There are a lot of things to do for fun in Seattle. In fact, the hardest part about writing this article wasn’t finding ten fun things to do but narrowing it down.

Our ten fun activities and places, listed alphabetically, run the gamut from expensive to cheap, arts to athletics, and educational to alternative. SeattleSmarts is so proud of our list that we guarantee it has something for you. More than likely, our top ten list has a few things that will strike you as a good time.

The Last Supper Club
Located at 124 S. Washington, the Last Supper Club is the Emerald City’s top nightclub. The night-time fun is spread out over three floors. You can boogie to live music upstairs or sip on a refreshing cocktail downstairs. The club serves its patrons with four bars, a bunch of private rooms, and plenty of delicious eats. Other top nightclubs in the city include Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, Noc Noc, and The Trinity Nightclub.

Pike Place Market
You’ve probably seen video of the guys throwing fish—they’re featured on just about every sports broadcast emanating from Seattle. Those photogenic fishmongers work at the Pike Place Fish Market which is a staple of the famous Pike Place Market. Besides fresh seafood, the market also has produce vendors, craftsmen selling their wares, and artisans pushing their creations. Admission to Pike Place Market is completely free.

Rock Climbing
This next activity really rocks… literally. Both a fun time and a great way to exercise, Seattle residents have a few places where they can safely rock climb inside away from the rain. The city is home to the first climbing gym in America, Vertical World, which can be found at 2123 W. Elmore Street. Meanwhile, Stone Gardens, 2839 N.W. Market Street, has 16,000 square feet of climbing surfaces. Don’t worry if you’re a neophyte, both facilities offer classes for beginners.

Rat City Rollergirls All Stars
The Rat City Rollergirls are Seattle’s preeminent all-female, flat-track roller derby league. The league comprises four “home” teams with the best players pulling double duty on an all-star squad. Their season spans from January through July. During that time the rollergirls skate once a month at Key Arena. Not only is roller derby fun to watch but so are the fans in the stands. Roller derby is definitely an alternative Seattle sport but the “girls” do their best and make it one heck of a good time.

Ride The Ducks
This activity is not only a blast but it provides participants with a unique look at Seattle. Ride the Ducks is a 90-minute tour of the city on both land and water. Riders spend about 60 minutes driving around town and then about a half hour boating on the sound. The trip offers views of the Safeco Field, Pike Place Market, and the Seattle waterfront. Ride the Ducks uses World War II amphibious landing crafts.

Seattle Parks
A fun thing to do with the family is to grab the Frisbee, pack a lunch, and take off to one of Seattle’s many public parks. The city’s parks and recreation department manages more than 6,000 acres of land. That’s more than 10 percent of the total area of the Emerald City. The crown jewel of Seattle’s parks is the 534-acre Discovery Park. This beautiful recreational area is located on Magnolia Bluff and it offers visitors breathtaking vistas of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountain range.

Seattle Sports
There’s always a fun time to be had at the old ballpark or tailgating before the big game. The Seattle Mariners are part of the American League West and they call Safeco Field home. The Seattle Seahawks belong to the NFC West and they play on the soaked slough of Qwest Field. If you prefer the collegiate game, check out the sports teams of the University of Washington. The Huskies football team plays at Husky Stadium and the basketball teams plays at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Both venues are located on the university’s campus.

Space Needle
Sure, it’s a little touristy, but nothing says Seattle more than the Space Needle. Not only that, but the view from its observation deck is spectacular. General admission tickets run $18 and “day and night” tickets set you back $24—children three and under get in for free. The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and at the time it was the highest structure west of the Mississippi River. At its highest point the Needle is 605 feet high; the observation deck is 520 feet high.

The Theatre
Most people don’t know this, and that includes long-time residents, but Seattle has a great theatre scene. The city’s “flagship theatre” is the Seattle Repertory found at 155 Mercer Street. This hallowed venue has debuted plays by legends like Sara Ruhl, Neil Simon, and August Wilson. The 5th Avenue Theatre is largest theatre employer in the state. The musical “Hairspray” debuted there in 2002.

Woodland Park Zoo
Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo is both fun and educational. The 92-acre zoo is just minutes from downtown and is situated in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. Woodland Park is open every day of the year except Christmas Day and is home to more than 300 animal species. From May through September adults should expect to pay around $18. The rest of the year ticket prices are considerably lower.

In 2009, Seattle University’s Athletic Department returned to Division I and come 2012 they’ll join the Western Athletic Conference.

