SEATTLE -- Seattle Mariners owner George Argyros, who once proclaimed 'patience is for losers,' now says time is what develops winners.
Argyros has had an unprofitable and stormy five-year reign as owner of the Mariners. In a preseason appearance before several hundred influential businessmen at the Seattle Rotary Club Wednesday, Argyros seemed to want to put the era of bad feelings behind him.
'As owner I've learned a lot,' he said. 'I've learned patience. It's hard for me to remember ever saying those terrible words: 'Patience is for losers.' But in fact I did.
'Patience is actually for winners. And to build a world championship team in Seattle, we need patience.'
His relationship with the Seattle community reached its lowest point during a two-year battle over re-negotiating the club's lease to play in the Kingdome -- a fight that culminated in a new lease agreement for the club and King County Executive Randy Revelle's defeat at the polls last fall.
The Mariners are about to enter their 10th year as a major league franchise. In addition to being an anniversary year, 1986 is also notable for the Mariners because it is the first season under the new lease.
A key element of the agreement is an escape clause that allows the Mariners to break their lease if they do not average 1.4 million in attendance over the next two years or sell 10,000 season tickets annually.
Despite the threat of losing the club to another city, the team's season ticket sales have improved only marginally since last year.
As of Wednesday, the Mariners had sold about 3,850 season tickets. The club still hopes to sell more than 4,000 season tickets for 1986, but that is little more than last year's total of 3,950.
Unlike other occasions when Mariner officials have been critical of the city's business community for failing to support the baseball team, Argyros avoided the subject of ticket sales in his talk to the Rotarians.
Later, talking to reporters, Argyros was optimistic about 1986 attendance prospects, saying the chances are 'very good' for reaching the important 1.4 million figure.
'Our season tickets are above last year,' he said. 'Group ticket sales are above last year. I think everything is on an up beat.
'I'm not depressed about it. I think it's coming very well. What we've got to do is win on the field and I think our fans will be there.'
Last year, the Mariners drew 1.1 million at home while compiling a 74-88 record.
Among the other topics Argyros touched on Wednesday:
-- Salaries. Seattle's major league payroll has increased from $2.2 million in 1981 when Argyros bought the club to an estimated $8 million this year.
'We are doing our best to pay competitive salaries,' said Argyros. 'But we must be fiscally responsible. In our market, we just don't have the revenues to match payrolls of $12 million and $16 million of the New York Yankees and California Angels.'
-- Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth. Argyros was on the eight-member owners committee that selected Ueberroth to replace Bowie Kuhn.
'Peter is an interesting man,' said Argyros. 'I don't agree with every move he makes. He's an independent sort of guy. He does have leadership ability and he has the confidence of owners. He has the ability to straighten out our fiscal affairs because he can lead.'
-- Drugs. 'Illegal drug use has no business on our baseball team and no business in our society,' said Argyros. 'All of my fellow owners and I are committed to eradicating illegal drug use out of major league baseball because it's a role model and because it's so important to our country.'
