The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT April 17, 2013

Say what you want about going to a Seattle Mariners game - the tickets are too expensive, the weather might be bad or they're terrible - but nothing compares to watching a game live and in living color.

Even if that means missing out on a few hours of sleep.

SUNDAYS ARE usually a day of rest for a lot of people.

This Sunday, it wasn't one for me in the least bit.

Once the alarm on my phone went off at 4:45 a.m., I thought for a second it could have been a cruel joke, but it was a wakeup call to start hitting the road to Seattle for Sunday's game between the Mariners and Texas Rangers at Safeco Field.

In my first couple of adventures to Seattle for games, I've often times wound up stuck on the freeway or scrambling for a place to park and missed the first part of a game.

That wasn't a factor this time.

The weather, with a forecast for rain and temperatures in the low 50s, wasn't a factor either as the sun was out and the roof open for the entire game.

Once arriving at the game, a stroll around the stadium to find some food and moving down to the bullpen, where the televisions were dedicated to the game in a few spots, there was still a few sets tuned to the final round of The Masters - which seemed to capture more than just the fans' attention during the game.

On more than one occasion, Texas bullpen coach Andy Hawkins could be found between innings staring off at a television tuned to golf instead of the game, which the Mariners won 4-3.

MAYBE IT was the fear of rain, or just lack of interest, but the attendance was listed at 16,981 fans for the game on Sunday.

It sure didn't seem like that many in person.

Outside of a family of five - along with two kids running up and down the aisles - in the third deck, it was a ghost town.

A scary thought when you think it was the first Sunday game of the season, on a nice day against a division rival.

No Seahawks, no Sounders, nothing else going on in the city when it came to sports, but the Mariners wrapping up the four-game series.

Nothing.

And this is from the same fan base that is hoping to bring the NBA back to the area, just down the street from where Safeco Field currently sits.

Not that the Mariners are the next team to be moved, but if fan support continues to go downhill, who knows.

It might have been difficult to think the Seattle SuperSonics might move to Oklahoma City when they were among the top teams in the Western Conference — but they did.

Chances are, the Mariners will remain a fixture in the Seattle area for a long time, and with some wins will eventually bring the fans back through the gates.

I don’t mind a sleepless night if it means watching the team win.

I’d rather lose sleep over that than worrying they’ve opted to move because nobody cares anymore.

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 jelliott@cdapress.com.