“It right off the bat gives you some name recognition and kind of legitimizes from the outside where you are going and who you are with,” explained Seattle University’s men’s basketball coach Cameron Dollar.

The Redhawks will join the WAC in 17 sports starting in academic year of 2012-13. They’ll join the nation’s sixth-oldest conference along with the University of Denver, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas State University-San Marcos.

The conference is adding five schools to make up for the loss of Fresno, Hawai’i, and Nevada—they’re all leaving the WAC after the conclusion of the 2011-2012 academic season. However, since Seattle and Denver are sans football programs, the Western Athletic Conference will have to add at least one more pigskin playing school to meet NCAA’s requirements.

Seattle University’s men’s basketball team plays at Key Arena which will be the largest arena in conference. That fact, along with the Emerald City’s market size and the University of Idaho’s desire to use them as a traveling partner, made Seattle U.’s athletic program very attractive to the conference’s board of directors.

There’s even speculation that the WAC will move its men’s and women’s end-of-the-year basketball tournaments to Key Arena. Those events are currently held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The winners of those competitions receive automatic bids to their respective NCAA Tournaments.

The WAC has a television deal with ESPN that runs through the 2016-17 season. Seattle University has not appeared on the sports network since its return to Division I. While a national TV appearance is great, the program is really looking to catch a little March Madness.

“The two questions you get are ‘What conference are you in?’ and ‘How are you going to get into the tournament?’” remarked Dollar. “We won’t get those anymore. [Joining the WAC] instantly wipes that out.”

In 1958, SU made it all the way to the National Championship game only to fall to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Seattle University left Division I after the 1980 season.

Notable Seattle U. basketball players include Elgin Baylor, Johnny O’Brien, and Eddie O’Brien. In 1952, Johnny O’Brien led the Redhawks, who were known as the Chieftains until 2000, to an 84-81 upset over the Harlem Globetrotters.

The official invite to join the WAC came a day after Seattle University’s president Stephen Sundborg made one last plea to conference officials at a meeting in Park City, Utah.

“Along with KeyArena and (hiring) Cameron Dollar, I think that in the last two years Seattle U. has demonstrated their commitment back to Division I,” said WAC commissioner Karl Benson. “They are certainly a player in the Seattle college sports market, and we look forward to taking advantage of that.”

The university sponsors eight men’s sports. Besides basketball the Redhawks compete in baseball, cross country, golf, swimming, soccer, tennis, and track and field. The nine women’s sports are basketball, cross country, golf, swimming, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

Seattle is one of the biggest soccer cities in the country and both the men’s and women’s soccer teams are well supported. Both programs play at Championship Field.

Men’s Sports Venues
Basketball – Key Arena
Baseball – Bannerwood Park
Swimming – Connolly Center
Soccer – Championship Field
Track And Field – Dempsey Indoor

Women’s Sports Venues
Basketball – Key Arena
Swimming – Connolly Center
Soccer- Championship Field
Softball – Logan Field
Track And Field – Dempsey Indoor
Volleyball – Connolly Center

Going to a nightclub on Friday or Saturday evening (or any day of the week for that matter) can be a lot of fun. It’s a great way to blow off some steam and meet new people.

If you frequent Seattle’s club scene you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’re new to the area, or you’ve just started going to nightclubs, we’d like to pass along a few pearls of wisdom that will hopefully make your experience much more enjoyable.

First and foremost, going to a nightclub is expensive. While some establishments are cheaper than others you should expect to spend a fair amount of money when you go out clubbing. This is especially true if you go to hotspots in Belltown or Downtown.

Expect to hear lots of complaints about the rudeness of nightclub staffs. There are certainly boorish servers out there, but generally the more intoxicated the patron the ruder the staff member. So take complaints about surly bartenders with a grain of salt. Chances are they weren’t being rude they were just dealing with a drunk customer.

Finally, never leave your drink unattended. Sadly, drugging drinks is a phenomenon that occurs at every nightclub, including the ones you’d considered upscale. So, please be careful. We want you to come home safe and sound after your big night on the town.

Below, Seattle Smarts has compiled a list of the city’s top ten nightclubs. While there are dozens of quality clubs, we wanted to create a list that was both diverse and representative of Seattle. Each of our selections offers patrons a true experience of Seattle at night.

Alibi Room
85 Pike Street Ste. 410
206-623-3180
The Alibi Room is located down a cobblestone alley under Pike Place Market. Created and owned by filmmakers, this hip nightclub has a dance floor and bar downstairs and a restaurant upstairs—you have to try their pizza. Thanks to being so close to the vendors of Pike Place Market, the Alibi Room uses only the freshest ingredients.

