It isn't fair to the current group of Mariners, all of whom share little responsibility for the club's 15-year playoff drought, but there is an added level of anxiety among fans when a club is trying to break the longest postseason dry spell in the major leagues and the second longest in all of professional sports.
It's been fascinating over the past few weeks to watch M's fans react on Twitter to wins and losses. To some, each defeat feels like the one to knock Seattle out of the race, while each win represents another sign this team is capable of breaking through after more than a decade of frustration.