Seattle Mariners Ready to Get to Work, Turn Things Around

The Mariners open their spring training camp today in Arizona for players in the area, with the official opening set for Tuesday now that the players’ lockout has ended.

Team spokesman Dave Aust said the first formal workouts with all players on hand would be held after equipment is hauled by truck to Tempe, Ariz., probably Wednesday or Thursday.

The lockout ended Sunday with agreement between major league owners and the players’ union.

“Now we can get down to the business of playing baseball,” said Mariners President Woody Woodward.

“We understand a lot of adjustments to the normal routines have to be made, but we have no doubt that our ballclub will be ready to go whenever everybody else is.”

“It’s been a long wait, and I think this is like lifting some huge weight off all of us,” Manager Jim Lefebvre said. “Now we can get to work.”

Before the settlement was announced, new club owner Jeff Smulyan said he feared an extended stalemate would hamper his group’s efforts to turn around a team that never has had a winning season.

“Other towns, other teams have tradition, histories of success. There is a good chance their fans will forgive and forget,” he said. “In Seattle, we are in a building situation.

“We have been trying to turn things around, to build a winner and tradition. We can do this, but this is no way to start.”