Contour
807 1st Avenue
206-447-7704
Works by local artists decorate the walls of Contour, one of the most charming nightclubs in the city. This happening place has a wonderful menu and even better cocktails. Top-notch DJs keep guests out on the dance floor. Sometimes, before the beat drops, jazz musicians serenade dining and imbibing patrons. Contour stays open all night on weekends if you and your friends want to get your rage on.

Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
2033 6th Avenue (Lenora Street)
206-441 9729
If you’re looking for a change of pace try Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley. It’s the best nightclub in the city for live jazz music. Not only are the acoustics great, but there’s not a bad seat in the house—whether you’re sitting at one of the intimate bistro tables or at one of the stage-hugging banquettes. As the band wails on stage, go ahead and have something to eat; Dimitriou’s menu is delicious.

The Last Supper Club
124 S. Washington
206-748-9975
The Last Supper Club is not just the top nightclub in Seattle, it’s one of the top nightclubs on the West Coast. It’s also gigantic—the club is spread out over three full floors. That means you can dance to live music upstairs or go downstairs and chill out with a refreshing cocktail. The Last Supper Club comes with four bars, several private rooms, and great food.

Noc Noc
1516 2nd Avenue
206-223-1333
Noc Noc is a nightclub with a split personality. During happy hour, it’s a stylish and comfortable lounge with cheap drinks and awesome bar food. Then, when the DJs show up and start spinning their tunes, Noc Noc becomes one of the hottest dance floors in the Emerald City. Regardless of when you visit, Noc Noc’s staff is prompt and super friendly.

Re-Bar
1114 Howell Street
206-223-9873
Most nights, Re-Bar is a dance club where patrons can bust-a-move to disco and hip-hop music. When the DJs aren’t kicking out the jams, Re-Bar hosts cutting edge theater productions and live bands. While all types are welcome, a typical Re-Bar crowd consists of gays, lesbians, and artistic types.

SEE Sound Lounge
115 Blanchard Street
206-374-3733
SEE Sound Lounge is a beautiful club that has two dance floors, bottle service, and on-site catering. This fashionable hot spot is situated in Belltown and attracts DJs from all over the world. Every day from 7pm to 10pm you can get $3 drinks. And don’t forget that every Tuesday is salsa night!

Showbox at the Market
1426 1st Avenue
206-628-3151
The Showbox at the Market is more of a live music venue but we’ve included it in our list because it has a dance floor, cocktails, and Mexican-inspired eats. This art deco landmark is one of Seattle’s coolest places to either hang out or catch a live band. Over the years, the Showbox has hosted a plethora of legends, everyone from Duke Ellington to The Ramones to Dave Matthews.

Trinity Nightclub
111 Yesler Way
206-447-4140
As the name suggests, the Trinity Nightclub offers its patrons three great club experiences. There’s the main room with its huge dance floor and its thumping sound system. Then, in their Asian themed lounge, known as the Card Room, you can enjoy refreshing libations and a satisfying meal. Finally, there’s the ultra hip Blue Room. This cool area with the retro-chic vibe is a combination of the previous two rooms, meaning you can both get a drink and get down on the dance floor.

The Triple Door Theater & Musicquarium Lounge
216 Union Street
206-838-4333
A former 1920s-era vaudeville theater, the Triple Door Theater & Musicquarium Lounge is now an upscale jazz venue that’s both comfortable and inviting. Suits come here after work to grab a cocktail and music lovers come here in the evening to experience great live jazz. While enjoying the tunes, you should try Triple Door’s delectable Southeast Asian menu.

The interesting thing about Seattle’s ubiquitous wet weather is that, on average, the Emerald City gets considerably less rain than many other places in the country. With Seattle averaging just under 38 annual inches, New Orleans (60), Memphis (52), Houston (48), Miami (58), Boston (44), New York (43), and other cities have much higher annual precipitation stats. In fact, Seattle comes in at number 44 of the 50 states.

So, why the gloomy grey reputation? Well, rather than coming in big, fell swoops, Seattle’s rain is quite literally drizzled across some 158 days a year whereas New York only suffers 119 wet days. Storms are a rarity in these parts and thunder happens maybe seven days out of the year. That’s distinctively different from the weather experienced in Houston and Boston.

