THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Plenty of wait-and-see sports moments

You know all the major sports seasons, right?

They’re your life and blood.

(OK, maybe you don’t follow curling or field hockey on a day-to-day basis, but you get the picture — and apologies to curlers who travel with their own custom brooms.)

We’re on the same track here, aren’t we?

Feel free to argue about where horse racing fits in the sports landscape.

There’s an argument that racing fits in the upper tier, simply because you can bet on it.

Fair enough.

But depending on where you live, it’s just as easy to wager on darts or jai alai.

With all due respect to pub champions in Britain — stars who can drill a bull’s-eye while smoking a cigarette — I’m going to use a columnist’s discretion here and leave darts off my list of major sports.

Ditto for jai alai, Amazon river racing while dodging Anacondas, and so forth.

The Iditarod?

Tough call.

Look, our list of major sports has to involve common sense.

As a Supreme Court justice once said of pornography: “You know it when you see it.”

WHY DO we care?

Well, the notion of sorting out major sports has a particular goal at the moment.

It’s going on right now, in fact.

This, my friends, is “Hold Your Breath” season.

You’re laughing.

You’re discussing whether I got conked on the head by a falling coconut.

Nope, I’m as sane as Santa Claus.

And soon enough, you’ll be nodding in agreement when someone says: “How’s your breath doing?”

Let me make the case, OK?

You’re a diehard Mariners fan, and you’re still in a mini-coma after falling eight outs from the World Series.

The heart of that team remains intact, and you KNOW that this could be the year.

The M’s need a bat or two, especially for the infield, and they’re trying to make a deal.

You personally hoped to have Jorge Polanco back, but that deal got shot down by the Mets’ wallet.

What now?

Do you fall asleep dreaming of Ketel Marte, and diving to your phone every morning.

You are, without question, a “Hold Your Breath” fan.

Seriously.

If you’re walking downtown and spot Marte’s name on the corner of some gentleman’s newspaper, you crane your neck and feel your heart do a thump-thump.

Yep, spring training is months away, but there are times when you hold your breath.

AS FOR the Seahawks Universe, do we even have to explain?

This is a team with a hell of a shot at the Super Bowl.

Sure, we’ll know more after they butt heads with the Rams this week.

There will be dozens of “Hold Your Breath” moments that night, in fact.

No one is going to doze off watching a matchup of 11-win teams.

Seahawk partisans won’t have to wait long for those “gasp” plays — either good or bad.

Most of you are likely holding your breath already.

Excitement surrounding the Mariners and Seahawks is right here, right now and raising blood pressure — whether it’s making a trade or taking an 80-yard interception to the house.

Thrilling stuff, whether you’re liking it or not

And, hey.

It’s not even close to all that’s happening in “Hold Your Breath” season.

Gonzaga has rebounded from a one-season mini-slump and looks every bit like a team that could challenge for a spot in the Final Four.

The Zags needed an all-purpose guard to balance what looked like a terrific roster, then lo and behold, an import from Spain landed on campus.

Mario Saint-Supery grabbed a ball, seized the point guard role and changed the whole team.

There have been “Hold Your Breath” games already (the Zags have six wins over teams ranked in the top 25), but lungs will get a full workout once we get to the NCAA tournament.

Plenty more fans have fun (or glum) coming along.

Heaven knows how things will shake out at Wazzu.

Idaho has come back to life.

Plenty goin’ on, gang.

‘Tis the season.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."