Bring it on baseball gods

For the first time this week, the Seattle Mariners did not lose on Thursday.

Of course, this was helped by the fact that they did not play on Thursday, spending an off day in Atlanta before beginning a three-game series on Friday.

If you are one of those people whose life is not affected by the results of this thoroughly forlorn and accursed franchise, consider yourself lucky. The Mariners are in the midst of a thoroughly miserable stretch of road (road being the operataive word here).

• Five losses in the first six games on this current road trip

• Ten losses in their last 12 road games overall

Someone capable of rational thought might be able to point out that in spite of this, Seattle remains on track to reach the postseason. In fact, the Mariners are only 3.5 games behind Houston in the division.

I am not, however, capable of rational thought. At least not on this particular subject. In fact, I’m inclined to think that this suffering is a personal vendetta being waged against me and everyone else who roots for this team.

I have something of an admission to make about all of this (and a strained cinematic reference) in the latest batch of Mariner-a Sauce.

This week’s column for The News Tribune is mostly about why I think the Seahawks will win the NFC West (Hint: It’s the defense.)

I say this in spite of two things:

1. Each of the other three teams in the division have a better quarterback.

2. The majority of Seattle’s season will be spent scrutinizing that quarterback.

Sam Darnold is not the most important thing for this franchise’s future, however. If Darnold isn’t anything better than an average starting quarterback, Seattle can stage a competition at the position next offseason.

If Seattle’s defense isn’t good, however, that would be a much bigger issue.

• Success for the Seahawks doesn’t hinge on the QB

  By Danny O’Neil

  Sorry, but Luis Suarez is a chump

The man best known for having previously bitten an opponent in a World Cup match was captured spitting in the face of a Sounders employee following a soccer match last Sunday.

It was as gross as it sounds, and while Suarez posted an apology in which he sounded contrite, there was something missing: He didn’t mention the guy whose face he spit in.