Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - 47 Years of Seattle Mariners Fandom w/ Ty's Dad

Episode Date: June 15, 2025

Ty is joined by his dad, Dennis, for a special Father's Day episode to discuss 47 years of Mariners fandom, Ty growing up as a Mariners fan, and much more.DONATE TO OUR FEEDING AMERICA FUNDRAISERCheck out our Patreon!Follow the show on Twitter: @LO_Mariners | @TyDaneGonzalez | @CPat11Follow the show on Bluesky: @lockedonmariners | @tdg | @mlbcolbySupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Wonderful PistachiosGet snackin' and get crackin' with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more! Supply HouseJoin the TradeMaster program today at SupplyHouse.com/TM and start ordering plumbing, HVAC, and electrical supplies with just a few clicks. Plus, use promo code S-H-5 for 5% off your first order. That’s SupplyHouse.com! Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONMLB at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, I'll introduce you to the man who got me into the Mariners. You are Locked-on Mariners, your daily Seattle Mariners podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Ahoy, sailors, it is Sunday, June 15th, 2025. This is Taddy Gonzalez for the Lockdown Marr's Father's Day special. For the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. As always, if you want to hear from me and my co-host, Colby, even more, and help support the show.

You can check out our Patreon. All you have to do to check that out is click the link in the description of this episode. Happy Father's Day, everyone. You know, as you know, we usually don't post on Sundays, but I wanted to do a special episode this weekend to sit down with the man who got me into the Marrars. My dad, enjoy. Well, as you know, we've had some really special guests join us here on the Locktime Marrars podcast from, you know, Gary Hill Jr. and Aaron Goldsmith to Jerry DePoto and most recently, Meena, times, but all of them pale in comparison to today's guess. My dad, Dennis.

Hey, pop. Happy Father's Day. Hey. Hey. So we've talked about this. People ask me all the time, how can you be a Maris fan living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada? And I've told them my background of, you know, being born in Washington, bouncing around to New Mexico, eventually coming up here after meeting my wife, Caroline, all that stuff, right?

But for you, more specifically. How does one growing up in Tampa, Florida, eventually become a Seattle Marriers fan? How does that happen? Well, a quick story on that is entered the United States Air Force in 1976. And the fun thing about the Air Force, they let you fill out a dream sheet where you would like to get stationed. So I, of course, from Florida, put the East Coast so I could go back and fly. and I also put, you know, like Japan down. And then all of a sudden I get orders to go to Washington State.

And I thought, I'd never been to the West Coast. I don't know anything about Washington State other than seeing the beautiful pictures. So get into the Air Force there at Tacoma, Washington, McCourt Air Force Base in 1976. And once you get to Washington, you have to find things. things to do to keep you busy because of the weather. So being a sports fan right off the bat, I took to the Mariners. They were starting in 77, and you could hear they were getting geared up. An MLB team coming to the Northwest was huge, huge.

And of course, you already had the supersonic thing, and the Seahawks were just around the corner from starting themselves. So how do I become a Seattle Mariner fan from Florida is because of the United States Air Force planting me there into Oklahoma, Washington, and I got to tell you, it was a blast because the kingdom was quite unique. There was nothing else like it at the time, so that was a big jazz. But to have a professional baseball team to fall was just a kick. So anyway, that's the longer short of the answer to how I became a Seattle Mariner fan for life. It's been since day one. Yeah, yeah. Now, correct me if I'm mistaken, but you were a Yankees fan, at least a little bit growing up in Tampa.

So why not just stay a Yankees fan? Because that team has a lot more of a successful history than the Seattle Mariners. So I'll date myself now. In Florida, when I was a kid, there were no professional. anything sports teams. No NFL, no NBA, obviously, and no MLB. So my dad was kind of big into it. He built us a nice little play area out and back. He put a structure over it, had a roof. And he went out and bought all these Yankee pitchers. There were round pitchers on a metal, like a big pin that you would, but they were something big that you would put on. And it was Roger

Maris and Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. So right in and there, I became a Yankee fan. And, of course, they were winning like crazy in the 50s when I was born in a raised. And of course, my older brother and I, we hung down a lot together, so we were both Yankee fans. And it wasn't until the Atlanta Braves stuck because there was no Atlanta Braves either, by the way.

So I became Atlanta Braves fan and kind of watched them just because. of the close proximity to Tampa where I was born and raised. And so that's kind of got things going. So anyway, answering your question, the Yankees are always been, and then one thing, as a little leaguer and a kid that played, you know, senior little league and ball like that, the Yankees uniform was always the best looking uniform. Those pin stripes, no one held at them.

