W.O.A.T.

One loss. That's all that stands between the Seattle Mariners and becoming the first team to ever lose 100 games with a $100 million plus payroll.

For a club that many "experts" predicted to make the playoffs, this season hasn't been a disappointment. It's been a colossal failure. A bigger bomb than Speed Racer.

The Mariners are baseball's bridge to nowhere. They have $30 million tied up in Carlos Silva, Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washup. That three-headed monster has gone 13-43 with a 5.80 ERA.

All-Star sluggers Brad Wilkerson, Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro and Kenji Johjima clobbered 24 home runs and hit .225. All that production came at a bargain basement price - $33 million.

But beyond not hitting and not pitching, the M's completely quit on the season around May 1. This is a franchise that has suffered through some truly terrible campaigns. But 2008 is without a doubt the worst ever.

While the franchise record for losses is 104 in 1978, the Mariners haven't dropped 100 in a season since 1983. And during those lean, early years, nothing was really expected from the team.

There were some bad years during the Griffey Era too. The 98 loss 1992 club comes to mind. But at least Griffey could be counted on to potentially do something spectacular every night.

Even during this past five season stretch, there's been something to look forward to.

In 2004 it was Ichiro and his pursuit of the all-time single season hit record. Felix Hernandez burst onto the scene in late 2005 and offered a glimpse into the future. The team hung in the Wild Card race until August of 2006 and stayed on the Angels heels until the last month of 2007.

Aside from predicting which over priced waste of space would get cut first (Sexson, Vidro, etc.), 2008 has given fans nothing to look forward to. Excluding the expansion years, this is the first time that's ever happened for the Mariners.

This is baseball at it's worst. The veterans can't produce. The young guys called up to challenge the veteran's can't produce. And it looks like it will only get worse.

With Raul Ibanez's imminent defection, and a likely off season Adrian Beltre trade, the 2009 Mariners are poised to challenge for the worst record in baseball history. If a lineup featuring Jose Lopez's team leading 15 home runs and Yuniesky Betancourt's .270 OBP isn't scary enough, then another 30 hot dog filled starts courtesy of Carlos Silva should be.

Is Oklahoma City looking for a baseball team too?

Finally, I'd like to bid farewell to Yankee Stadium. The House that Ruth Built never recovered from a 1973 face lift that made it look like baseball's Cat Lady. But despite the botched remodel, the stadium still had more history than any other stadium in the country. It's sad that luxury boxes and motion sensor urinals lead to the demise of the games most storied cathedral.

I feel truly blessed that I got to see it before it became dust.