From www.seattlepi.com- Baseball and strippers don’t mix in the minds of Seattle Mariners management, thus the club’s lawyers were in King County Superior Court on Monday for a hearing on the team’s lawsuit against the City of Seattle seeking to prevent the opening of a Deja Vu club just down the street from Safeco Field.

Judge John Erlick listened to briefings from both sides in the permitting dispute, but did not issue a ruling. He indicated a decision would be forthcoming in the next 60 days.

The Mariners are challenging the city’s interpretation of its own law that requires an 800-foot buffer zone between adult clubs and schools, community centers, parks and open spaces where children congregate.

The Mariners contend that Safeco Field falls under the definition of a park or open space in this situation.

“The City Council believed there was a good reason to separate strip clubs from uses where there are children present, and we agree, and we believe the ballpark should be included among those uses,” said Mariners spokesperson Rebecca Hale.

The proposed Deja Vu would be located on First Avenue just south of Safeco Field, about 400 feet from the main home-plate entrance. Hale said the backdoor of the proposed club would be about 120 feet from a parking garage plaza where school buses frequently drop off groups of kids attending games at Safeco Field.

“If this were a block south, we would not have any issue with the granting of the permit,” Hale said. “Our concern is simply the proximity. If it were 800 feet or more we would not have the same concerns.”