Ken Griffey Jr.

Let's be honest. The first week of the Seattle Mariners season has been a massive disappointment.

Thus far, the offense has underwhelmed and the pitching has struggled. The defense has been stellar, but it can't swing a bat or strike a batter out; therefore it can't solve the current Mariners' dilemma.

As several fans and writers have correctly pointed out, it's too early to abandon ship. This team has talent at several key positions, the best young pitcher in the American League, and a ballpark that is built to accommodate its playing style.

Center field. That vast, green expanse where fly balls go to die. Where the swiftest, most athletic players thrive and make jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring plays on a daily basis.

Just ask Vic Wertz.

On Sept. 29, 1954, Mr. Wertz hit a prodigious drive out to center field in the Polo Grounds. It looked for sure like Wertz's drive was going to break the 2-2 tie between the Giants and the Indians, giving the Tribe all the momentum in Game One.

But, on the eighth day, God said, "Let there be Mays."

Every sports franchise has certain trades that linger with the team. To use basketball as an example, the Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol for peanuts in 2008 constitutes a good trade which sticks with the team. Conversely, the Vancouver Grizzlies trading a future draft pick (which could have been Carmelo Anthony) to Detroit in exchange for Otis Thorpe (yes, THE Otis Thorpe) is widely remembered as a bad trade.

Baseball is no different in this respect.

Jermaine Dye hit 27 HR last season. That's tied for 37th most home runs among players in either league last year, one less than Joe Mauer and one more than Justin Upton. And he has no job.

Joe Pawlikowski did a good job breaking down why Dye doesn't have a job on FanGraphs . To recap for the lazy, he had a terrible second half and his defense is utter excrement.

A quick group "Aww" for that picture.

Awwwwwwwww!!!

Anyway, the term "Moneyball" was coined by Michael Lewis in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game .

The book is mainly about the Oakland Athletics' revolutionary (at the time) idea of using sabermetics to construct a competitive baseball team in spite of their payroll disadvantages.

It's been nearly 33 years since the Seattle Mariners played there inaugural season. A lot of good times, and a lot of hard times have come since then. From the great moments like father and son hitting back to back homeruns, to the bad ones, such as Bobby Ayala's entire career.

So this is my debut article here on Bleacher Report, and I figured what better way to start off then by counting down the top ten moments in Seattle Baseball history. These are of course based on my opinion formed on years of being a fan, and the research I did leading up to writing. I look forward to your feedback.

I am now on the sixth installment of my series in which I am naming who I feel are the top 10 players in each MLB franchise's history, and this one is the Mariners.

With just four postseason appearances in their 33 seasons, the Mariners have had some tough times with just ten winning seasons i their history. Nonetheless, they have had some great players don the Mariners uniform.

As with any rankings list, I'm sure not everyone will agree with me.

A recent study from the New York Times concluded that air traffic controllers suffer the most stress than any other job. I beg to differ. Without a doubt, I confidently believe that being a Seattle Mariners fan is the most stressful "occupation" known to man.

The Seattle Mariners are among three MLB teams that have never been to the World Series.

This season, they are hoping that will all change.

Aside from the 2004 WNBA Champion Seattle Storm, Seattle hasn't had a championship team since the NBA's Sonics won in 1979.

The Seattle Seahawks lost Super Bowl XL to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Seattle Mariners won 393 games from 2000-2003, including an MLB-record 116 in 2001. The result? Two ALCS appearances, both lost to the New York Yankees.

It’s tough to go out on top when you’re a major sports star, whether it be actually winning a championship or choosing to retire when you’re still playing at a high level.

In terms of winning the top prize, just ask the likes of Dan Marino and Karl Malone, both of whom played for many years without reaching the pinnacle of their professions.