Minnesota is cold.
Anyway, it's late February, and with my hockey team playing like crap, it's time to start putting some of my fanatical eggs in the Mariner basket. And you know what that means: farewell offseason gloom, hello summer hope!
2008 Projected Record:
PECOTA: 73-89
ZiPS: 77-85
CHONE: 83-79
THT: 77-85 (may not include Bedard trade)
Dave/Win Values: 83-79
Reasons to be upset with the course of the offseason? Sure, maybe a month ago. But spring is a time for noble spirits to embiggen the baseball fan in all of us, so rather than holding those numbers against a front office that possesses all the patience and foresightedness of gravity, here's to seeing them as a chance for this team to surprise an awful lot of people. Including ourselves. So what if we're currently on the outside looking in? At some point as meaningful baseball draws near, it becomes time to shed your big picture concerns and focus on the season at hand. And just because something's unlikely doesn't mean you shouldn't put all your energy into crossing your fingers.