The reason for the fairly continuous drizzle – and average temperature of approximately 45 – from October to March is a uniform, low-lying cloud distribution in Seattle that spans some 226 days. Between April and September, the climate changes and the sky clears with temperatures averaging around 75 in the summer. All in all, Seattle weather is pretty well moderate with only the spring and fall shifts from grey to blue and back.

Though they themselves average some 142 inches of annual rainfall, the Olympic Mountains just west of Seattle provide a barrier from harsher weather patterns. As part of the Olympic National Rain Forest, they soak up the bulk of rain coming into the Puget Sound from the Pacific Ocean.

This Puget Sound Covergence Zone leads to blasts of sunshine, swirls of wind, and otherwise generally unpredictable but ever-brief weather occurrences. For example, the rare Pineapple Express storm of December, 2007 brought hurricane-force winds and a torrential downpour of some five inches in only 24 hours.

To the east, the Cascade Range keeps the frigid Arctic air at bay. A little bit of snow falls around the area, but, for the most part, the two ranges collude to protect Seattle from extreme climate events. Fewer than 15 days a year see temperatures drop below freezing.

Natives and residents of the Seattle-Tacoma region have become somewhat immune to the ever-present gloom and ever-changing weather. In fact, they rarely carry umbrellas, feeling that the bits of misty rain aren’t really worth the effort. They love the clean, green lusciousness of the landscape that surrounds them and give the perpetual precipitation all the credit.

Singer Brandi Carlile grew up in Ravensdale, just outside of the so-called Rain City. She embraces the “emotional rollercoaster” driven by the weather and channels it into her songs. Despite the unevenness of it all, Carlile wouldn’t trade her Seattle-area roots for any others, saying, “It takes some getting used to; but once you accept the rain, it becomes a part of you. Then when you leave, you miss it.”

Starting at Pike Place Market and meandering through downtown Seattle, the Coffee Crawl tour stops at six different coffee houses, allowing the participants to sample four sets of coffee and learn about the history of coffee in Seattle. Among the stops are Seattle’s Best Coffee, Seattle Coffee Works, Monorail Espresso, Dilettante Mocha Cafe, Trabant Coffee and Chai, and Zeitgeist Coffee. Nope, no Starbucks.

Coffee in the U.S., as a whole, goes back to the 1600s when it’s believed that John Smith brought it over. In 1867, caffeine buzzed Seattle when an African-American pioneer from Oregon set up shop with Monet’s Seattle Restaurant and Coffee Saloon.

Some 100 years later, in 1970, Seattle’s Best Coffee opened on Pier 70 with a used peanut roaster to roast the beans. Interestingly enough, Seattle’s Best was first an ice cream and coffee shop on Whidbey Island called Wet Whisker. After a few evolutions, the venture became Stewart Brothers Coffee (in 1983) and, eventually, Seattle’s Best Coffee (in 1991) after a victory in a local competition.

A year after Wet Whisker started roasting beans, Starbucks opened at Pike Place Market, about a block south of the “original” Starbucks location that is still in operation today. The founders were inspired by Alfred Peet who was roasting his own in Berkeley, providing high-quality, small-batch coffee beans and related equipment.

An entrepreneur by the name of Howard Schultz joined the Starbucks team in 1982, but failed to convince the owners that selling coffee drinks, in addition to the beans, was a good idea. He splintered off and formed Il Giornale, convinced there was a market for his products. A couple of years later, the Starbucks founders bought Peet’s and, subsequently, sold Starbucks to Schultz who tucked his Il Giornale brand under the Starbucks umbrella and hit the ground running.

The result, as everyone knows, is a Starbucks on every corner, or close to it. Since then, the company has gone international and gone public, both with astonishing success. In 2003, Starbucks even welcomed Seattle’s Best into its fold. Now, Peet’s is rumored to be in merger talks with the coffee behemoth.

For the 30 years before their joining, the two companies – along with other artisanal shops – built a coffee culture that, though anchored in Seattle, spread far and wide. Starbucks, in particular, has become so thoroughly iconic that it rivals massive brands such as McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, both of which have far longer histories and ties to the American psyche behind them.

So, while Seattle has much to crow about – from Amazon to Microsoft – the city will long be fondly remembered for giving us “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Venti Caramel Macchiatos.

If you’re a Seattle sports team and you’re winning the entire city gets behind you. If you’re not winning then the city moves on to other things.

