Lookout Landing Podcast 86: "Why I'm a Mariners Fan" with Grant Bronsdon

0:00-12:15: Crown Hill (and then Capitol Hill’s) own Grant Bronsdon blesses the mic to talk about his Mariner fandom. He says it was born partly out of newspaper sports sections. Kids, newspapers are like acoustic Twitter. In a wonderful sliding doors scenario, Grant and last week’s guest were at the same formative game in 2001. A long overdue Woody Williams shout out somehow leads us down the football and soccer paths. Sports are intersectional, I think?

12:20-21:45: How does Grant remain a beacon of optimism despite ... [gestures vaguely at the Mariners]? The central tenet of Mariner fandom is definitely bonding over the badness, right? How has that evolved with age and cynicism? Are the mechanics of your viewing experience different?

21:50-34:55: Trying to figure out when our fandom began to shift toward logic and reason over emotion, which for Grant, unsurprisingly, came from being a boy genius that eventually went to Yale. Grant then describes his time interning in the Mariners’ baseball operations department. Talk of supply closets, people getting fired, and Hisashi Iwakuma punking the Orioles. Our gracious guest also shares some details on what an MLB draft day is like and what doing the Mariners as a job did for his enjoyment of the team.

35:00-1:02:47: Have any of you heard of this thing called “interests that aren’t sports”? Sounds made up. As we age, we appreciate and respect Rick Rizzs. This is the circle of life in these parts. Finally, say it with us, it’s okay to step away from the Mariners every now and then. Two dudes with zero combined children try their hand at parenting strategies. The episode ends with Matthew painting a beautiful picture of Grant’s living room and the obligatory question: what was your lowest point as an M’s fan?  

Music: “Sibling Rivalry” by PUP // “Hard to Believe” by Charly Bliss