The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT Sept. 3, 2011

In Jack We Trust.

I've seen this sign a few times in visits to Safeco Field to watch the Mariners and while I believe someday that they'll return to the playoffs, I'm not quite sure it will happen anytime soon.

These days, it seems like the saying "In Jack We Bust" is more appropriate.

AS QUICKLY as this season began, with Felix Hernandez fresh off the AL Cy Young award and some rookies that were ready to take the next step - it appeared time for the Mariners to make a move up the standings toward the postseason.

Appearances can be tricky sometimes.

Seattle extended the contract of general manager Jack Zduriencik on Wednesday night, giving a multi-year deal to the guy that has led the team to three-straight last place finishes in the AL West.

Before last season, the Mariners acquired Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins via free agency in a move that I thought could be the missing pieces.

Lee pitched well and eventually pitched in the World Series - it just wasn't for the team I'd thought after he was dealt to the Texas Rangers on July 9, 2010.

Meanwhile Figgins hasn't been the same player that was a thorn in the side of the Mariners while a member of the Anaheim Angels. So much so, that an injury in the first part of August has helped him move even further down the depth chart.

What happens with Figgins will likely be a mystery. Whether the team will release him or find another team that wants to take a chance remains to be seen.

Also to be seen - if Zduriencik can bring the team back to the success they had over a decade ago.

AT TIMES, the Mariners have seemed like a team that could put some wins together and show signs of competing within a year.

Then a stretch when they lost 17 straight games and have struggled to find a way to get any momentum started again.

One of the main reasons that fans can continue to look toward the future is because the team’s future is here already, as many of their top rookies and players have spent time with the team.

Players such as Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda and Kyle Seager, who normally may have needed another year in Tacoma, have been regulars for the final third of the season.

With baseball, sometimes having youth can be a good thing, and coupled with veterans like Hernandez and Ichiro, maybe the M’s aren’t so far off from competing in the AL West as I think they are.

But bringing in veterans like Jack Cust, Casey Kotchman and Milton Bradley — who all left Seattle after few highlights — those are some of the moves that are fresh in my head.

Maybe things will turn around, and I hope for the sake of Mariners fans it does soon.

Right now, it just seems like the person picking the pieces can’t fix it either.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected].