out and win the World Series, but we definitely have the potential to compete for a playoff berth.
The Mariners already have an all-star in pitcher Felix Hernandez who will be with the team for six more years on his current contract. Along with him, there are a lot of young players that played exceptionally well for the team and should continue to improve such as Justin Smoak, Kyle Seager, Brad Miller, Nick Franklin, Mike Zunino and Dustin Ackley. Along with this roster, the team added such much needed power by signing Corey Hart and Logan Morrison as well as the biggest signing of the off-season by acquiring Robinson Cano with a 10 year, $240 million contract.
It would appear that the Mariners are making a real effort and making this team relevant again and I think they have a real shot at doing it.
So in the meantime, get excited for the Super Bowl this weekend and watch as the Seahawks compete to bring Seattle its first NFL championship. And then get ready for what could be a fairly exciting baseball season.
