I've had this debate with a number of people over the last couple months...is the Mariner's season a total loss without a ring? My answer has been an unwavering "No!". They were "expected" to win about half of their games. They practically wrote a new record book.


Look, people all year have been saying that this might be one of the greatest teams ever. Of course they will never earn those accolades without winning the last game of the year, but only one team will win the world series. Is the season a complete loss for every team except for that one team? Was the season a complete loss for the Phillies? For the Twins? Of course not.


How do you rate the success of a team? Obviously a ring is one way, wins is another, but the ultimate measure is in the pocket book. Do you generate fan interest? Expand you fan base? Increase ticket sales? Increase merchandise sales? If you do these things, you've had a successful season. Baseball players play baseball for the paycheck. The better they play, the more they make. It just so happens that the better you play, the better chance you have to win.


Quite frankly, Mark McGwire and his .188 Batting Average didn't do much to help his team. But he still had a "successful" year, because he put butts in the seats. Chicks dig the long ball.


Likewise, the Mariners set a team record for attendance. Their marketing has never been better (especially when you consider INTERNATIONAL marketing), even when they had the Big 3. They have a huge fan base in America, even moreso when you remember that they are a west-coast team.


The fact is that they massively overacheived, became widely loved, and are one of the greatest teams ever, regardless of what October says. They will not be remembered as such if they don't win the series, but that doesn't change the facts.


Worm