Let’s get out prowling, and see what we find.

FYI, the word “prowling” came to me after seeing a very clever cartoon.

It pictured two silly and out-of-place tourists, surrounded by fancy and useless gear as they settled in for lunch on a blanket — somewhere in the African bush.

Just behind some foliage and perilously close to the unsuspecting pair, two lions looked on pleasantly.

Then.

One of the mighty cats said: “Let us prey.”

That’s the sort of mood I’m in, as we spin through a Tuesday “Out and About” column.

What’s up, then?

Well, it’s always news when the Seahawks make their final cut to 53 players on the active roster.

The headliner this time was the release of receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who had been signed to a one-year, $3 million deal as a free agent.

MVS was meant to provide a deep threat for the remodeled Seahawks offense, but he was a disappointment in camp despite getting most of his reps with the No. 1 unit.

This is an old story.

Marquez had moments, but not enough of them, in seven years with Green Bay, Kansas City, Buffalo, and New Orleans.

He caught 205 passes for 20 touchdowns, but carries the tag of an underachiever.

Once again, MVS is scouring the NFL want ads.

ITEM: Yes, there have been occasional downers (see above), but coach Mike Macdonald and folks throughout the organization feel seriously optimistic about the Seahawks.

There are questions, of course, but Coach Mac and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak believe this team (10-7 a year ago) has a chance to make a major jump into the playoffs this fall.

Kubiak’s outside zone running game has everyone excited, to the point that the offensive line — a laughing stock just last season — actually looks ready to bang some people around.

We’re going to see misdirection, motion, use of the tight end (or two), and a fullback while this offense keeps the field balanced.

New quarterback Sam Darnold will have to produce, but the staff has some off-the-wall stuff to help him — specifically involving rookie QB Jalen Milroe, a terrific running threat.

“We’re going to have plays for him in the game plans, and he’s going to rep those with the ones,” Macdonald said.

I’m thinking this team will be more exciting than some Seahawk versions of the recent past.

Hope so.

ITEM: Let’s slip away from football for a minute.

This next item comes from Zachary Rymer of MSN, and it concerns a headache that has plagued the Mariners forever.

The issue of endless mileage might very well catch up with Seattle-based athletes near the end of seasons.

Rymer notes that commissioner Rob Manfred is once again addressing expansion, and believes it will have a knock-on effect.

“I think the two topics (expansion and realignment) are related in my mind,” Manfred said. “I think if we expand, it provides us with an opportunity to geographically realign.

“I think we could save a lot of wear and tear on our players in terms of travel, and I think our postseason format would be even more appealing for entities like ESPN.”

Consider the current American League West, home to Seattle, Anaheim, Sacramento (eventually Las Vegas), suburban Dallas and Houston.

These are the teams the Mariners play the most, and it’s not ideal that three of them are at least 1,100 miles away.

This season the Mariners will travel a total of 44,622 miles, the fourth-most of any team.

Though this is not THE reason the Mariners have a .471 winning percentage away from T-Mobile Park since 2000, it may be ONE reason.

You wonder: How much easier could their travel schedule become once MLB expands and realigns?

Hmmm.

ITEM: Baseball needs to rethink its entire set of official statistics.

I’m not talking about mega-complicated advanced analytics understood only by split-finger junkies with too much time on their hands.

No, this is about reasonable stats meant for everyday fans.

I’m going to get deeper into this topic in another column — since there are endless statistics that need to be tweaked or bounced out completely.

But we can start, right?

Yep.

Reader Al Goodwin wrote: “Why do they continue to keep a pitcher’s won-lost record when the pitcher only controls half of the equation?

“The two real pitcher’s stats that matter are ERA and WHIP.”

Al’s mostly right, especially about WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched).

Does anyone even check a won-lost record anymore?

Doubt it.

Email: jscameron14@gmail.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”