Street Reporter's Seattle Mariners Extended Profile

Living on the Upper East Side of New York City in the early 90s after graduating from college, I could take a five-minute subway ride to Yankee Stadium and watch the Yankees. They were average, if not pathetic, so the crowds were smaller than today, but more dedicated, too, so I earned my Yankee loyalty back then. When they won in 1996, I'd already moved away, even if I'd glimpsed their greatness in the first days of Buck Showalter.

Similarly, I watched the Knicks of the 1990s, they were competitive, coming as close as they've been to a title since the 1970s. Under Pat Riley and the yin-yang of the cool, unruffled Patrick Ewing and the mercurial hothead John Starks, they kept coming up just short--most often thanks to the Bulls. The image of Charles Smith under the basket, unable to dunk, repeatedly harassed (if not hacked) by Pippen, Jordan and Grant, is seared into my memory.

When I moved to Portland in 1999, the Blazers were good on the court, but they were the JailBlazers off the court. Watching them cough up the lead to the Lakers in Game 7 of that year's playoffs not only solidified my abiding hatred of the Lakers and all things Phil Jackson. And another postseason disappointment. Since then, I've watched them slowly disintegrate and now rebuild,

The Rangers won the cup the year after I left New York City. The 116-win Mariners fell short in 2001, soon after I'd adopted them. Portland seems the best hope for me to actually watch a team--my team--and a city--my city--win it all.

But my allegiances to my old teams and cities still remain, diluted and blurred by the passing years and fantasy sports, so I'll take some solace in any of "my" teams winning it all.

Writer and serious baseball addict, with minor afflictions in basketball and football. See me also at www.lovemyteam.com, in the "Best Baseball Books" section

Portland

Oregon

United States

Baseball, crosswords, reading, writing