Seattle

The Seattle Mariners offense came alive last night against Phil Coke and the Detroit Tigers, scoring 13 runs on 15 hits. Mariner fans were left wondering one thing.

Was it for real?

While players, such as Seattle's Felix Hernandez, will tell you that they make the best of their situation and do what they can to help their team win, there's no doubting one thing.

They hate losing.

This is why they're in a competitive sport. They're driven to excel in their personal game and assist in the collective goal of winning a championship.

Throughout the decades, we've seen some of the greats athletes of our lifetime fail to ride a float in a parade through the downtown area of their home town.

When Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik asked the Seattle fans to be patient with the rebuilding process, I decided to comply with his request. I vowed to sit back and wait to see if the Mariners showed any progress with hopes that things would be different this season.

When Seattle started out 2-0 I was optimistic the ball club was on the right path. Since then the Mariners are 2-10 and still can't score any runs. Same old story.

The Mariners entered Monday’s series opener with the Toronto Blue Jays on a seven-game losing streak since opening the season 2-0. They won the first two games of that series, and had a great chance to win the third before reigning home run king Jose Bautista ended their aspirations of a sweep with one swing.

It's Opening Day, which means it's time to put the spreadsheets away and head out to the ballpark for pampered grass, the smell of garlic fries and a rousing nine innings of pure bliss.

What better way to enjoy this event than sharpening your pencil and getting lost in a baseball game by keeping score?

That may not be for everyone. Perhaps you're more into chatting, watching the Hydro Races and anticipating the start of The Wave.

As the New York Yankees kick off the 2011 baseball season in the Bronx with a win over the Detroit Tigers, the Seattle Mariners prep for their own inaugural game in Oakland on Friday.

This is an insane column, folks. Why would the Seattle Mariners trade Felix Hernandez before the trade deadline? Why would they trade him ever?

To butcher a line from my good friend (never met the man) Allen Iverson, “Felix? We talkin’ ‘bout King Felix?”

I went to Arizona last year for spring training with a friend who was “in” with the Seattle brass. We were hooked up with game tickets, as well as being able to meet and mingle with the players, etc.

Felix Hernandez in pinstripes is something that a lot of people still see as a possibility, even as early as this season.

A lot has been ballyhooed about the reigning Cy Young's status with the Mariners, his no-trade clause and whether or not the Mariners should consider shipping off their ace for a true king's ransom.

The Mariners were bad in 2010. There's no getting around that. The real worry here, is how do we get better?

We get better with trades. What do you need for trades? Prospects.

We get better with new talent. What is another word for new talent? Prospects.

It's all simple math, really. Here, I'll try to lay out some of those prospects that could serve a purpose in the Mariners getting over that 61-win mark.

If you're into listening to people in the know, such as scouts, coaches, front office guys and other players, you'd be led to believe that Michael Pineda could be pretty special.

Of course, all you have to do is see his mammoth size and ability and you can draw the conclusion all on your own.

There are good reasons for the Mariners to bring Pineda up now, but there appear to be good reasons not to as well.

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