When times are tough, Seattleites don’t turn on their teams. They don’t get angry. They don’t demand that heads roll. They just cut back on buying Seattle sports tickets and do something else instead. They may not always fill stadiums, but they never abandon their teams. They’re always ready to comeback when there’s a reason to cheer.

As everyone knows, sports fans in the Emerald City have had little to cheer about over the years: the Seattle Mariners are one of two franchises that has never played in the World Series; the Seattle Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl just once in 35 years in the NFL; and before the Seattle SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City they had won only one NBA championship—and that came way back in 1979.

I have a friend who is also a fan of Seattle sports and he blames their historic struggles on the happy-go-lucky attitude of the city’s denizens.

My friend believes that the average Seattle sports fan doesn’t get mad enough when their teams lose. This apathy keeps franchise executives off the hook; there’s no urgency to make changes and win. He believes if Seattle sports fans were more like the stereotypical East Coast sports fans—you know the type, ready to run anyone out of town at a moment’s notice—then the Emerald City’s championship count would be much higher.

She is of course wrong.

I don’t see how the average Seattle sports fan shrugging off a losing season has any effect on what the team does and does not do to produce a winner.

John Schneider, general manager of the Seattle Seahawks, is still trying to win a Super Bowl even though the city isn’t rioting over his team’s 31st place rushing offense. Jack Zduriencik, the Mariners’ GM, still has World Series aspirations even though his fan base isn’t threatening to tar and feather him. Schneider and Zduriencik are professionals. They want to win because they’re competitive and it’s their job. They would strive for success even if no one was watching.

Part of Seattle’s “it’s great if they win, it’s okay if they lose” attitude comes from the fact that there’s so much to do in the Pacific Northwest.

“What’s that? The Seahawks missed the playoffs? That’s okay, let’s go to North Bend and do some rock climbing.”

Yes, there’s a lot of stuff to do in other cities but the stuff to do in the Seattle-area is a little bit different. The citizens of Seattle can take their pick from dozens of outdoor activities like boating, skiing, hiking, camping, and biking.

Obviously, those activities aren’t exclusive to Seattle but they’re all close, and by “close” I mean proximity. Places to do all that fun stuff I mentioned are near enough to Seattle that you can drive there and back in a day.

Don’t forget all the other great sporting events that come to the Emerald City. Depending on the time of the year you can get tickets to AMA Supercross in Seattle, WWE events, Professional Bull Riders, UFC, and Monster Jam.

Clearly, there’s so much to do and see in the Seattle-area that no one has time to get upset over a struggling sports team.

Furthermore, Seattleites are an adventurous bunch. That’s why they live in such a remote part of the continental United States. They don’t hang their heads when their sports teams struggle; they just say “oh well,” go outside, and do something fun.

Besides, if Seattleites buckled under the stress of a pathetic sports team they wouldn’t be able to endure the 300-plus days a year of clouds and drizzle.

The problem with sports in Seattle isn’t apathetic fans or franchises, it’s the city’s location. The next nearest NFL and MLB teams are 800 miles away (San Francisco, California). If you live in or near Seattle and you want to see a professional football or baseball game, you’re stuck with the Seahawks and the M’s.

If anything, it’s the long distance to the nearest competitor that prevents front offices from becoming unnerved. There’s really no urgency to get better if the nearest competitor selling NFL tickets and NBA tickets is a 2-hour flight away.

There is one exception.

Seattle Sounders FC sell out every regular season game at Qwest Field. They’ve set MLS records for average attendance, and they’re tops in the league in season ticket sales. They’ve accomplished all that while competing with teams in Portland, Oregon (175 miles away) and Vancouver, B.C. (150 miles away).

Leave it to Seattle to go nuts over a sport that’s not American; leave it to Seattle to cheer for a sport that most of the country could care less about. Then again, the same spirit that empowers Seattleites to nonchalantly dismiss losing teams also compels them to embrace the beautiful game.

That attitude is of course what makes the city of Seattle so unique. Yes, Seattle’s sports teams are generally not that successful but they have a lot of fans who have their priorities straight.

The month kicks off with Chris Cornell at Seattle’s Moore Theater and David Sedaris at Benaroya Hall both on May 1. The following night, Benaroya hosts Yanni. In just the first two days, you can choose between rock, comedy, and, well, Yanni.

If you opt for Cornell, you should know that this is his first-ever solo acoustic tour. He’s on the road supporting his Songbook release, a set that meanders through his illustrious career in a hushed tone. A critic at Cornell’s show in Dallas earlier this month thought the rocker pulled it off with ease: “In order for this show to be great, he would have to take a bunch of songs we all know and love, and play them in their purest form, showing all of the raw intensity and emotion he put into them when he wrote them. From beginning to end, he did exactly that, taking us on a journey through his entire career.

