Starting this morning, single-game tickets for all Seattle Mariners regular season games are now on sale.

If you are looking for Opening Day Tickets, your best bets are to either stand in line at the nearest team store at 6:30 am to get a number (that’s the way they are doing it this year) or try and get lucky online where the Mariners are warning of 3-5 hour wait times with no guarantees.

You can always go to stubhub and get tickets to any game on the schedule, too, and because the Mariners aren’t among the more attractive teams to watch in the league, you can get good seats at a pretty reasonable price.

But the longer we wait, the more we’re going to pay if the team is good, and there’s a chance they get off to a fast start and turn some heads in the AL in April and May.

To get tickets via Ticketmaster CLICK HERE!

If you are looking for Opening Day tickets and do not want to wait in line, or are looking for seats in sections that have been sold out, CLICK HERE!

The above links will take you directly to the Seattle Mariners ticket pages where you can choose your seats and buy immediately.

Even I am buying tickets this year, and I’m buying early, because if things fall in the Mariners’ direction and they get a little luck from the baseball gods, I don’t want to be one those who sat back and waited and will be stuck home wishing they got in when tickets were available.

The M’s haven’t been legit contenders since mid-season of 2003, and this year’s roster might give them their best chance to make the post season in six years.

Stranger things have happened in baseball - see Rockies, Colorado, 2007. By this time next year there could be a few local bloggers penning their own rendition of “Now I Can Die in Peace”.

To borrow a line from an old slogan around these parts: Mariners Fever… Catch it.

GET TICKETS via Stub Hub

GET TICKETS via TicketMaster

Prospect Insider is now an official affiliate of Stub Hub and Ticketmaster.

If you’re going to buy them online anyway, the jaunt over to PI to get the job done is greatly appreciated.

While Kenny Lofton, Corey Patterson, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and Sammy Sosa are still seeking employment, there are clubs in both leagues that continue to look to build their roster for the upcoming season.

Including the Seattle Mariners.

The M’s are apparently still open to adding more lineup depth and have had talks with a number of the remaining free agents and have made at least a few calls to clubs to talk trade.

Trot Nixon wanted more money and more assured playing time than Seattle was able to offer, prompting the 10-year veteran to sign a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“I think there’s a better possibility that we do something later in the spring,” said a Mariners front office representative. “Right now we have to find out what we already have and then we can act accordingly. I think a lot of clubs are in the same position.”

The Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are not among those teams, however. Cubs GM Jim Hendry is still itching to add second baseman Brian Roberts to the top of his lineup but Baltimore Orioles front man Andy McPhail has held out for ransom packages.

One National League executive all but guaranteed that by the time the Cubs head to Las Vegas for the final two games of their Cactus League schedule, Roberts will have made the flight from soggy Florida.

“It’s not that different than the deal with (Erik) Bedard,” he said. “He’s (McPhail) just trying to get all he can and when the smoke clears he’ll get a good enough deal.”

The most likely trio of talents heading to Baltimore at this point, according to this NL Central rep, includes infielder Ronny Cedeno and right-handers Sean Gallagher and Kevin Hart.

But for the deal to get done, it sound like the Cubs will likely have to replace Hart or Cedeno with one two outfielders, Felix Pie or Tyler Colvin.

It is also believed that while the O’s prefer to get a potential shortstop in the deal, Cedeno, they are much more convinced that second baseman Eric Patterson will perform offensively in the majors.

The Red Sox have re-contacted the agent for right-hander Bartolo Colon to inform him of their potential interest. Colon is looking for guaranteed money for more than one season, but there are rumors that he’d take a one-year deal to go to Boston.

Boston’s interest hinges on the state of their rotation once they get a more definitive word on the immediate future of Curt Schilling.

