Seattle Mariners

The weather sucks in Seattle. Except when Tom is there. The city noted for its gray skies and abundance of precipitation was sunny the last time I was there during a port visit while I was stationed on board the USS Wadsworth (FFG-9) in the mid 90s. I saw a Mariners game then too, albeit in the King Dome. Today it was over 80F, very unusual for Seattle this time of year. The great weather allowed Safeco Field to keep the retractable roof open. I give myself credit for the good weather.

Safeco Field is an absolute gem of a ballpark. It can truly claim baseball cathedral status. Built of two-toned brick comingled with a sprawling web of green steel girders gives it a majestic feel. Tall, wide concourses add to the spaciousness of the park as does the fact it dwarfs most buildings nearby. All this nestled into a spectacular city that is surrounded by stunning natural beauty (the mountains, not me).  With the accolades heaped upon Safeco Field one would think it would be contender for the top spot of the hot dog/baseball experience. The ballpark is nearly perfect, but the dog lets the team down with a ho-hum score for an overall of 45. Why?

Dog:

Mariner Dog

Bun-stale. You can’t have a great dog with a stale bun. And you know what happens when you heap toppings on top of a frank in a stale bun? It splits on the bottom and become two separate pieces of bread. Try keeping your dog together in that scenario. Instant mess.

Taste-the Cloverdale frank did a decent job, but it can’t pull in top score.

Toppings-not a bad selection, but not a great one either.

Price-the Mariner Dog (there is a smaller, cheaper option but it is more of a kid’s dog) costs $6.75. Overpriced.

Portability-the cardboard boat did not help with the bun issue. Not sure anything would have saved that mess but a wrapper would have been better.

It Factor-Naming the regular hot dog after the team is not very original unless it brings something special to the plate. For a MARINER DOG I would have expected seaweed or something. They place a lot of the It Factor on the brat lineup.

Ballpark:

Location-downtown in the South Downtown (SODO) district. BINGO!

Safeco Field

Access-I had to keep myself from being prejudiced here since I had to fork over $20 to park. It was a day game so the parking meters were in effect and any sweet free spots were taken. Night games would be easier to score free parking. One can walk from downtown, bus, bike, drive, etc. Easy access.

Cleanliness-neat as a pin.

GA Ticket Price-$15 at the window (or $10 from a scalper. Guess which I chose.) Pricey for bleachers AND my seat was directly underneath the scoreboard. I am now permanently disabled from craning over to see the scoreboard.

Ambiance-better than SF due to less distractions, but there are still a few. It reminds me a lot of SF’s park but with less glitter. Meaning I like it better.

Fans-over 20,000 fans for a 1240 pm start is not bad. I hear some people actually work. Not overly friendly but they were really pulling for the Mariners.

Dog		Ballpark		Total Dog/Game
Bun	2	Location	5
Taste	4	Access	5
Toppings	4	Cleanliness	5
Price	3	Ambiance	4
Portability	3	GA Ticket Price	3
It Factor	3	Fans	4
	19		26	45

The ballpark did not disappoint. The dog did. I love daytime baseball, they way it was meant to be played. And playing it in a classy venue like Safeco only makes it better. My tip would be to skip the dog and try the brat while taking in a Mariners game.