“Every song displayed a deeper, vulnerable side of him, and the stories he told helped us feel closer to his music. To make things even more interesting, he mixed in covers like John Lennon’s ‘Imagine,’ Mother Love Bone’s ‘Man of Golden Words,’ and Led Zeppelin’s ‘Thank You’ to round out a near perfect setlist.”

On May 4, Green Day blasts Seattle’s University Prep School. These boys are having quite a time of it lately what with their American Idiot taking Broadway by storm. It was also just announced that Green Day is teaming up with Tom Hanks to produce a film adaptation of the project. In true Tracy Jordan style, Billie Joe Armstrong must have his sights set on a full EGOT set.

After the Cornell start, the Moore Theater’s slate also includes James Blunt on May 8 in the Alley Behind Moore Theater and Patton Oswalt on May 14 in the actual theater. The Moore’s month rounds out when Craig Ferguson hits the Seattle venue on May 29.

Between those two points, some smaller and some bigger acts will also come through town. On May 10, The Cars play The Showbox Sodo and, on May 11, it’s Of Montreal at Showbox at the Market. Two days after that, System of a Down will no doubt blow the ceiling off of Key Arena.

For a riotous good time on May 15, it’s Rammstein at the Tacoma Dome. Guitarist Richard Kruspe wrote in a statement announcing the tour, “We have waited 10 long years for the perfect opportunity to bring our full show to North America. The time is now and we are excited to share this with our fans who have waited for so long.”

And what is it exactly that those fans have waited a decade for? If their show at Madison Square Garden last December is any indication, “For the most part, the crowd wasn’t there to sing along — they were there to see shit burn, and they weren’t disappointed. ‘Waidmanns Heil’ was punctuated with huge red flares coloring the front of the stage, while flame-throwers sprayed bursts of fire that were synchronized with Christoph Schneider’s drum fills.”

So, if you are in Seattle in May, you really have an abundance of entertainment at your fingertips, and Yanni, too.

If you think the baseball season is too short and it flies by way too fast then you should start rooting for the Seattle Mariners. That’s because 2011 is going to be a long year for the M’s.

The Mariners have Felix Hernandez, the current Cy Young winner, and Ichiro Suzuki, who is trying for his 11th consecutive season of collecting 200 hits and winning the Gold Glove at right field. That’s it. The only other standout in the organization is the Mariner Moose.

Their starting pitching (minus Hernandez of course) is untested, their bullpen is a question mark, and their lineup lacks power.

Other than that things look great!

Is this type of pessimism warranted in mid-February? Probably not, but too many Mariners have to overachieve for Seattle to even think about breaking even. Therefore, when you go to Safeco Field this season just think of it as a chance to get in on the ground floor of a rebuilding project. Also, think of the vista; the ballpark has a great view of Elliott Bay.

As for the team getting better, there are a couple of “stars of tomorrow” to keep your eyes on. One is second baseman Dustin Ackley. He won the MVP of the Arizona Fall League and was the second overall pick in 2009 draft.

On the mound, take note of any appearance by right-hander Michael Pineda. The huge hurler—6-foot-5, 180 pounds—throws some serious heat. In 2010, while in the minors, he pitched 139 1/3 innings and struck out 154.

The final M’s prospect of note is Matt Mangini. The third baseman had a cup of coffee with the team last season (.211 in 39 at-bats) but walloped 18 homers and batted .313 for Class AAA affiliate Tacoma.

Keep in mind those are the players of the future. Pineda is the only one with a real chance to be on the Mariners’ roster come Opening Day. Still, all three should see sometime in “The Bigs” in 2011.

Speaking of rosters, expect to see Suzuki in right and Franklin Gutierrez in center. Milton Bradley and second-year player Michael Saunders will likely platoon in left, that’s assuming Bradley gets his life order.

The infield will be manned by first basemen Justin Smoak (acquired in last year’s Cliff Lee trade with the Texas Rangers), second baseman Brandon Ryan, third baseman Chone Figgins, and shortstop Jack Wilson.

Jack Cust, the M’s big offseason acquisition (yes, that was their big offseason acquisition), will be the team’s DH.

