The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT April 11, 2012

Just in case you missed it last week, there was some of the best weather for spring sports that you'll likely see all year.

Then there was Friday afternoon.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN the 65 degree temperatures that graced the area last Tuesday, so much so that most of those games that were previously scheduled for that day - actually got played.

The weather was so good, that some teams actually began to truly believe they'd actually get some of those earlier makeup games in.

Not only did it begin to rain again, the snow also returned in some areas to postpone more games.

I'm no meteorologist, but I can tell you one thing - if it doesn't stop soon, local teams could be in a lot of trouble.

In order to get some of these coveted berths to the various state tournaments, one thing is for certain - some teams have got to play.

For a few teams, that still hasn't happened yet, as their entire schedule has been wiped out thus far.

What makes it worse, there's less than five weeks for those area golfers until state, with those tournaments happening May 14-15 in the Boise area.

That weekend, the rest of the spring sports champions will be determined with track, baseball, softball and tennis concluding May 19.

After watching the fiasco of a final day in the state 5A softball tournament last year, it might be a good thing that those tournaments are heading south, with the only exception being the 3A tournament at Ramsey Park in Coeur d'Alene.

IT MIGHT be safe to say that the Seattle Mariners will be getting headlines throughout the summer - and maybe for the wrong reasons.

A traffic study will be conducted in the coming weeks and months to look into the traffic in the SoDo (South of Dome) area for the construction of a new arena for a future NBA and/or NHL team.

But it was the Mariners who believed a traffic problem might come up, should they get new neighbors.

Getting out of Safeco Field can be tough at times, but adding a few more cars in the area shouldn’t make for as much of a problem.

When the Seahawks are in town either Sunday or Mondays, the Mariners aren’t. Only in the preseason is the traffic a problem, and it usually involves the M’s moving their game to earlier in the day.

If and when the city gets another franchise, it’s likely the same system will be included.

For as many home games as the Mariners (81) or an NBA/NHL team (41) played, there are ways around it.

Traffic should be the the least of the Mariners’ concerns.

Should the team find themselves out of the AL West race by July again, they might be fighting another battle they can’t win.

Keeping their fans at Safeco Field.

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].