So I was always caught up with not only with the team good, but they always look good. And that's why I was a Yankee. And I've got to be honest with you, I still watch them today. I really do. If I wasn't a Seattle Mariner fan, I would be a New York Yankee fan without a doubt. You know, you talk about being a Maris fan, being a day one thing for you. That was kind of just naturally a day one thing for me, too.

I mean, you've told me, you know, the story about, you know, watching the game with the doctor as, as mom is getting ready to deliver me in the hospital. hospital. Yeah. You know, I'm sure people would love to hear that story and just kind of about you kind of passing that Mariners fandom down to me. Well,

it all started out with the day of your birth. And what was cool for me is that it was a long way because you were taking forever to come into this world. And it just happened to be a supersonic game and a marining game in the same time while I'm waiting. So for me, not for your mom. It was awesome because I'm in a hospital.

room with her and I'm getting to watch this so it was super good you you were a natural because you did everything with me as far as if there was a sports game on you were right there with me and so you easily captured all that and absorbed it and become part of that and i mean your day-to-day life as a little boy was all about sports if your mom and you weren't playing with a ball out front in the front yard or whatever we were doing something inside you and i sports-wise and so i think that's how it really got started and of course we had every game on and uh in the in the old days what was neat there was no cable so everything was there all and mariners seattle mariners broadcast it every game locally so uh it was easy for you to make in course

The other thing is we would buy you all the, you know, the stuff, the sporty equipment to have like hats and gloves and jersey. So you really bought into it, which was fun because I had a little buddy that watched my sports games with it. And, of course, you got to start knowing their names. I mean, you're two or three years all running around the house saying you're this person or that. So, yeah, it was kind of cool. Yeah.

And I came around at a pretty good time. I mean, Oh, you hit it. That's right. 95 had just happened. You know, Eger had just hit the double,

all that. You know, I didn't really grow up with Griffey as my guy. You know, a lot of people that, that I meet here, that, you know,

are Maris fans or have covered. Like Griffey were, Griffey and A-Rod, like those were their guys, you know, uh, B owner, et cetera.

For me, it was more Ichero, Mike Cameron, you know, the 2001 team, you know, for a lot of people it's like Gary Payton, Sean Kemp with Sonics. For me, it was Ray Allen,

Richard Lewis, right? Absolutely. Yeah. But yeah. Yeah, I was blessed to have three sports teams for you and I to keep up with it. And it was you around. Yeah.

That was what was cool about the different sports. It's like one season ended and you're already getting geared up for the other team or whatever. But yeah, it was a blast. And, of course, my favorite thing with you to do, especially when it came to sports teams in Seattle, is if we were able to get tickets and go to a game,

then it was not living that close Seattle, so we had to take the ferry system over to get to Seattle across the Puget Sound. So there was always a good hour to kill with you on the ferry and joking around and you jumping around. And all we did was gear up for the game. I mean, we would talk about the game and who's pitching and who's this man.

And so anyway, it was to me, that was the joy of enjoying, not only the game, but the before and after. More from my conversation with my dad in just a moment, but first, a reminder of this episode of the Locktime Airs podcast is brought to you by Open Phone. If you run into business, you know that every miss call is money left on the table. Think about the last time you had a service emergency, like a burst pipe. The first plumber didn't answer. Did you wait?

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customers. You and mom kind of had a feeling that I would get into this line of work, didn't you? Yeah. Oh, yeah. I think the tail tape was, I walked past your room and I thought there was a telecast going on or some kind of broadcast. And I opened up the door and you, you You're doing the broadcast. You're simulating a baseball game. And I told myself then, I said, yes. He will either be a broadcaster, but he will be involved with sports. And your whole life, your day-to-day life was sports.

I mean, there wasn't a moment you weren't thinking sports or acting out of sport or whatever it was. So, yeah, you were tuned in. And I'd come home from work and you were ready to go. If there was a game coming on when I got off work, I mean, you and I were glued. And your fans don't know this or the people that follow you don't know this. But you had a Winnie the Pooh chair. It was a little stuff chair, the sponge chair, and it looks like Winnie and Pooh. And you would put the Winnie and Pooh chair right next to my chair.

And you and I would just right there. I was locked in. Yeah, we were locked in on sports on that one. And there's like every player came up. And what amazed me with you was you got to know all the players. Now, you're five, six, seven years old, and you know everyone on the team. And I think you at least knew their batting averages at the time, other than all this other stats. You have to keep open to it.

