One of my college courses college taught us about the uncertainty reduction theory. It basically says that people have an inherent need to acquire basic information in order to ease themselves into a new situation. Once this information is acquired, it becomes much easier to predict future behavior, which is critical in building and maintaining a relationship.
Entering the 2020 season, we had extraordinarily little familiarity with these Mariners, and several mountains of uncertainty. Not only did the pandemic flip everyone’s lives upside down and delay the season for months, but when we were finally able to see the Mariners again, we were reminded how inexperienced this group is.