THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: A party in an otherwise pitiful season for Seattle

Make no mistake, the franchises in Seattle know how to throw a party.

From the team Hall of Fame ceremonies, jersey retirements and other get-togethers, both the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks know how to put on a show.

DURING THE 2025 season, the Seahawks celebrated their 50th anniversary by honoring the top 50 players in franchise history during an Oct. 5 game against Tampa Bay.

More than a handful of those guys (12) came from the 2014 Super Bowl championship team, as well as 11 from the team that lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL in Detroit.

Maybe that’s not a coincidence that they honored that many from the 2014 team … maybe it is.

There’s even 2026 Super Bowl champion Devon Witherspoon.

Seattle does a really good job of getting its alumni back to the area, often honoring players during the home opener.

This year, they might have a few more events going on around that game, but I’m sure they’ll find a way again.

IN CASE you missed last weekend’s festivities, the Mariners really went above and beyond this time around.

On Friday, the team held an Alumni Home Run Derby, with such legends as Ichiro Suzuki among the eight-person field.

Sure, you might have had to Google that the champion, Stefan Romero, actually played for the team from 2014-16. He beat the team’s bullpen catcher Austin Nola, who played for the M's in 2019-20.

No, they weren’t going to get guys like Ken Griffey, Jr., Jay Buhner, Nelson Cruz or Alex Rodriguez onto the field for this, but at least it was entertaining.

Australian Ryan Rowland-Smith, better known as an analyst on the team’s broadcasts now than a guy that pitched for the franchise from 2007-10, put on a show. 

Considering he was a pitcher, at least he didn’t totally embarrass himself.

As the team celebrated its 50th season, it unveiled the top 50 Mariners in franchise history.

Granted, the team has made six playoff appearances, with the 2025 team coming close to advancing to the franchise's first World Series.

But to have seven players that — up until Aug. 1 — were a part of this season’s roster, seems a little odd.

Julio Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Andres Munoz, George Kirby and Bryan Woo were selected.

And sure, eventually, each one of them could have their moment at T-Mobile Park with a team Hall of Fame or jersey retirement.

But, who knows how things are going to go from here.

This offseason, you could see Kirby or Crawford released, or traded for some prospects in the effort of getting things right.

Seattle isn’t exactly playing its best baseball right now, entering Friday’s game with a 57-65 record. On the bright side, the Mariners entered Friday only 3.5 games out of the wild-card chase.

Just a few weeks ago, Seattle was entertaining the idea of trading Kirby, eventually dealt Castillo to the Chicago White Sox and dropped three of four games to the Texas Rangers, almost certainly something that will come back to bite them.

AT LEAST last weekend, the Mariners made you forget this miserable season.

Sure, there’s not much history when it comes to championships or playoff success.

But they sure make you feel like it for a few hours.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1206 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on ‘X’, formerly Twitter @JECdAPress.