Other Spring Notes

Lofton is going to play in 2008, and at least a half-dozen clubs have been in constant contact with his agent… Colon has minor league offers from four teams; the White Sox, Cardinals, Giants and Indians… Patterson wants to start for a playoff team, which is likely to lead him back to the National League. None of the top six teams in the junior circuit are seeking outfield help, though Patterson would be a great fit in left field for the Tribe. San Diego has shown interest but there’s at least one Braves scout that has recommended Patterson to play center field for Atlanta until top prospect Jordan Schafer is ready… The Orioles are expected to watch the progress of right-hander Daniel Cabrera very closely during the season’s first 10-12 weeks, and then shop him as they have Bedard and Roberts.

Mariners Notes

There are two players getting a lot of attention this spring of which fans and media alike should temper their enthusiasm. Infielder Yung Chi Chen is a solid ball player, and might earn regular time with the M’s this season, but he’s no future star and is better suited as a reserve. He’s a better bat than Willie Bloomquist, is an above-average base runner, and is a solid glove at second and third base. But the 24-year-old is void of a plus tool and lacks ideal extra-base power to soak up one of nine lineup spots on a regular basis.

Right-hander Phillippe Aumont, the club’s first round pick last June, has created a buzz already in his first spring training as a pro. But ignore anyone - I mean anyone, Bill Bavasi, John McLaren, Mel Stottlemyre, the beat writers, and even me if I try and tell you that Aumont has any chance to break into the big-league rotation next season. He’s 19 years old, has no professional experience and some scouts are a bit worried about a few things. “With that arm slot he hasn’t as much room for error as he develops his pitches,” said one scout whose club was set to draft Aumont with a pick very near where Seattle snagged him at No. 11. “He throws hard, and he’s a big, physical arm, but with that high-3/4 slot throwing a true curve ball might be tough, and maintaining a consistent release point could be a problem area, too. I really like him, but he’s probably not going to move very quickly.”

Aumont has already hit the mid-90s with his fastball this spring, and brings a useful changeup and slider to the table.

This Top 50 list depicts the ideal draft position for the best 50 Fantasy Baseball players in 2008, reflecting not only past production and positional depth, but also potential improvements and collapses from injury or simple ineffectiveness.

Where these players should or should not be ranked is immaterial to the process. If you feel a player deserves to be a couple spots higher, then pre-rank him that way and draft accordingly. This is merely a reference tool for you to utilize while getting a feel for how players at one position relate to each other within the overall rankings.

I think it does well to rank each player strictly according to their projections with the different variables awarding or deducting points where appropriate. A good example is Ichiro, who may not be any more valuable in 2008 than Magglio Ordonez, ranked 12 spots lower. Because Ichiro’s been a top-20 fantasy contributor his entire career, he’s worth the extra round, while Ordonez’s numbers are based on a career year that represented his only elite season since 2002.

Another great example is B.J. Upton, who, in most leagues, will qualify as both a second basemen and an outfielder - two premium positions. You can’t put a price on that kind of versatility, but you can’t necessarily guarantee he’ll reach his projection, either. His skill set and MiLB history fails to support anything more than 18-24 home runs, but his borderline top-30 value is justified based on his 2007 performance, developmental clock and upside.

Most will contend there’s no real difference between first basemen Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard, ranked six spots apart. This is mostly true. Howard and Fielder are pretty likely to be identical in R, HR, and RBI, but ranking them properly has a bit to do with potential gains along with their actual production.

They’re both young, but whereas Fielder is slowly and surely increasing his aptitude for being a quality hitter for average, Howard is experiencing the typical fluctuation of a free swinger. The stark truth is that Howard strikes out too much to hit .300 consistently and is very likely a .280 hitter at best.

While that’s above par in the majors, it’s below average for most fantasy teams. Fielder, despite being somewhat younger and inexperienced, has actually decreased his K-rates while improving his overall patience, tools needed to hit for average in baseball. It’s my prediction he’ll raise himself an entire level above Howard, maybe as soon as this season.

Finally, if there’s a ranking you can’t logically justify, even in extreme cases, please, feel free to voice your opinion. This is just as much about feedback and discussion as it is about preparation.

