I attended the Mariner’s final game of 2009. With all of the hoopla following the end of the ninth inning, one would think that they had just won the final game of the World Series. Instead, they had won the right to call themselves a team whom the fans deeply loved and believed in. So ended the season of 2009.

For me, baseball season kicks off with spring training. This was my ninth trip to Peoria, Ariz. in early spring, and doesn’t it get old year after year? Absolutely not! Each spring training season is as different as night is to day. In 2009, the question was, “Who are these guys?” Beltre, Betancourt, Morse, Burke and Clement were the only non-pitcher, position players in camp from the 2008 season. Ichiro, Johjima, and Felix were off to the World Baseball Classic. One year hasn’t changed things much and sorting out players the first day or so is still confusing. For example, there are numerous Jacks; there are at least three Wilsons (Mike, Josh and Jack); Josh and Jack Wilson both play shortstop. All players wear jerseys with numbers, but no names. What’s a fan to do?

Eric Byrnes is a new guy for the Ms. If he makes the club, he’ll be a fan favorite. The players say that he plays like his hair is on fire and they’re right. My last game in Peoria this year, I watched the flames and a trail of smoke roll off his head through three different plays; as he caught fly balls and tumbled over and over; belly-flopped on a slide to second (that would have been a single for most); and then blazed home and scored a run from second. With him around, they’ll need fire extinguishers in the dugouts.

In looking at the success of 2009 and the dreams of the future, a major participant in the weaving of this magic has to be the general manager, Jack (see, another Jack) Zduriencik. In prior spring training camps, other GMs have been there, sitting and observing. Most fans never notice them, acknowledge them, or know who they were. This year not so with Jack Z. The fans love and swarm him! I watched for at least 30 minutes while he chit chatted with people, signed autographs, answered questions and rubbed elbows with a crowd who clearly wanted him to know that he’s tops in their book. He’s kind, generous and so far his player trades have all had the Midas Touch. Most of all he’s a fan just like you or me. If you ever see him out and about, I highly recommend that you stop and chat with him. He’s a very cool guy.

We heard from a source that this camp was loose as a goose, working hard and working together. I believe this is due to Jack Z’s magic and coach Don Wakamatsu’s guidance. For example, the first inter-squad game had two rather unusual bat boys (starting pitchers) Felix Hernandez and Eric Bedard. We wondered if they drew the short straw or lost a bet. Both wore their jerseys with huge a BB on their back. The crowd in the bleachers loved them! Cheering for the job the bat boys were doing as much if not more than they cheered for the game in progress.

At Mike Sweeney’s suggestion, the players did hold a Mariner Idol contest. The participants were players with less than two years major league experience. Sweeney divided them into groups of three and four people. The groups got to select their song and create their own choreography and design costumes. Griffey’s karaoke machine was brought in and the rest is fuzzy as the event was closed to the press and public. Reports were that it was a blazing success and quite a hoot. Matt Tuiasosopo, Kanekoa Texeira, and Steve Baron (group name Hawaiian Punch) won first place with their haka dance and poor, minor leaguer Steve, kept loosing the coconuts to his costume. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

Several years ago, we had breakfast with now starting catcher Rob Johnson, then of the Tacoma Rainiers at a baseball and eggs breakfast at Cheney stadium. Since then, Rob has always taken time to visit with us. This year during FanFest in Peoria we asked Rob if ever in his wildest dreams he thought he would be in this current position, batting in the group including Ichiro, Griffey and Sweeney. Sort of sheepishly, Rob shook his head no. His feet still had not touched back down to earth, that’s how in awe he is of where he is right now. Little does he realize that some of the younger guys in camp feel the same way being around him.

I had fun quizzing a number of the coaches using a baseball answer that appeared on a Jeopardy program. The question was, if a player catches a batted baseball with their hat, how many bases do the runners get to advance? Jack Z. had the answer right off the bat (no pun intended). Bench coach Ty Van Burkleo had the answer out before the question was completed. Catcher coach Roger Hansen needed three guesses and bull pen coach John Wetteland wouldn’t get involved because it didn’t pertain to pitching. Oh yes, the answer is three.

I’m an Old Bat, for those of you who don’t know. The Old Bats sit in section 342 at Safeco Field and at any time, there might be as few as two of us or as many as 17 or 18. Last year at spring training, coach Wakamatsu (a.k.a. the Skipper) lost a challenge he made to four of us. We were to win something. Our heart’s desire was lunch in the clubhouse in Seattle. Our invitation was lost in e-mail and the lunch never happened. The goal on our first morning upon arriving in Peoria was to get a rain check on that lunch. The Skipper was a good egg about it and did write a rain check, however at the same time he informed us that the challenge was carried over from last season and we were already behind him and the score was Old Bats 1, Skipper 5. How could that be? Not in camp yet and already behind? We conceded defeat with a big sign fixed to his parking slot, announcing our defeat, however his win marked with a pretty big asterisk, noting that Wakamatsu’s challenge began before we got to camp.

A week later, at the end of a game, as we sat and watched the crowd file out and we enjoyed the afternoon sun, a woman with a couple of kids approached, asking if we were Old Bats. Her name was Laura and her husband was Don. Now, we meet quite a few people and could not remember anyone named Don, until we realized that she meant Don as in Wakamatsu. We only refer to him as coach, Mr. Wakamatsu or sometimes Skipper, but never Don. She commented on our parking lot sign and agreed that his win did not quite seem to be on the up an up. Since we saw eye-to-eye on this questionable win, there was only one thing to do and that was make Laura an Honorary Old Bat. The next day, Mr. Wakamatsu did pause while walking by us and chuckled about finding an Honorary Old Bat in his home the prior evening.

Meeghan Black of Evening Magazine contacted me prior to spring training, wanting to see the Old Bats in action, whatever that meant. I was concerned that Meeghan would find us pretty boring, however she said that it was her job to find the interest. She and her cameraman, Tom Voelk trailed after us, off and on for part of a day, filming us helping people ID players; helping them get autographs; making sure the kids said please and thank you; and trading players Tootsie Roll Pops for autographs. They filmed us watching and scoring the game as well. Meeghan is a really nice gal, down to earth, and even helps her cameraman lug equipment around. I believe that she’s devoting three episodes of Evening Magazine to spring training and we’ll be part of it or else will appear on the cutting room floor. Oh yes, we did make Meeghan an Honorary Old Bat, gave her a Tootsie Roll Pop and assigned her to go out and trade it for an autograph.

For the team, there still remains work to be completed. There are days ahead that will be similar to the movie “Ground Hog Day”; with drills repeated over and over; building muscle memory and reactions that happen without thinking about them. There will be joking and pranking, thanks to Griffey and his buddies and the difficult decisions made to determine the player cuts and reducing numbers down to the final 40 and 25-man rosters plus the starting five rotation and the Spartans of the bull pen. But throughout all of this, I believe that the fans will be back in droves, picking up where they left off on that final game in October 2009. I believe that we “aint seen nothing yet” and the magic show is about to begin. Oh yes, and I wonder if we’ll get our lunch in the clubhouse this year.