ANNAPOLIS – You would think that looking for diehard Seattle Mariners fans in Maryland’s capital in the middle of the playoffs, especially with the Mariners trailing the O’s 0-2, would be a little like trying to order a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain at the Camden Yards concessions. Still, that’s what a camera crew from Seattle was doing Friday morning.
“We thought we’d just come out to see how they’re surviving in enemy territory,” said Meeghan Black, a reporter with CBS affiliate KIRO-TV.
It’s hard to tell whether the place they chose — the Seattle Coffee Company on Maryland Avenue — really qualifies as “enemy territory.” On the one hand, the walls and windows are festooned with Mariners pennants and signs saying “Raise the Roof.” On the other hand, the presence of the camera crew was advertised by a notice saying, “Come and let the news crew know what you think of THEIR Mariners and YOUR Orioles!” (Emphasis added.)
Most of the people the crew found here were, in fact, Orioles fans. Even the young woman steaming the milk for capuccino, Tara Tyler, wore an Orioles’ t-shirt.
Among the few rooting for the Mariners were Bill Bishop, 51, and his son, Craig, 25, in the area this weekend to attend the Promise Keepers rally in D.C. on Saturday and (they hope) Game 4 on Sunday.
Holding up a copy of The (Baltimore) Sun, Bishop read the headline aloud: “O’s Reign in Seattle.” Then he added, “But we’ve still got a chance.”
Squeezed between larger storefronts like the smallest player in a team photo, the Seattle Coffee Company is one of those places where the concept of coffee is explored in almost infinite detail. The shop offers a wide variety of beans, grouped according to region of origin. In addition to now-familiar flavors like hazelnut and French vanilla (which you can usually find in your local convenience store) are Viennese Cinnamon, Chocolate Raspberry and Rainforest Crunch.
Free State native Steve Duffy, the proprietor, grew up in Seattle and moved back to Maryland five years ago. A friend of his who coaches baseball back in Seattle heard about KIRO’s plans to send a crew to the area and suggested Duffy’s establishment.
The crew filmed Adam Jackson, 24, of Severna Park, standing and laughing next to a bulletin board covered with newspaper clippings that show the Mariners in a good light.
“We’ve been dead before,” said Black, the reporter from the Pacific Northwest. “We were 2-0 against New York and we came back and won the series.” “That was New York,” said Jackson. “This is Baltimore.” -30-