Hernandez is obviously the Mariner’s ace. Behind him are ciphers Jason Vargas, Doug Fister, David Pauley, and Erik Bedard. Bedard is only included on the list because he can’t stay healthy. He’s been in the Emerald City for three seasons and each one has been riddled with injuries.

The “iffy” bullpen will start the season without closer David Aardsma and setup man Shawn Kelley. Aardsma should only miss a couple of weeks while Kelley will miss half the season. Chris Ray or Brandon League could step up and close in Aardsma’s absence but that makes the M’s weak at middle relief.

Seattle has lost 101 games two out of the last three seasons. In 2011, will they make it three out of four?

Well, despite the somber tone of this article, I don’t think so. I think they will actually win 70 or more games this season (meaning they’ll only lose about 90). It will still be a long year for the M’s but they should get some decent starting pitching and they should play some pretty good defense.

Last season, the M’s starters pitched seven or more innings in which they allowed one or zero runs 37 times. Fisher and Vargas were solid for most of 2010 and at times Pauley showed signs of quality. If Bedard stays healthy starting pitching will definitely be the Mariner’s strong point.

The problem with this team in 2011 will be the same problem they had in 2010, scoring runs. Last year the Mariners crossed the plate just 513 times (3.1 runs a game). That was the fewest runs scored by an American League team since the inception of the designated hitter in 1973.

If manager Eric Wedge makes all the right calls with his bullpen, and finds a way to manufactures a few runs here and there, the Mariners will definitely avoid back-to-back seasons of triple-digit losses. Anything beyond that is asking too much of a talent-deprived ballclub.

Start shaking out the winter blues when Eric Clapton hits Seattle on February 26. The guitar legend is embarking on a solo jaunt to follow up his 2010 tour with Jeff Beck. Apparently, the laid-back Clapton was a wonderful, welcome antidote to Beck’s flashy showmanship. On his own, Clapton will no doubt continue that trend with the 2011 dates in supporting his latest CD release.

Of the record, one critic wrote, “Clapton is actually a wonderful surprise… it’s been ages since Clapton’s blues recordings have carried as much grit and guts as can be found on this album’s ‘Traveling Alone’ and ‘Rolling and Tumbling.’ … It’s the kind of recording that justifies all of Clapton’s accolades, and it’s one of the most perfect examples of Clapton showing off without showing off.”

Come summertime, U2 rocks Seattle’s Qwest Field on June 4. Not quite finished with their 360 Tour, Bono and the boys are looping back around to give fans one more shot at witnessing the glory. Though reviews for the tour have been mixed, long-time fans have found nothing about which to complain.

Of a show earlier in the itinerary, a critic noted, “U2’s fan base remains rabid and was in full throat even as U2 flogged songs from its latest record, No Line on the Horizon that didn’t sell as well as past efforts or generate a hit on the order of ‘With or Without You.’

“As the band progressed through a show of more than 20 songs, it rolled out chestnuts such as ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ and ‘Pride (In the Name of Love)’ to an audience that sang along with every chorus like a Premiership match in the UK.”

Also in the summer, Seattle welcomes Katy Perry’s California Dreams Tour. Key Arena on July 20 will be the site for what Perry says is going to be something special. For her first arena headlining route, Perry has hired Pink’s touring director to up the ante and help her compete with the likes of Lady Gaga and, well, Pink.

“I just really want to raise the bar,” Perry explained recently to Rolling Stone. “Touring is no longer an ordinary thing where you play an instrument in jeans and a T–shirt. It has some pizzazz these days, and I’m definitely bringing the pizzazz with a lot of bells and whistles. The show has a Broadway feel to it.

“It’s the first concert that’s going to smell good,” she continued. “It’s going to smell like you’re in cotton candy heaven. It’s a fun little nuance. I am a woman of detail, and you will be seeing that — even down to the 15 outfit changes I’m doing in concert.”

Once you recover from Perry’s Smell-O-Vision extravaganza, perhaps you’ll want to check out Taylor Swift’s Seattle show on September 7, also at Key Arena. The young phenom is everything a tween girl dreams of being and her concerts seem to wrap all of that charm up in a nice little package.

“…in between glow-basking and flinging her luxurious locks, Swift and her polished seven-piece band – including former Charlottesville-ians Amos Heller on bass and Mike Meadows on banjo and guitar – adeptly swung through her already considerable catalog of hits.

“Midway through the show, Swift disappeared to the side of the venue to play, acoustically, the lilting ‘Hey Stephen,’ then snuck over a few sections for the sing-along ‘Fifteen.’ As she made her way back to the stage, Swift hugged anyone in her path – a lengthy exercise, as it turned out, but the kind of gesture that makes it easy to forgive her technical shortcomings.”