So, yeah, that kind of told me besides the broadcast in your room, but with you with the sports every day, it really told me, pardon you just a second. And so anyway, yeah, that's kind of how it all got started. And I knew and your mom knew. And of course, she played sports. So it was a natural. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Now, baseball, you know, was a big part, you know, played a big role in your life. You know, also with my brothers who are far older than I am. I came along a little bit later. they were already like my middle brother was already in his late teens my oldest brother was in his early 20s when I was born so you had kind of like already gone through them growing up and showing them ball and introducing them to all that coaching their teams taking them to mariners games stuff like that we have a white mariners hat somewhere in storage that is signed by egger martinez and a few other marries I can't remember exactly who all those signatures belong to. But correct me if I'm wrong on this, but there is a story about you potentially tracking down a couple of Marys players in the Kingdom parking lot

to get that hat signed. Yeah, it was a great story. Banda Gonzalez, we're coming out to the parking lot of the Kingdom. And here is Eager and a couple of other players. I don't remember exactly all with them, but they're all. Hispanic mariner baseball players.

And they're just talking Spanish. And I'm not that fluent in Spanish, but I could understand a little bit what they were saying there. And I kind of just introduced myself. And as soon as I said Dennis Gonzalez, that was it. I mean, they took me in. So we happened to have, I don't know if it was Jason, your brother's hat or Bryant, but we had this hat.

And they all signed it. And I have an Edgar Martinez sign your baseball hat. I mean, that was, that was, now, of course, at that time, he wasn't quite the player yet because I think he was a platoon player at that time and was working his way up to play third base. And then once he got to play in third base, then he pretty much was locked in. But, yeah, that was a wonderful feeling. And your brother's got a kick out of it. So it was kind of a neat time. But yeah, they're just standing in the parking lot, sitting around a card.

And here's Edgar Martinez. and the rest of the guys. So anyway, that's how the hat. So we do have that hat. Yeah. Yeah, that hat is somewhere. I don't know if Jay has that hat or. I think it's still in storage somewhere.

Yeah, with you guys. Yeah. Yeah. If we ever come across that hat, I'll be sure to post it. Yeah. But yeah. So, I know, you know, I hear from a lot of our listeners who are also day one Marin's fans like yourself that, you know, a lot of them say like the,

figures double in 95 you know that whole season will run being you know just culminating in that double it's kind of the best moment for them what is your favorite moment over your many many years watching marries baseball uh watching this too well that's a great question there's a whole bunch of them yeah uh i just some of the home runs that ken griffy junior would hit that sweet swing i mean it's memorable i can every time I think of his name. I think of him hitting a home run. And because it was the swing was so beautiful.

And I believe they've got a statue out front of, yeah, yep, they do. Emobile Park of him, and it's the swing. And I love that statue because of all the different ways they could have done King Griffey,

my chair is lowering itself on, on its own, by the way. Is that my chair is lowering itself as? This chair sucks. People are aware of that, by the way. It's very squeaky. It's typically it was very talkative.

Now it just likes to lower itself on its own. Continue, though. Don't mind me. I mean, there's so many moments in Seattle Mariners history. That's just wonderful. One we should share with your friends and fans is you, your brothers and I took you to the kingdom for the first time. We sit up in the very nose,

that area there is. And the whole game, because you hated when people would cheer. I mean, you were like two years old. And of course, there's cheers in a baseball game all the time. And so they would cheer and you would just cry. And so we went through that experience there. And then after that, you were good. I mean, we can take you to a game in that,

but I guess it was your first Seattle Mariner game in the King. kingdom and I got to tell you. I think only game in the kingdom too. Yeah, it might have been. I think that's the one and only time. Well, for me, I was raised playing baseball on a grass field. There was nothing. I love getting to the baseball park early in the morning as a little leaguer

because the lawn was just cut, the fresh cut smell. And I had been to ballparks before where you can smell the beer and hot dogs in the air and the grass. So once the kingdom was gone and they built at that time Safeco field, it was just, oh, it was precious. Yeah. I mean, that's why I don't like going to the Rogers Center because of the room. Like, I like it when the roof is open. But when the dome is closed, that just, it doesn't feel like baseball to me.

