The Mariners might "have a phenomenon on their hands" with a new cheering section at Safeco Field dedicated to P Felix Hernandez, according to Seth Kolloen of GRANTLAND.com. Attendance "has reached as high as 1,000 in an area that usually hosts only a handful of patrons." The Mariners created "The King's Court" this season in part because Seattle fans "adore the homegrown star." Mariners Dir of Marketing Gregg Greene said, "There was this community surrounding Felix already, and we wanted to bring it into the park and make sure it was an event when he started at Safeco." For games when Hernandez starts, Mariners fans can pay $30 for a "free 'King' T-shirt, a large piece of yellow card stock with a blue 'K' printed on it, and a seat that's regularly $40." Kolloen noted 10 seasons removed from their "last playoff appearance, the Mariners are suffering their worst attendance" since '95. All 11 of the "smallest crowds in Safeco Field history have come this season." From the outside, "The King's Court" looks like a "savvy way to fill otherwise vacant seats," but it is "more than that." For the "rest of the stadium and the TV audience, it adds energy to an unremarkable Wednesday afternoon game." The Dodgers "tried something similar two years ago" with the "Mannywood" section at Dodger Stadium for Manny Ramirez. Kolloen noted MLS Sounders games are the "toughest ticket of the summer" in Seattle, and the support at CenturyLink Field "makes Sounders games like no other sporting event in town." Mariners games "had that electricity in the late 1990s," and team officials "need to bring back that excitement, even if it means discounting tickets." Greene said, "We definitely are going to have The King's Court for the rest of the season. And hopefully as long as Felix is pitching here" (GRANTLAND.com, 7/6).
