Posted Friday/July 16, 1999; 6:31 a.m. PDT

In baseball it’s, “STRIKE ONE.” In battle it’s, the “FIRST STRIKE.” That’s what the Safeco Field Opening Night Protest was. The “SECOND STRIKE” will be turning that protest into PRESSURE.

The SECOND STRIKE is to turn the protest into an INITIATIVE by ”Cyberly Signing-up” 10,000 Seattle Sports Fans IMMEDIATELY. That way, the pressure to $top $afeco MADNE$$ will mount! Through the Internet, signing-up 10,000 Fans/Taxpayers/Voters/Etc., will gain momentum to 50,000 VERY FAST! 50,000 “cyber signatures” (Name & Email Address ONLY) INTENSIFIES the INITIATIVE! That initiative will enable WeTheFans.com to “take the public, 'public'.”

The public must take it’s RIGHTFUL PLACE in the “public/private partnership” by entering the negotiations between the Mariner owners and the P.F.D.! Those negotiations should bring the P.F.D to the table. Those negotiations should bring the public to the table as the “third party” the Mariner owners have stated they want. As that third party, WeTheFans.com can act as arbitrator for a quick, binding resolution to the MADNE$$ concerning $afeco Field! 50,000 cyber signature can do it! That’s more than Safeco Field seats! That type of INITIATIVE just may be enough pressure to make the Mariner owners “fold ‘em.” Remember what Kenny Rogers used to say, “...know when to walk away, know when to run.” What do you think the Mariner owners would do if they received 50,000 MyOhMy.org "having a why60,000k problem?" postcards?

The Power's in the stands!

As “The Official Sports Fan Union,” WeTheFans.com is the mechanism that makes an INITIATIVE possible. The mechanism by which the POWER can be “balanced,” and HISTORY made right here in Seattle, by "the People!" The Internet’s coverage, speed, bulletin boards, chat rooms, and poll voting enables WeTheFans.com to cut through ALL THE RED TAPE, get the Safeco Field overrun issue resolved, end the “worst of times,” and get on with the “best of times” in Seattle sports.

The overrun issure can be “publicly” analyzed from every possible angle. A board of representatives can be elected at WeTheFans.com. By being at the table with the Mariner owners and the P.F.D., the WeTheFans.com representatives can update the Site with the owners’ and P.F.D.’s position. After considering all aspects of the contract, Seattle Sports Fans can vote on the content and intent of the deal as agreed by the two parties. That vote would represent the public’s “partnership vote” as “binding arbitration” to the Safeco Field issue. The ONLY ALTERNATIVE is to remain on the “outside looking in” at what the Mariner owners and/or the P.F.D. are going to do. But that’s how we got here.

The ONLY reason the Mariner owners EVEN committed to covering “all cost overruns” is because they were adamant about Safeco Field opening in 1999 instead of its original Summer 2000 completion date. That decision probably had something to do with their ability to host the 2001 MLB All-Star Game. But the BOTTOM LINE (as Softy would say) is that the Mariner owners “made the call” of speeding up construction, no one else! Rushing the project by a year, caused the overruns, and the public didn’t make that decision. Additionally, it appears the Mariner owners GROSSLY MISCALCULATED the “market value” of the ballpark’s naming rights. The San Francisco Giants owners are contructing a new ballpark (100% privately financed) and received $100 million for naming rights, which begs the question. Why not renegotiate with Safeco Insurance? The Mariner owners are basing ALL of their calculations on the performance of the bonds. Why not base them on the “performance of naming rights 1,000 miles down the road”? The public has not made one decision! The Mariner owners have called all the shots.

The Power's in OUR hands!

Now, things are so far out of control, the Fans are the ONLY ones that can reel them back in! The Fans are the ONLY ones that can keep the Mariner owners from “back room dealing” and “loop holing” their way out of this! The Fans are the ONLY ones, because they are the ONLY ones the Mariner owners “half way” care about. Doctors have “patients,” attorneys have “clients,” stores have “customers.” Sports teams have FANS. WeTheFans.com was launched during the NBA lockout as a means of getting Fans to “wake up.” $afeco MADNE$$ has everyone “woke up.” Now it's just time to STAND UP! The Fans are the ONLY ones that CAN successfully FIGHT these guys! [Hmm, new slogan? “You gotta FIGHT these guys!”] But Seattle Sports Fans MUST MOVE FAST or the protest won't even be a slap on the wrist to John Ellis and the boys! Seattle Sports Fans UNITED and TAKING A STAND, will be a victory for the People vs. “BIG Business/Government collusion” EVERYWHERE! It’s our BEST SHOT so let’s take it! Tell everyone you know to sign-up for the $top $afeco MADNE$$ Initiative!

Owners & Politicians