OAKLAND, Calif. . -- The Seattle Mariners are getting good at spoiling the Oakland Athletics openers. This year, theyve done it twice. On two different continents, no less. More than a week since pausing a series that began in Japan, Chone Figgins had three hits and two RBIs, and Kyle Seager singled twice and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Mariners past the As 7-3 on Friday night in the stateside opener for both teams. "Great reopening day," said Seattle shortstop Brendan Ryan, who had two hits and a walk. "Its great to get restarted on a great note and doing the best we could to make them pay." Again. Seagers two-run single highlighted a four-run third inning that broke the game open for the Mariners, resuming the second half of a four-game series that started with a split in Japan. With the first victory going to the Mariners in each, Seattle has won its opener in Oakland three straight seasons. "Opening day has been pretty good to us," said Jason Vargas (1-0), who allowed five hits in 5 1-3 innings. His only mistake was a cutting fastball crushed by Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes to deep left-centre field for a two-run homer, the second long ball of the season for Oaklands new centre fielder. McCarthy (0-1) gave up five runs -- two earned -- on seven hits in five innings. The As never really mounted a threat, and settled for another setback against Seattle. A wacky way to start the season finally began to resemble normalcy in the Coliseums confines. The series began March 28 in Japan. Both teams returned to the U.S. to finish up the spring training schedule -- oddly squeezed between the series and spread out over more than a week -- before resuming meaningful games. The Mariners moved back into regular-season mode fast. For that matter, so did the As. After Brendan Ryan doubled to lead off the third, Figgins bunted up the third-base line. Josh Donaldsons throw to first pushed hustling second baseman Jemile Weeks into the baseline, getting his hand crushed by Figgins and sending the ball -- and Weeks glove -- into the spacious grass in foul territory. McCarthy gave up a single to Dustin Ackley and a walk to Ichiro Suzuki to load the bases. He almost squeezed out of the jam when Justin Smoak flied out and Jesus Montero hit a sacrifice fly to right. But Suzuki stole second and Seager followed with a two-run single to put the Mariners ahead 4-0, earning a smattering of boos from a rare crammed Coliseum crowd -- announced a sellout at 35,067 -- that has saved its best dismay for July, August and September in recent years. "The whole game was disappointing," As manager Bob Melvin said. "You want to make a good first impression. We dont get to play in front of too many crowds like that." Only the newest and highest paid As player gave fans something to cheer about. Cespedes smacked a cutting fastball off Vargas that hit the second-deck facade in left-centre in the fourth, taking a long stare at the ball and bringing the bright yellow-and-green clad fans roaring to their feet for a soaring shot sparingly hit by the home team. The two-run homer sliced Seattles lead to 5-2 and gave As faithful some hope they mightve finally signed some pop. "Ive hit longer home runs in Cuba," Cespedes said. "For me, I just want to bring the power to the team. I tried to get a good pitch and make better contact." Cespedes home debut wasnt a complete success. He also struck out with two on in the sixth and again in the eighth after Jonny Gomes run-scoring single to finish 1 for 4. The Mariners added two more runs in the sixth off reliever Jordan Norberto to go ahead 7-2, spoiling one of Oaklands biggest nights of the year and setting the stage to take the season-opening series. Seattle will send ace Felix Hernandez to the mound opposite fellow right-hander Bartolo Colon for Saturday nights finale. The Mariners pushed Hernandezs second start back so he could pitch the home opener in Seattle next Friday against Oakland. NOTES: Oakland RF Josh Reddick is learning to speak a few Spanish words now that Cespedes is in centre. Asked how the two communicate, Reddick joked, "As long as he knows how to say I got it, were good. I dont want to run into that brick wall." ... A moment of silence was held before the game for victims of a shooting at nearby Oikos University on Monday that killed seven people. ... Gene Tenace, who won the 1972 World Series MVP for Oakland, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. [url=http://www.officialmlbclub.com/Chicago-White-Sox-Luis-Aparicio-Jersey.html]... Aparicio Jersey . - Gerald Wallace knew exactly when the Portland Trail Blazers had the Los Angeles Lakers beaten. Eduar... Vargas Chile Jersey . Joffrey Lupuls