October 1998. While the Yankees were sweeping the Padres in the World Series I was in Seattle for the NAB Convention, meaning this was a trip I didn’t have to pay for. While there I checked out the Pike Place Market, the Space Needle and several coffee shops, took a ferry to Bainbridge Island and drove south until I got a look at Mount Rainier. I also started to drive south on I-5 because I’ve never been to Oregon and on my bucket list, in addition to going to every Major League ballpark, is to visit every state. But unlike in Massachusetts, where you can go north or south to the next state and be there in about 45 minutes, the drive from Seattle or Oregon is about 6 or 7 hours. So I gave up on that. My sister Barbara has a place in Bend, OR. I should go see her there and bring my state count up to 42.
Of course, I also needed to see the Kingdome. There would be no game, but I knew that this would probably be my only opportunity. The Mariners were building a brand new ballpark right next door called Safeco Field, Seattle (today it’s T-Mobile Field), and the Kingdome was on the implode list. After demo, a new adjacent football stadium called CenturyLink Field would be built for the Seahawks.
At the time, neither the Mariners nor the Seahawks had ever made it to the World Series or the Superbowl. Since then, the Seahawks have made two Superbowl appearances: one win, one loss. The Mariners still haven’t gotten to the World Series. With the Washington Nationals winning it all in 2019, it leaves Seattle as one of six MLB teams to never win it all (the Rays, Brewers, Rangers, Rockies and Padres are the others)…and the only one that has never even appeared in the Series.
The Kingdome itself was big, gloomy and cold. A far cry from the character of Fenway or Wrigley, and with none of the creature comforts of the many newer ballparks. Because it was October, the Kingdome was configured for football. They had removed or covered over every sign or logo that said Mariners and replaced them with Seahawks. You wouldn’t even know a baseball team played there. Safeco Field, now called T-Mobile Field, was under construction next door. But I did get to check the Kingdome off my list.