ROBINSON CANO Dont stop believing!
  • Ben VanHouten/Seattle Mariners
  • ROBINSON CANO Don't stop believing!

The Mariners are leading the league! This very moment—right here, right now—may end up being the highlight of the season for this young team, but cautious optimism says maaaaybe not... Don't stop believing! Go, go, expensive Robinson Cano! If we beat the Angels tonight at Safeco Field, that's how a great start to a season continues to be great. It's a beautiful day for baseball (that is, it might not rain the whole game). You can't hit the ball if you don't swing the bat. Etc.!

My friend Ben has gone to the M's home opener every year for the past 14 years. He says:

Today is a special day in any Seattle sports fan's life. Opening day. The first home game. A day of hope and possibilities. A day to drink deeply of life and of beer. A day to see the new Mariners—a Dominican man making 240 million dollars and a rookie making only $600,000. A new manager and new versions of ballpark food [like wings made with Ballard's excellent Bonache hot sauce! Georgetown Brewing Company cask-conditioned beer! Taylor Farms shellfish! Hot Cakes desserts!—B.J.C.]. Today is 14 years in a row of opening days with my friend Devon, a streak I hope to continue until we're dead. Friends and family all converge on Safeco Field to watch, kind of, baseball. We aren't in last place yet, there are no major injuries—there is hope. I am excited to smell the garlic fries, see old friends, and groan when the crowd cheers for the hat-trick game on the jumbo tron. Go M's! Happy opening day!