SEATTLE -- The warm and fuzzy feelings that came out of Safeco Field at the end of last season returned in a big way during FanFest weekend.
Nearly four months after the Mariners ended the season with a victory over the Rangers and a victory lap around the field to thank the fans with waves and handshakes -- and then departing with Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro Suzuki being carried off the field on the shoulders of teammates -- more than 16,000 fans returned to the "House Griffey Built" to begin getting ready for more fun and games.
The good vibes were evident again on Saturday and Sunday as more fans turned out each day than the two days combined a year ago.
"There is a buzz back in town," Hall of Fame announcer Dave Niehaus said. "Last year, driving here for the first session, I didn't know what I was going to say. We had just lost 101 ballgames, and I didn't know the general manager or the manager. This is a 180 [degree turnaround]."
It was the best turnout in the past six years of the 12-year-old event.
"We talked to some of the fans during our autograph session and they were thanking us for what we did last year as a team, how much it meant to them and how it brought a spark into getting into the Mariners," reliever Mark Lowe said. "That was good to hear. You don't expect something like that to come out of a fan's mouth."
FanFest last year totaled 8,571 for the two days. There were 8,812 in attendance on Saturday and another 8,600 on Sunday as fans of all ages began getting in the mood for the 2010 season.
Howard Lincoln, the Mariners' CEO, stood on the top step of the first-base dugout on Sunday morning with a grin on his face.
"It's very encouraging to see record crowds come out like this," Lincoln said. "All in all, we should be very happy and very thankful, particularly to the fans. We are in the middle of a recession and it impacts everyone."
The Mariners drew 2,196,461 in 81 home dates last season despite coming off a 101-loss campaign.
It's OK to wear Mariners gear again, and the mood definitely was upbeat as fans are anxious to watch the improved team challenge for what could be its first serious playoff pursuit since 2003, when Seattle led the American League West for most of the season but was eliminated from playoff contention the final week of the regular season.
The 24-win turnaround to 85 wins last season rekindled the fans' interest in the team.
"What I really like is to see so many families with young kids." Lincoln said. "It is really delightful. It's what this sport is all about."
One such family was Chad, Shauna and 18-month-old Langston Little, and the press box was among their many stops during a tour of Safeco Field.
"We took our son to one game last season and it was so much fun that we wanted to bring him back," Shauna said. "We thought it would be fun just to have pictures of him on the field running the bases."
He probably won't remember, but the first game he attended turned out to be a Mariners victory in 14 innings over the White Sox.
"We stayed to the end," Chad said.
As many Mariners fans, the Little family has big hopes for the team in 2010.
"I think the team will do great, but I'm optimistic every year anyway," Shauna said. "I am a fan no matter what, win or lose. It is fun to come."
Langston (who was not named after the former Mariners star pitcher) has not yet gotten into the root, root, root for the home team mode, but his parents are ready for him to become a fan.
"We're waiting for him to say 'Go Griffey!'" Shauna said.
Lines were long at FanFest as the spectators waited to trek through the Mariners clubhouse, run around the bases, throw a pitch or two or hit a baseball.
And a FanFest wouldn't be complete without "The Old Bats."
They are four ladies just a tad over middle-age who spend part of February and all of March at Spring Training in Peoria, Ariz.
On any given day, they are the first people to show up for the workouts.
And they are a hoot.
"I met these ladies last year," manager Don Wakamatsu told a group of fans during the popular "Dugout Dialogue." "They asked me, 'What time do you get to the ballpark?' I told them I got there early, so they were not going to beat me here."
Not so fast, skipper.
"Sometimes, I would literally get there at 5 o'clock in the morning and they had been there for almost an hour," he said. "On top of that, they kept score and put it right in front of my parking spot."
The story brought laughter.
It was that kind of weekend at Safeco Field.
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