THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Aug. 27, 2014

It was supposed to be one of the biggest local high school cross country meets of the 2014 season.

Now, just like that, it's gone.

Finished.

THE SILVERWOOD Coaster Cross, held at the theme park in Athol for 12 years, was canceled this year, just a month before it was to be run.

"That was a disappointment," Lakeland coach Mike Normand said. "This is my last year coaching and it's always been a good meet."

Normand, who was the organizer of the event scheduled to run on Sept. 6, will retire from coaching at the end of the year.

"They just can't do it this year," Normand said. "Where the kids run, there's some construction that's going on and they're not letting anyone back in that area."

The theme park will be open weekends only after this weekend.

"They've been really, really supportive throughout the years," Normand said of Silverwood. "The event started with 32 runners and has grown to 32 schools and 1,000 runners per year."

In last year's meet, 29 schools from three different states came to the area to race the course - as well as have a little fun on some of the rides as well."

Now, those teams are scrambling to find an event that day, or just take that weekend off.

"Hopefully, it's just a one-year hiatus," Normand said. "People are scrambling that weekend because they wanted to come to Silverwood, not just for the race, but as a team bonding and get to enjoy the area. Hopefully it will be back next year."

SAY WHAT you will about the Seattle Mariners, and the team's playoff chances, but you can't help but remain a little more interested as the season enters its final month.

Seattle entered Tuesday with a half-game lead on Detroit for the final wild-card playoff spot in the American League, with the New York Yankees gaining on both teams.

Whether they make the postseason or not, we'll see.

The team proved it can play with anyone on the road, taking 2 of 3 games from Detroit and sweeping what's left of the Boston Red Sox over the weekend.

Then again, bad losses at Philadelphia and Monday night against Texas lead me to think that the team is still a year or two away.

The Mariners believe that Jack Zduriencik has the team heading in the right direction, giving him a multi-year extension on Tuesday.

For what, I'm not sure.

All he's done is make a good offense a little better by acquiring Austin Jackson from Detroit at the trade deadline and reacquiring Kendrys Morales from Minnesota.

Should the Mariners make the playoffs, it might be the start of a long run of getting to October.

Otherwise, it will just be another long winter of "what-ifs" around 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 jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.