Out of Left Field: How the Mariners Made Baseball Fly in Seattle [Hardcover]

Art Thiel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2003

This colorful book chronicles the Seattle Mariners' rise from basement to penthouse in major league baseball and Seattle's transition from funky burg to a major city of baseball fanatics. It's all here - the lawsuits, the crazy confluence of sports and ego and civic destiny, and of course, superstars Ichiro, A-Rod, Randy Johnson, and Ken Griffey. Seattle sportswriter Art Thiel recounts the painful birth, awkward adolescence, and hard-won maturity of one of the most beloved teams in sports history.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (September 24, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570613907
• ISBN-13: 978-1570613906
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good history, good insider stuff, good book, November 21, 2003

By 

Andrew S. Rogers (Stamford, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Out of Left Field: How the Mariners Made Baseball Fly in Seattle (Hardcover)

In one of my favorite episodes from my favorite TV show, the late and much lamented "Mystery Science Theater 3000," a child in a short-subject film is trying to press through a crowd in order to see a baseball game. But, as the narrator observes, "he finds a five-year-old can't get close enough to see anything." To which Tom Servo cheerfully adds, "Besides, the Mariners are playing, so who cares?" That episode aired in the early '90s. How the Ms got from being the laughingstock of MLB to very near the top in just a few years, and got a new stadium in the bargain, is the focus of Art Thiel's very good book.

From its founding in 1977, the result of a legal settlement, until the mid-1990s, the Mariners were, as Thiel reminds us, a really, really bad team. Even with the glory years of the late '90s, the Ms still hold the mark for lowest total fan attendance in both the 1980s and the 1990s. Along the way, however, a change of ownership, a fiery new manager, and several key player acquisitions turned the Ms into a powerhouse.

The author does a fine job of taking us through those steps. As a result, this is much more than just a summary of several baseball seasons (though he does take us through the 1995 and 2001 seasons, in particular, in some detail). He also takes us behind the scenes, into the business side of the game where the key decisions are made, and also gets into some serious local politics surrounding the funding and construction of Safeco Field. Central episodes in this book include the arrival of the new ownership team, the hiring (and later release) of Lou Piniella, the drafting (and, again, subsequent loss) of Ken Griffey, Jr., and Alex Rodriguez, the Randy Johnson trade, and the arrival of Ichiro Suzuki. Personally, I found this last to be the most interesting part of the book, but maybe that's because I find Ichiro the most interesting player in baseball.

Throughout it all, the author's exclusive interviews with Jay Buhner and Lou himself provide spirited and insightful insider quotes. I should also commend the author's ability to make criticisms where they're required, calling out both poor baseball strategy and bad business decisions.

The casual Seattle baseball-watcher looking to relive some great seasons will find a lot here to enjoy. But the more serious fan, who really wants to go behind the scenes and see how the Ms became who and what they are today, will definitely want to add this to his shelf.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mariners weren't always bad?, February 12, 2004

By 

Shimon Mor (Pacific NW) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Out of Left Field: How the Mariners Made Baseball Fly in Seattle (Hardcover)

As someone who moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1995 I've only known the "good" Mariners. This book sheds excellent light on the "bad" Mariners and the process by which they have become one of the top contending MLB teams. I would have liked to hear from more of the players and managers and from more of the local sportwriters. Granted, the book can only be so long...however, I do wish it had been much longer. For the baseball aficionado, you can never have enough information.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Birth of Baseball Lore, December 27, 2003

By 

Dave Anderson (Richland, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of Left Field: How the Mariners Made Baseball Fly in Seattle (Hardcover)

Having lived my entire life in the Northwest, and having grown up with the expansion Portland Trailblazers, Seattle Seahawks, and of course the Mariners, I was skeptical of the well-known beat writer's abilities to capture the true essence of frustration amongst the pro sports fandom in our little corner of America. Art hits a salami with this endeaver.

The casual reader (Who is Randy Johnson?) will be emersed in the process of creating franchise lore - that force that drives us ardent fans to keep coming back year after year - looking for the necessary incredients for potential glory. If you wonder why your husband, father, best friend is the way they are - tears well up and goose bumps appear when certain highlights are replayed - this book will teach you the reasons.

To the devoted lifer fan, Art fills out the history you think you know with insights and access only available to the public via a media insider like himself. I have never been a fan of Thiel's columns, his travels with the team, etc. or that of Bob Finnegan's for that matter. However this book represents what a quality writer can do with some devoted and concentrated effort in the name of full disclosure.

If I could find a specific fault purveyed through out the book it would be the lack of reflection on the media coverage. Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizzs have become the conduit between MLB and 99% of Mariner fans. This needs more coverage and development. Also, the sports media has also bumbled and stumbled its way along for the ride with the franchise. The baseball folks are not the only bafoons and bumblers to mold the history of the Mariners.