The Boys Are Back In Town

Well, at 2-5, the Mariners aren’t quite off to the start that we’d hoped for since Opening Day. So here’s to new beginnings with Opening Day, Safeco edition, as today the Mariners take to the manicured bluegrass against the Oakland A’s in their home opener.

For better or worse, fans will scramble for scattered free parking spots under the viaduct (We’ll take our chances against the Big One to save $30). Along Occidental, Kielbasa-infused smoke fills the air, the sounds of Tuba Guy echo in our memories.

Meanwhile, if you’re coming up First Avenue, the new neighbors will greet you, but it’s a classy joint that doesn’t serve alcohol, so keep walking if you want beer (and head to Chicago if you’re looking for some ballpark action.)

On the field, we hope there’s residual good juju from when last the Mariners played, and gave Griffey and Ichiro a heroes’ piggyback ride off the field. After Sunday’s 9-2 loss to the Rangers, we’ll need it.

But until that first pitch at 3:40pm, forget for a moment the first-week woes - our only effective arm has been Felix, our other huge arm is sidelined by bad abs, our bats are still thawing - and soak in the sights, smells and sounds that we’ve missed for six long months.

After all, the season is 162 games long, and not seven. So quitcher worryin'. The M’s got this.

Right now, baseball is back in Seattle.