status is now the biggest question mark surrounding the club as the Maple Leafs continue the push for their first playoff berth since 2004. . Chicagos current 10-game road trip took it to the Rogers Centre last night, a place where the White Sox had lost 12 of their previous 14 trips. However, they were able to break through last night in a tight 3-1 victory thanks to a pair of errors by the Blue Jays in the ninth inning. [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseysbest.us/]Cheap NFL Jerseys . Instead, Iguodala was slotted into the Dwight Howard blockbuster, with Denver winning his rights in exchange for Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington and a first round pick (the lesser of two picks, Denvers own or New Yorks, in 2014). KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia -- Another day, another title for Lindsey Vonn. A day after clinching her fifth consecutive World Cup downhill title, the American sealed her third straight super-combined trophy Sunday after the final race in the discipline this season was cancelled due to heavy snowfall on the Sochi 2014 Olympics course. The International Ski Federation (FIS) had initially said the race might be rescheduled for Are, Sweden, next month, but then scrapped that idea. "You never want to have a (title) clinched with a cancelled race," Vonn said. "I had it happen to me last year at the finals for the overall globe, and Ive won a super-combined title before in this way when they cancelled the last super-combined in Crans Montana. ... I would love to have another chance to be on the podium, but today was just not meant to be." Vonn now has 14 World Cup titles in her career, and shes on course to add two more before the end of this season with a fourth overall globe and a fourth super-G title. After the cancellation in Crans Montana two years ago sparked controversy, the FIS created a rule which states that a title can be awarded if two of three races are completed in a discipline. With just two super-combi races completed this season, Vonn took the title with 180 points, 55 points ahead of Slovenias Tina Maze and 60 points in front of Austrias Nicole Hosp. Both completed super-combi races were held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, last month. Vonn won the first and finished second behind German rival and friend Maria Hoefl-Riesch in the other. "Its a joke with just two races," said Hoefl-Riesch, who finished fourth in the standings, 70 points behind. "They should only have super-combi at world championships and Olympics. In World Cup, its too much for the four-event skiers." The FIS seems to share Hoefl-Rieschs view, with no more super-combi races on the World Cup schedule in future years. Organizers first delayed the start of Sundays racee by a half-hour, then an hour, then called it off completely, ending the Alpine test events for the Sochi Games on a sour note. Ry... OReilly Avalanche Jersey Canada. "I definitely think it was the right decision," Vonn said. "All the girls talked in the finish after the second inspection and we all felt it wasnt safe enough and we gave them some time to keep working on the course, and they definitely made progress, but unfortunately the snow was just rotten, it was just like sand -- an endless pit of nothing -- theres no surface. "Its not safe enough to race and Im really happy with the decision, because safety is the most important thing and were all safe today," Vonn added. Thursdays downhill training session was also cancelled due to heavy snowfall and low visibility, although there was also criticism about a lack of course workers. "The snow here is really difficult to prepare, because you have (an artificial base layer) and then comes 10-20-30 metres of natural snow and you have to mix it," said Wolfgang Mitter, an Austrian who is co-ordinating the races for the Russian ski federation. There were only about 200 slippers on hand to prepare the courses here, whereas there are often twice that many at other World Cup stops. "There are some things to improve," Mitter said. "We will educate much more (slippers) all over Russia." Mitter said 50 extra volunteers from Sochi came up Saturday, but they didnt help much. "If they dont know how ski sport works you cannot work with them," Mitter said. "You need specialists. You need hundreds (of) experienced people, and we will educate them, as we did in the last year and a half. You have to have a complete mens team and womens team -- maybe about 600-700 (people). You need it if there are conditions like today." Vonn and the other top-ranked women now travel to Moscow for a special parallel event Tuesday, while the full circuit resumes in Bansko, Bulgaria, next weekend. ' ' '