From the Quantum Fiber Studio.

This is Bump and Stacey on Seattle Sports.

Streaming through the Seattle Sports app and at SeattleSports.com.

Now here are your hosts, Michael Bumpus and Stacey Ross.

Mayor's broadcaster Gary Hill, joining us now in the Emerald Queen Casino Sportsbook Hotline. Gary, how's it going? I'm doing very well. How are you? It's great to chat again. I, you know what? We were thinking this about Riz the other day. Just talking with you guys again makes it feel like, oh my God, we're right back into it. You know, it was a heartbreaking end to the season. I'm not going to

dwell on it too much, but there's something that gets your heart racing when you start feeling

like it's back around and anything is possible. What I will say, Gary, is I'm not out there.

Tell me, it sure seems like the excitement is something you can feel out there.

I think that's right.

It's palpable.

There's a lot of optimism, and it comes from everywhere.

I mean, you're talking, when you talk to players, you hear the optimism, you hear the expectations, you hear the goals, you talk to front office folks, you talk to coaches. You talk to the fans around.

Everybody's on the same page.

The expectations, I think, are probably as high as they've ever been going into a season, which is great.

And those expectations are being embraced all the way around.

Players have not been shy about throwing around World Series and winning it all and that sort of thing.

And that's, I think, from a fan perspective, that's got to be exactly what you want to hear going into a season, especially coming off of the heartbreak of last year.

And it feels like that has been used as some motivation as well, trying to get back

and go in the distance this time around.

What are the fans like?

I mean, you mentioned the expectations.

Does it feel a bit more crowded this time around than usual?

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