ALN: J.P. Crawford, a Star

The difference is slight, but it's a different concept – it's actually the sky that washes out the stars until night falls. The Sun's light hits the atmosphere, the layers of gas that makes our planet inhabitable, and it scatters, creating a strong, cohesive blanket of diffused light that hides the stars from us.

The overall suckiness of this 2026 Mariners team has felt like a relentless sun beating down on us, meeting and scattering across the atmosphere of a unyieldingly and increasingly foul discourse. To be clear, I can't say that I 100% blame The Discourse – between players playing hurt, underperformance from stars, performance from reinforcements, concussions, managing decisions, on and on and on, there has been plenty of fuel for the fire. But this year, it's felt like the little moments of joy, the stars of this season, have felt few, far between, and hard to see.

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 26: J.P. Crawford #3 of the Seattle Mariners rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the seventh inning during the game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Saturday, September 26, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Conor Lacefield/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images In the final weekend of the season (for Seattle, at least), both the Mariners failure to make the playoffs and the farewell festivities for Rick Rizzs have shone brightest. The fact that this is likely our farewell to J.P. Crawford , Mariner, has felt a little bit lost in the scatter.