The Ms strength is pitching our opponents hit more HRs at SAFECO then we do so how exactly would moving in the fences do anything other then hurt our pitching staff?We also have good speed in CF and RF so we have an advantage runing down balls in a big OF

to find some players who can hit home runs. Other teams that bat here have no problem hitting home runs.

Stop encouraging this move the fences nonsense. Get some better hitters instead. Texas, New York, Anaheim, Toronto and Boston players don't seem to have problems hitting home runs. Oh, and reminder, home runs alone will not fix this offense. Moving the fences doesn't cut down on strikes or magically make guys hit more doubles and take more walks, or turn the home team into faster and smarter baserunners. Sheesh.

First off, New York, Toronto, Boston, and Texas all play in well known hitters parks. Second, it's about the long term. After what happened to Sexson and Beltre big time hitters (especially right handers) are (even more) reluctant in wanting to come play for Seattle. It's hard to go on when your ballpark has the perception of where good hitters go to die. Sure, it helps our pitchers to have the ballpark we have now, but if we ever want to contend it's going to be hard to get the right people to come here if our ballpark is universally unnatractive to hitters.

I can't believe that people are against this! Why wouldn't you do something to help out your team's offense at home? Why not at least try it out? How much worse can it possibly get?

Let's begin with the obvious - Prince Fielder did not sign with Detroit because the Tigers play in a "hitter's park." Moving fences does not attract (or deter) free agents.

On to size. Allow me to paraphrase you here, Mike; you want Safeco to be just a "little" on the large side to keep it a "pitcher's park," but not too much bigger, not capacious like Comerica Park or Target Field. OK, I compiled a list of all the AL field dimensions and did this complicated analysis on them called an "average," and here's how the data fell out. Safeco first, league average in parentheses.

LF foul pole - 331 (328). LeftCenter - 388 (384). Center - 405 (403). RightCenter - 385 (383). RF foul pole - 326 (325). So, starting in left, Safeco is bigger than average by 3, 4, 2, 2, and 1 foot/feet. Sounds to me like it's right where you want it, ever so slightly bigger than average.

The fences are not the issue. Lack of power hitters is the issue, which actually argues in favor of moving the fences BACK. But that's a comment for another day.

What I mean is that it is well known that it's hard to kick North in CenturyLink. Well batters hit North in Safeco towards left field. Let's turn the field!!! I understand that won't happen, but it's just an idea. I looked at the same numbers as Pilate, and found that Safeco is bigger than about 60% of parks. Also, the barometric pressure (reason balls fly farther in high altitude) is about what most of the east coast is. So weather isn't as big of an issue as we may think. I support moving the fences in, because more home runs are more fun to watch. Going to Mariner games is like going to a bad party, where nobody shows up. The party's more fun if people show up, and they'll show up if we're hitting home runs.

....move any Safeco fence at the expense of our club!! Texas and LA Angels, among other AL clubs, would only tell themselves they don't play Safeco enough because of "short fences!" We're not Denver! Let's not be the HR Haven for the rest of the AL!! Pilate has the right idea; it ain't the environment, it's who's in it!

Really Chris? The only hitters NOT complaining about the left/leftcenter wall at Safeco are lefties...have you never heard an interview with any of the righthanded hitters from the teams you mentioned? They all feel they have to hit a perfect shot to make it over...yes even we have hitters that can punch it out on occaision but the fact remains that at sea-level and the proximity to the water winds...etc the balls just die out there. 5 to 8ft shorter and this ballpark plays more fairly. Good grief...you act as though we are trying to add a new amendment to the constitution.

I've been saying this exact thing for the last couple years. Safeco field is a graveyard for hitters....it's a proven fact...just look at the Mariner's in the last couple years !! Pitching is great, but, it doesn't score runs. As far as I can see, you still have to outscore the opponents...add some bleachers, do something, ANYTHING !!! If we don't, we'll continue to see hitters leave Seattle and succeed somewhere else !! And we'll continue to lose, lose, lose !!

Weather plays a role in this as well. With cooler temperatures here, the ball doesn't carry as well. You can argue wind plays a role to some degree, but cold, dense air in general, does make it harder. Looking at ballpark dimensions around the league doesn't tell the whole story. Bottom line is, our own hitters have trouble here. Not just the recent line-ups, the past stars too. In fact, the only right handed bats I can think of that put up good HR numbers here, was Boone and Edgar. Their numbers were generally better on the road as well. I'm not necessarily for moving the fences in, yet, but I certainly understand the argument for it. Let's keep track of Montero's warning-track fly-outs this season.

I'm not entirely convinced the problem with the Mariners is the depth of the left fences. Brett Boone and Edgar Martinez had huge numbers. Boone had 37 HR's w/141 RBI's and Edgar had 23 HR's w/116 RBI's. Mike Cameron had 25 HR's and 110 RBI's. You also had John Olerud in the lineup that had ligitimate protection. After that team was broken up and Pat Gillick departed and Bavasi was brought in, the team lacked lineup depth. Complete hitters, your typical 3-4 hole hitters were missing. Yes in 2006, Bavasi brought in Sexton 34 HR's and Beltre 25 HR's with Ibanez 33 HR's, Jose Lopez 10 HR's and Johjimia 18 HR's, but they didn't hit with high average. It didn't seem so bad at first, but Beltre and Sexton were not complete hitters and Ibanez while good couldn't carry a team and these kind of hitters can be pitched around of teams were willing to take their chances and give up the occasional solo home run knowing they can get the other hitters out. In 2007, however, we had the fluke year where we won 88 games and Bavasi sold the farm for Bedard, trading away Adam Jones, who would have brought more depth to the lineup after the teams overall numbers dropped in 2007, except Beltre 25 to 26 HR's and Lopez from 10 to 11 HR's. Ibanez 33 from 21 home runs and he's left handed, nothing to do with left field fences. We also had Jose Guillen who hit 23 HR's and Jojimia went from 18 to 14 HR's, but as you can tell the quality of hitters still lacked, but because of the win total this fact was over looked. The Mariners still did not have complete hitters, these were at best a 5 through 8 hole hitters. The team since Edgar and Boone have been missing ligitimate 3 -4 hole hitters. This young crop of hitters, with Ackley and Montero specifically look like they have that with Smoak and Carp as good 5 -6 hole hitters. Protection means a lot as you can see hitters like Russ Martin and Nick Swisher who were seen as washed up until inserted into the Yankees lineup. Look at Beltre in Boston and Texas, who I firmly believe wouldn't produce those numbers without the all-stars in the lineup. This is a young lineup, but I'm sure we'll see better numbers with Ackley, Montero, Smoak, Carp, Wells, Olivo and Saeger giving more protection for a healthy Gutierrez and an aging Ichiro. We haven't seen a lineup with complete hitters in a long time, and soon you'll stop poping in the "Refuse to Lose" tape or thinking of how we won 116 games eleven years ago, you'll be thinking potential with more promising prospects on the way. Jackie Z is building a great team, but the team moto is "patience" with the promise of better days ahead.