The Seattle Seahawks are the worst team to ever to qualify for the NFL playoffs.

I write that not just because they won the NFC West with a 7-9 record but because I’ve seen them play. They fail the proverbial “eyeball test” and the numbers back me up.

The Seahawks are 28th in the league in total offense and 27th in total defense. They are also the second worst rushing team in the NFL. If that wasn’t bad enough, their nine losses were by an average of 21 points.

To make matters worse, their veteran quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, who’s been prone to turnovers all season, is struggling to return from injury. Their backup quarterback, Charlie Whitehurst, is inexperienced. He made just his second career start in the team’s Week 17 victory over the St. Louis Rams—the same victory that put the Hawks into the postseason.

The problem with this Seattle Seahawks playoff team is they don’t do anything well. They don’t have a dominate squad, or even part of a dominate squad, they can rely on. They are average, or below average, at every facet of the game.

However, the Seahawks do have one thing going for them, they are playing at home. By virtue of winning the NFC West, the Hawks will host the New Orleans Saints in a wildcard game. In case you’re keeping score, the defending Super Bowl champions finished the season 11-5.

Seattle’s home venue, Qwest Field, is one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. Their fans, officially dubbed “The 12th man,” wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines by being so loud they drown out the quarterback’s snap count. Needless to say, Qwest Field is one of the league’s leaders in causing opponents to false start.

Despite the hostile environment, and traveling half way across the country, the Saints should still defeat the Seahawks and advance to the next round of the NFC playoffs. After all, they defeated the Hawks 34-19 back on Nov. 21.

Of course, if the Saints wake up on the wrong side of the bed, turn the ball over a few times, and allow a couple of big special team plays, who knows, maybe it will be the Seahawks that move on to play the Atlanta Falcons or the Chicago Bears.

Some pundits have stated that it’s unfair for the Seahawks—a team with a losing record—to be in the playoffs while the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, two teams that finished the season 10-6 and shellacked the Hawks earlier in the year, are out fishing.

I even heard one commentator say that allowing the Seahawks into the postseason was an “injustice.” The commentator was wrong. It’s not an injustice (nor is it unfair).

It would be an injustice not to let the Seahawks compete in the playoffs. They did, after all, do what they were supposed to do and that was win their division.

Every NFL team, including the Giants and the Bucs, knew how to qualify for the playoffs long before the season began. The rules weren’t new to anyone.

Some teams, like the New England Patriots, punched their playoff ticket by winning 14 games. Some teams, like the Indianapolis Colts, reached the playoffs by being victorious in four consecutive must-win games to end the season.

It just so happens that the Seahawks reached the playoffs by capitalizing on a weak NFC West. It’s not their fault 7-9 was good enough to win the division.

If the Giants wanted to make the postseason they shouldn’t have blown a 21-point lead to the Philadelphia Eagles with eight minutes left in the game.

If the Bucs wanted to reach the playoffs they should have done better than 4-4 at home. Heck, the Bucs were only the third best team in the NFC South.

Of course, the team you should really blame for all this is the San Francisco 49′ers. On paper, they should have run roughshod over the NFC West and finished with at least 11 wins. But they don’t play the games on paper and that includes the playoffs.

Bottom line, the NFC playoffs aren’t about the six best teams competing to reach the Super Bowl or even the six teams with the best records. It’s about the four division winners and the two wildcards vying for a chance to play in the Super Bowl.

In 2010, the Seahawks earned that chance, albeit a slim chance, the Giants and Bucs did not.

Those calling for a change to the playoff format need to realize that the Seahawks are the first losing team to ever qualify for the postseason and only twice has a team with an 8-8 record made it. It happens so infrequently that there’s no need to change anything.

If you want to discuss reseeding—to ensure that the team with the better record always gets home field advantage—then fine, but that’s a completely different argument.

Perhaps Seattle’s situation makes them a punch line, the league’s laughing stock. Who wants to host a playoff game when you’re the overwhelming underdog? I don’t know, maybe the Detroit Lions or the Houston Texans or the Cleveland Browns. I bet those teams wouldn’t mind hosting a playoff game after a losing season—or any type of season for that matter.

I won’t deny that it will take a small to medium-sized miracle for the Seahawks to defeat the Saints but stranger things have happen in the NFL, like a 7-9 team hosting a playoff game.