Thank you in advance for reading. In lieu of a conventional preview, I thought I’d share my history as a fantasy player and I hope you enjoy it.

I’ve been one to try different strategies each season and several worked while others did not. There’s no one set approach that can encompass all of fantasy baseball and there are simply too many variables to turn it into a total science.

I, for one, believe it’s what makes the game so much more fascinating than the other sports’. There’s always something new to try or something fun to learn from your experience, and best of all you get to know MLB in its entirety, far beyond your favorite team.

Schemes and plans change with every changing league. The no-closer strategy I developed five years ago worked wonders for three seasons with most owners using high-round picks on the elite stoppers and allowing me to take advantage of the top starters left over.

Nowadays, players are smarter. Closers aren’t being hyped nearly as much and you may not see one drafted until after four or five rounds. Rightly so, there isn’t a single closer in the Top 50.

Whatever your strategy, just make sure you have the personnel to use it. Integrating your own plan into the draft is usually the best start, and if you realize after a few rounds that your plan may not work, make an adjustment. That’s what being a fantasy manager is all about, and in the end you gain a new perspective for what real general managers do. I know I have.

Worst comes to worst, you’ll have fun watching the team you’ve built lead you to success amongst your baseball brethren, or the anticipation of trying again the following season if you don’t. All in all, the best advice I can give to you is to play for keeps, draft for fun, and never lose sight of being a fan.

Top 10 by Position

Starting Pitchers

Relief Pitchers

First Basemen

Second Basemen

Third Basemen

Shortstops

Catchers

Outfielders

2008 Season Predictions:

MLB’s best value over ADP
Rickie Weeks, Kelly Johnson, Mark Reynolds, Felipe Lopez, Shane Victorino, Adrian Beltre, Stephen Drew, Rich Hill, Chad Billingsley, Matt Cain, Scott Kazmir

AL Fantasy Rookie of the Year
Evan Longoria, 3B – Tampa Bay. I just don’t see any other worthy candidate, but you never know.

NL Fantasy Rookie of the year
Cameron Maybin, CF - Florida. Didn’t we have someone just like him get traded to Florida a couple years ago?

AL Fantasy MVP
Grady Sizemore, CF - Cleveland

NL Fantasy MVP
Matt Holliday, LF - Colorado

AL Fantasy Cy Young
Scott Kazmir, SP – Tampa Bay

NL Fantasy Cy Young
Johan Santana, SP – New York

Biggest Surprise Team
Tampa Bay. They’ll start their ascent to the top with a winning record this season, before another youth movement makes their rotation among the best in baseball. Can you imagine Kazmir, David Price, Jamie Shields, Matt Garza and Wade Davis with Jacob McGee closing for the next 6-7 years? Those are all future frontline starters by the way.

Good luck to everyone this season and I’ll be with you every step of the way.

Questions or comments? Respond to this report or e-mail Jonathan Aircardi by Clicking Here

If you, like many Seattle Mariners baseball fans, grew up listening to the ever-friendly tones that so fluidly and fluently poured from the diaphragm of one Dave Niehaus, you know exactly how I’m feeling when I say we’ve all been vindicated.

All those years – 18 of them, to be exact – that we stayed up long past our bedtime as schoolchildren to hear every last inning of what was many times another Mariners’ loss. The franchise, on the field and beyond the baselines, was awful from the start. They were often the laughing stock of the entire league.

From their inaugural season of 1977, the Mariners experienced but one winning season, in 1991. There weren’t but a few legitimate all-stars until 1984 when Alvin Davis and Mark Langston came along.

And there wasn’t a single superstar until 1989 when George Kenneth Griffey, Jr. began what would become a Hall-of-Fame career.

All those losses – three times over 100, seven times over 90 – and we still came back for more, despite few uniformed reasons to do so. And it wasn’t just because we loved baseball so much. Losing induces boredom, disinterest, frustration and anger.

