Editor’s note: Unfortunately, no specifics are allowed to be posted.  As Matthew at Lookout Landing mentions: “We get to do these in large part because they stay off the record.”  For those of us that didn’t go that’s a major bummer, but understandable.  Check the forums– there are some details floating around in there.

First of all, the first USS Mariner event of 2010 was fantastic! Thanks so much to Dave, Derek, Jeff, and everyone else who put this together. You guys did a great job.

This was my first USSM event, and as such I wasn’t too sure of what to expect. Sure, I’ve read the recap posts to the last few years’ worth of them, but that’s not the same as BEING there. Between just being there and knowing I’d be writing this, I was pretty pumped.

I wound up getting there way early and stood at the door with a gentleman named Matthew, whom those who were there came to know as “the guy with the Zduriencik jersey”. Once Dave opened the doors up, we were the first ones in line, and wound up first row, front and center. We sat next to Bill Glassey, the father of Baseball America’s Conor Glassey, who is a pretty awesome guy.

The festivities started with a panel of bloggers from both USSM and Lookout Landing. Dave, Derek, Matthew, Jeff, and Graham were all in attendance, and it was good to put faces and voices to their posts. The tone was light, and the audience was excited. A lot of us took the opportunity to ask them questions about specifics that we knew wouldn’t get answered later. The dynamic between the two groups was great, and they kept us laughing for most of the hour they were up there. Arguably the most exciting part was finding out what Dave’s secret project he’s been talking about the last couple of months. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

After a brief intermission, the main event kicked off, and Jack Zduriencik walked out, followed by Tony Blengino, Tom McNamara, and Jeff Kingston. The standing ovation kept going until Dave waved us back into our seats, and even then it took a few moments to die down. The bloggers took turns asking questions they had gathered from the community, and Zduriencik and company were surprisingly forthcoming in their answers. The mood was much more serious for the brass, and they had everyone’s rapt attention.

Still, they were able to make us laugh frequently. Jack got the whole audience roaring with a story of Griffey ambushing Ichiro with a tickle attack after trying to follow along with his stretching. At one point where the audience stayed quiet for a few minutes, Matthew re-broke the ice before one of his questions with “Well, since there hasn’t been any applause for a few minutes, so let me give this reminder: Carlos Silva is no longer a Mariner.” Even Jack chuckled a little while we were hooting over that.

Obviously, the front office group didn’t get terribly specific with most of their answers, but the group was fairly enlightening on a number of subjects. I do have to admit, Jack’s non-answers were some of the most pleasant and semi-convincing non-answers I’ve ever heard, and I hear a LOT of them at my day job. He also was incredibly funny, and showed a real knack for near-deadpan one-liners and those “you know what I’m saying and who I’m saying it about, but I’m not really saying it” remarks.

The two hours they were on stage whizzed by, and I think I can speak for the rest of the crowd there when I say we were aching for more. The standing ovation at the end was nearly deafening, and Jack was gracious enough to come down and shake the hands of everyone in the front row. Matthew, Mr. Zduriencik Jersey, got a huge hug and bigger grin from the architect of our favorite team.

The whole thing was a blast, and I can’t wait for the next one!

On a side note, I think I figured out how Jack snookered Reuben Amaro. That dome of his is SHINY. I mean, Jay Buhner in that old Mariners commercial shiny. Wow.