I know people are going to get mad because the kingdom is the greatest thing that, you know, ever existed to a lot of people. But, yeah, to me, baseball, like, it has to be played out. doors has to be played out in the sun. You have to get the smells and all that, the fresh grass on top of the, you know, the beer and the hot dogs and all that good stuff. The locked on air is Father's Day special continues in just a moment. But first, a reminder of this episode is brought to you by Supply House. Get the supplies you need from the site made for the skilled trades. Supply house. Whether you're in plumbing, HVAC, or electrical work, supply house is a reliable way to order products online. They're easy to use website is packed with helpful resources.

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Marr's Father's Day special. I'm here with my dad, Dennis, or reminiscing a little bit, talking about going to Safeco Field back when we lived in Washington State. Still, when people ask me, my favorite memory, going to the ballpark,

I tell them it's not going to the wild card series in Toronto. It's not seeing James Paxton's no-hitter in Toronto. It's not any of the really cool, amazing Mariners' historical moments that I've seen. here where I live now, it's when you took me to Mariners versus Giants in 2001, because that is Etroo's rookie year. And I loved Echero growing up. Now, my camera was my favorite.

But, you know, obviously I loved Eachro. Who wouldn't love Echro? But it was Etero's rookie year. Especially when my camera hits four home runs and one day. I mean. The day after your birthday, by the way. Yeah. The day after your sixth birthday.

How do you beat that? I think that was the moment that, like, Cammy became my guy. Yeah. It was the day after my sixth birthday, and he hits four home runs, which I think when Ehuyeniosuras did that this year, he was only the 17th player to ever hit four home runs on the game.

So, like, that's a very rare company. That's a very rare thing to see someone do. So, yeah, that was really, really cool. But, yeah, so. He played out feel really good. So you love everything. Awesome. Cam. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he was amazing. So, yeah, you know, it was Etrault's rookie year.

Yeah. Barry Bond's doing what he was doing coming to town. Now, I think I, I'm pretty sure I looked up the box score and found out like Barry went like 0 for four in that game. But whatever. It was cool to see Barry bonds in person. Plus we're like sitting in like behind home plate. It was awesome. Freddie Garcia on the bob like when you're talking about 2001 baseball, I mean, you can't really think of a better. script than that. You know, you got the best team's best pitcher at the time. You know, you got rookie each row who's going to win the MVP. You got the National League MVP. Like, yeah, I mean, how could that be any better? So, yeah, that to me is

still like the coolest game I've ever attended. And, you know, we would go to a couple of Mariners games here and there. You know, it was pretty hard getting to Seattle because we would have to drive to Bremerton and then take the ferry. And that would be, you know,

an hour, hour and a half long ordeal to go from where we live to the ballpark and then another hour and a half or so to get back. So that was like a pretty rare instance for us going to the ballpark. But we would be able to make our way to the ballpark at least a couple times a year. You would get tickets sometimes from a company that had a deal with the company that you had worked with. So sometimes you would get tickets through that. We would get booth tickets sometimes and all that good stuff.

But I think my other favorite memory going to SACO was actually not for a game. It was for FanFest when you and my brother, Brian, took me to FanFest, I think, 06, 07. You know, I got to run the bases. I got to be on the field. We got to run along the warning track and all that. That was that was really cool. Yeah, yeah. How fun.

I'm glad you. That's a great memory because I enjoyed it as your father watching you again absorb everything. And you were into it. And then after that, you wanted to go to every fan test after that. I don't know if they do this anymore. You know, someone let us know in the comments, if you know. But they also did when the mirrors were on the road, like in the middle of the season, and they did like catching the outfield day.

Or like you and your family could go, remember you, you being mom, we went the, I think the mayors were in Washington, playing the nationals at the time. This was 06, 07,

I want to say. We got to play catch in the outfield. Yeah. For a while, too, I feel like. I think we were out there for a good 30, 40 minutes. And we,

we got to be out in like center field and really no restrictions on where we, could go and all that. Like, it was, it was super cool. I'm out there, like, diving for balls and stuff. Like, I was having a hell of a time. It was great. But you, you know, of course, you had to have the hat, you know, the shirt, you know,

the uniform. You had to have the look every time we went. So it was fun watching you enjoy it, to be honestly. Of course, I did too. I love baseball. Yeah. Yeah. Watching the Mariners from their infant stages to where there are now has really been fun to

watch them grow up. I think one of the greatest ambassadors of the Seattle Mariners ever was Alvin Davis. I think he's still that way today. And, you know, to see Egger as a hitting coach today and, you know, you see Ichero pop in the dugout every once in a lot. I mean, if I was a guy hitting in baseball, I want those two guys around me to tell me how to hit a baseball. And so I think the Mariners are very fortunate and I think the Mariners are very fortunate to have Danny too so I think it's a big

