Where not to catch Hawks fever

For every packed stadium, every big turnout, there is The Lonely Place.

Atlantic City after Miss America ran off to Vegas last weekend. Howard Dean's campaign offices after the howl heard 'round the world. The Wendy's counter after that grifter lied about finding a finger in her chili. On Monday, Seattle's lonely place was the Mariners Team Store.

Wedged between Olive Way and Stewart Street, it sits near the heart of downtown. Lights on, ramp out front. Come on in.

Inside, though, the only sounds were the electronic chirp of the front door and REM's "It's the End of the World As We Know It" on the radio.

It's true, you know. The Super Bowl-less world of the Seattle Seahawks has ended. They are winners, no longer the lummoxlike big brother to the favorite child Mariners.

Shove over, pipsqueak, with your little white uniform, your FanFest, your dancing moose.

The scowling Seahawks are the NFC champions. It says so on the $20 T-shirts that were selling like crazy across the street at Macy's.

But here at the Mariners store, you could get a pair of shorts with "Seattle" on the butt for $19.99. A Ryan Franklin T-shirt for $9.99 (ouch). Or a "Mariners Menus" book, in which just-retired pitcher Shigetoshi Hasegawa lists Ding Dongs as his favorite snack.

"But no championship stuff that we could find," groused Ed Stefanatz, 63, in from Kalispell, Mont., for Sunday's game. "Got a couple of Mariners hats. Kind of a time killer."

Ouch again.

The Mariners don't need to sell more shirts, Baker said, they need better pitchers. They need Lou Piniella back.

Now where could they get Seahawks stuff?

Across the street, where Macy's salespeople stood by the door like the sample ladies at Costco asking "Seahawks?" They directed customers to several racks of championship T-shirts, where a crowd was circling like, well, hawks.

People draped three, four, five shirts over their arms. They were sending them back East, to Chicago, to loved ones and those not so loved — just to show 'em.

Karen Burmeister, 43, of Bonney Lake was buying a shirt for her dad, who is about to turn 75. Katie Wiemerslage, 21, of Seattle was spending a gift card she got for her wedding.

"Tomorrow is when the mother lode comes in," said salesperson Vibe Smith, 26.

Back across the street, Margie McDowell, 43, of San Diego was tip-toeing out the door of the Mariners store as if she had just walked into the wrong funeral.

"I felt so bad because it was so quiet in there," she said. All she wanted was a Seahawks hat for her son.

But Judi Buetow was in there with intent: tickets for this weekend's FanFest.

"I saw the game yesterday and I knew it was going to be slow," she said, then turned to two women about to head in.

"We're hoping they have some Seahawks stuff ... ?"

Nicole Brodeur's column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Reach her at 206-464-2334 or nbrodeur@seattletimes.com.

She'd follow Parcells anywhere.