But there were still those late nights in the 80s when many of us were supposed to be sleeping that we were instead tuning in our clock radios to KVI 570, and later 710 KIRO, to catch the call of the game by our friend, the voice.

That’s exactly the way I feel about Dave Niehaus – he’s my friend. I invited him into my life thousands of times, and he shows up with a VIP just about every time. He’s been there through thickest of times, and the best of them as well. Who will ever forget the call of Edgar’s double in 1995.

Listen to the Magic Right Here

“Swung on and lined down the left field line for a base hit…Here comes Joey… Here comesJunior to third base… THERE GONNA WAVE HIM IN!! THE THROW TO THE PLATE WILL BEEEEEEE LATE!! THE MARINERS ARE GOING TO PLAY FOR THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSIP!! I DON’T BELIEVE IT! IT JUST CONTINUES! MY, OH MY!!”

Does it get any better than that?

In the early days, I was learning the game of baseball from Niehaus. No, he wasn’t teaching me how to hit or throw or even how to properly fill out a scorecard. But he certainly played a major role in my learning how to love this game.

Niehaus made Mariners ballgames fun to watch on television or listen to on the radio. Win or lose, Dave was on the air describing every pitch with a passion and exuberance that often made me feel like I was part of the game. He even brought humor to the broadcasts, sometimes in the most memorable ways.

I remember a series the Mariners played in Baltimore over the weekend in July of about 1986 or 1987.The game was a route, probably in the Orioles’ favor, and Dave kept going on and on about somewhere in the world at a certain time of day during a certain time of year that the sun appears to rise in the west and set in the east, but could not figure out why. This went on intermittently for several innings.

I laugh about that to this day. Then a few years later I remember Dave telling everyone on the July 8, 1990 broadcast, I believe somewhere on the east coast, that he had something “cool” to tell everyone at some point in the game that day.

So at some point in the middle of the game, Dave pointed out that it had just turned 12:34 PM local time, and that in 56 seconds the official time locally would be 12:34 and 56 seconds on July 8, 1990.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-0.

I have no idea why that stuck out to me, unless it was because whoever his broadcast partner that day was asked immediately after “so what’s this cool thing you are going to tell all of us today?”

Without the special kindness in the way Dave treats his broadcasts and speaks to fans across the Pacific Northwest as if we are all his family, I’m not sure things would be the same in this town.

Frequently Griffey, Randy Johnson and manager Lou Piniella are given much of the credit for saving baseball in Seattle back in 1995. And while those accolades are certainly justified, there may not have been 60,000 M’s fans left anywhere to fill the Kingdome that season if it weren’t for Niehaus.

I’ve lost count now, but the number of times that I have read other fans’ declaring that Niehaus is the one person that drew them to the game of baseball and kept bringing them back time and time again has to have reached at least two or three dozen in the past two days alone.

I think all Mariners fans understand how important Dave Niehaus has always been to Seattle Mariners baseball, and to the city and fans of this team, but it’s about damned time that the rest of world is let in on this little secret up here in South Alaska.

Dave Niehaus is our voice.

Has there ever been a trigger mechanism that instantly and abruptly removed fear, anger or stress from your entire being? Something you’d see, smell, hear, sense or touch? The smell of a certain flower, the sight of your favorite toy as a child or even the sound of your father tossing his keys on the counter as he arrived home, inducing an all-out sprint from your bedroom to the kitchen to see him after a long day’s work.

That’s not far from what Niehaus brings to the table every summer for Mariners fans.

There will come a day when someone other than Niehaus is the senior play-by-play announcer for the M’s. It’s as inevitable as the Seattle rain is persistent. And we’ll welcome the new voice with open arms, treat him the way Dave would want us to treat him and enjoy Mariners baseball forever more.

But it just won’t be the same. Niehaus will always be our only voice.

To quote Mr. Niehaus himself, “I don’t plan to retire any time soon. Not this year, not next year, not any time I can foresee.”

To that I can only think of three words to describe how that makes me feel.

My, oh, My!