Opening Day Headache

Opening Day Headache

                 The Mariners opening day, 2009, has many people excited about the possibilities of a first place Mariners team with the return of Ken Griffey Junior. At with 5 wins and 2 losses, the Mariners sit atop the American League West, but they will present quite a headache to the hometown faithful as they open their doors for business.

                Due to some ongoing construction, there will be no access to the Safeco Field parking garage. There will still be access at a great number of parking lots as well as other area parking, such as Qwest Field; but the convenient access of Edgar Martinez Way directly from the freeway to your parking spot, to your seat will not be available. To think that we sat through months of wreckage on and around the former Atlantic Street to make such convenience possible, only to have it fall short of what is needed on the most anticipated opening day in Seattle since at least 2002, if not ever.

                “Well, that doesn’t sound too bad. I guess we can just take the bus to the game.”

                I know that’s what you’re thinking, but not so fast. Due to a non-competition clause from a federal statute from last year (remember the Seahawks controversy?) that said that a public entity, Metro, could not compete with a private industry solution; there will be no such Metro bus service to Safeco or anywhere nearby. So, who are the big winners in this equation? It is certainly not the fans. But luckily there is an answer.

                Rickshaw drivers and Taxis will be the big winner here. Yes, those mad peddlers will be available to pick you up from any of your downtown destinations with a door-to-door service down the streets to Royal Brougham. Meanwhile the under-utilized cabbies will be ready to carry you from the bus tunnels of the Business District down to SoDo and to Junior’s long-awaited patrolling of the manicured outfield grass.

                Regardless of anything, it’s the hottest ticket in town. There is really no excuse for anyone not to be there. Unless, of course, you’re one of the 500,000+ people in the city limits who will not fit through the gate after the first 40K have taken their spots. Just for fun they should hold the game at Husky Stadium. Something tells me that even with no mass transportation there would be a full 72,000 people ready to walk from around the city to Montlake just to catch a glimpse of the savior of baseball in Seattle.

                The local weather report calls for an 80% chance of an open roof. So, no matter how you have to go to get there, make sure that you get there. When we’ve got some bad throwbacks to the times of yesteryear with some wannabe Barbary pirates off of the coast of the Horn of Africa; why not get a great slice of classic Americana by taking the whole family out to the ballpark to enjoy our national pastime? For those of you who don’t like to keep things so nostalgic, don’t worry; you can get some ice cream dots, sushi, salmon and wine to go with your hardball. Just don’t get too upset at the caveman next to you who is washing down his kosher dog with a cold one or tossing his peanut shells on the cement floor.  Go M’s!!!