When losing matters
The point of bringing this up is that wins and losses this time of year really do take a back seat to getting a team ready for the regular season. So, the fact that the Mariners are now 0-5 in Cactus League, split-squad and charity games should not be setting off alarm bells just yet. If this was the final week of the spring and Jeff Weaver was still missing the strike zone, Richie Sexson still wasn't hitting, Jose Lopez was on-the-shelf, Chris Reitsma was getting bombed and the team was still averaging less than three runs per game, then it would be time to get the panic button ready.
Now, all of that said, it would be foolish to think the team is not getting just a teeny bit antsy with the inability to log that first win. I've seen far longer losing stretches during my previous eight springs covering camps, but let's face it, the Mariners do have something to prove here. They may deny it, but come on. Three consecutive last-place finishes, an impatient fan base that forgets it was only four short years ago this was a 93-win team, and an underwhelming off-season of player acquisitions have folks wanting to be shown something before they regain any optimism.
Optimism? Optimism? I know I just used that word in an ironic way recently.
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