plus Dan Wilson I to me I I love all the catchers but I Dan Wilson to me was the consummate catcher of the Mariners I got to tell you as a manager he drives me insane oh I know but I got to tell you Cal is my heart and I always text you with different slogans and phrases is I won't say. I get such a good to kick out of him. But yeah. So, yeah, just a kid got watching some

of these players. But Alvin Davis always won my heart over as being, truly he is, I mean, other than King Griffey, Jr. He's really Mr. Mariner, but so is Alvin Davis in my eyes. For sure. For sure. So you mentioned a little bit

about the end game text that you'll send me. Yeah. And now I've posted some of these on Twitter. Oh, no. I probably think you. Mostly, no, no, no, not really the Caltex. Mostly your obsession with Dillamore. Oh, God.

Now, my co-host, Colby, is notoriously very hot and cold on Dillimore. Oh, I see. Yeah. Sometimes Dillmore is the worst player ever that's ever put on a uniform. Sometimes, hey, I'm taking Dillamore as my guy. this year. Like, he'll do that as well. But yeah, you have this thing about Dillamore being a ball

player. And now it's kind of become a thing. Like there are a couple of people, not a lot, but a couple of people on Twitter who follow me, who whenever Dillamore will do, does something, they'll tweet at me, ball player 25.

Which is what you typically text me. So I want to know what constitutes a ball player. player. What makes a ball player a ball player? You know, he's got his head in the game. And I just, from him playing in the field to when he's up at bat, he is so totally tuned in. I get a kick how he kind of bounces around the plate is like if he swings and misses, he kind of does this little jump type of thing that he does. But his physique, he looks like a baseball player. He's fit.

Just the way he plays infield. I love his batting skills. He's the consummate ballplay. He looks every bit of the part on that. I got to tell you, I'm getting the same feeling with Ben. Ben Williamson, I think, is another true ball player. I'm trying to think of the new kid on second base now. Cole Young, yeah.

See, these young players that come up are just, they're just true ballplayers. Cole Young's ball player. I call him Big Butt, but 29, boy. That's a ball player too. That kid is like a sponge behind the plate. Oh, is incredible.

You never see past balls get past him. I got to tell you, if you're thinking of stealing on him, most times you're going to be thrown out at second base. Yeah, I'm glad that we got your definition of what a ball player is who earns that title so ben williamson and cole young now you guys are officially ball players well dad uh this is really really awesome this was something that i wanted to do during the uh during the off season uh but i figured father's day would be the best time to do this so so yeah this was this was really cool uh i hope people enjoyed it and uh yeah hey maybe we can get

Colby and his dad. Yeah, let me talk like this next time. So I hope I didn't bore your fans. No, no, absolutely not. Colby is on here every single episode. What are you talking about? It was fun for me to do it. And it just brings up a lot of memories about you and, of course,

about the Seattle Mariners. And I think what a wonderful gift to us as a family, the Seattle Mariners have been, because of all the conversations in the house or we're driving the car, I mean, we talked a lot of sports. And so now, the Seattle Mariners today, God, God love us. Get going. Thank God for Jorge last night because I was a little worried there in the night. We can't afford to get into extra any.

No. They'll turn around. It's like any season. I'll be interested to see what they do at the trading deadline. I hope they all get some, a couple of good bats. Yeah, that would be nice. That would be great for,

for business around these parts. Your mom and I always talk about when they're not doing well, and we're thinking, okay, how's those podcasts going? And I was going to look at it a little bit differently. At least it strikes up a conversation. I mean, we can all sit there and say, this is wrong and that's wrong, and what's wrong with Dan, and what's wrong with Jerry?

and why aren't they doing this and that. Yeah. So it creates a conversation. So I think winning or losing and from your perspective, it's good either way because it creates conversation. Yeah, well.

Yeah, buddy, thanks. Appreciate the time and enjoy it. You made my father's day today. For sure. Happy Father's Day, Pop. All right, buddy. Thank you. And that's going to do it for our show. Happy Father's Day once again to all the dads out there. Thank you so much for joining us here on the Lockdown Marys podcast.

I've been your host, Tiding Azzalus. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at L.O. underscore Marrers. You can follow me at Tiding Azales and my co-s Colby at C-Pat-E-1-1. We're also on Blue Sky. You can follow me at TDG, Colby and MLB Colby, and the show at Lockdown Mariners. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok at Lockdown Marrars. Have yourself a beautiful baseball day and we'll see you next time. Peace.