Locked On Mariners - Daily Podcast On the Seattle Mariners - Mailbag Oddesy, Part II: Mascots and Autographs

Episode Date: December 27, 2020

Jon MIller and D.C. go farther into the fan mailbag. A question about mascots develops into a conversation about features at modern ballparks, which then goes into players signing autographs. D.C. talks about which players are more generous with their time than most, and also relays two stories about players who rejected requests for autographs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This is Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Here's your host, D.C. Lundberg. J.M., thank you very much. I am indeed D.C. Lundberg, bringing you another edition of Locked-on Mariner's, part of the Locked-on podcast network, or T-L-O-P-N, or, in fact, Tlopin. Please remember to download rate and subscribe to this program. We're using whichever podcasting app that you personally care to use. We're brought to you by Billed Bar, by the way.

Also please remember to ask your smart device to play Locked-on Mariners podcast or any program here on Tlopin. Follow us on Twitter at L-O-O- underscore Mariners. And follow me on Twitter at L-O-U-O-U-N-Skourn. No, follow me on Twitter, D-C-U-N-B-E-R-G, if you're scoring at home. The old mouth went a little bit ahead of the brain there. In any case, I'm joined once again by Locked-on Mariners contributor, John Miller. John, how art thou? Thou art doing very well.

to comment. I think maybe because of my contributions to your show, one of your sponsors was stalking me a little bit. I didn't engage with them at all, and I got an invite to like the built bar page on Facebook. Seriously? So I went ahead and liked it.

That's interesting. I have not gotten such an invite. Of course, I don't check Facebook anymore, but you know what, let's do that right now. I'm going to check to see. Clyde, we'll get to you in a second. I'm going to check to see, ladies and gentlemen, if I have gotten such an invitation, I can't believe you have, and I

haven't. And let's see. No, no, no, no such invitation. So you got the invite, and I didn't, even though this is my show. Clive Braithwaite the fourth is back with us. To read the emails once again, Clive, how are you doing?

I am doing fine. We'll begin part two of this mailbag extravaganza with a rather silly question from Jane in Topeka, She asks, are you the very mortal of a modern major general? Yes, somebody actually asked that question. Clive, I'm curious. Can you say that any faster? Of course I can. Are you the very mortal of a modern major general?

Now, would you like me to say backwards? No, I don't think that's necessary. I'll answer that question this way. I have information, vegetable, animal, and mineral. I know the Kings of England, and I quote the fights historical, from Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical, and to preemptively answer a question that you out there might ask me,

the answer is no. I cannot say that any faster. John, I don't really, I don't know if I need to toss to you on this one or not. Have you got any thoughts on this ludicrous question? Other than to quote Gilbert and Sullivan anymore, I'm not sure what modern Major General would be like. I may neither, but I'm going to,

glad our listeners have a sense of humor. And I appreciate you, I appreciate the question, quite honestly, because it also brought to mind one of the funnier bits that I've ever seen on the Muppet show involving the late Gilda Radner and a giant carrot. Do you know what I'm talking about, John? I strangely enough do know what you are talking about. Yes, awesome. All right, moving out of that, Clive, what have we got next?

Now for a baseball question. This is from Jeffing Kirkland. What are your thoughts on team mascots? Do you have a favorite? Should a team have more than one like the Spokane Indians, or is one enough? Hmm. You know, I really don't have a favorite mascot. And in terms of whether team should have two or not, I think that kind of depends on the team.

I know that you're not old enough to remember this, John, but hearing that brought to mind, Rubarb and Ribby, the two mascots that the White Sox tried in the 1980s that everybody hated. And they had never had a mascot before. And the new ownership group, pardon me,

wanted to change things up so they brought in these two ridiculous-looking creatures. Do you know what I'm talking about? I do know what you're talking about. And they were indeed ridiculous and understand why people did not like them. Yes. They actually lasted almost a decade, believe it or not, before they were tired.

were retired, I believe, in 1988. Could be wrong about that year, but I don't know. It really depends on the team. And there are some teams out there that I don't think should have a mascot. The Yankees spring to mind just because they've never had one, and they're so steeped in tradition that, you know, why start now? Although the Red Sox did buck that trend by introducing Wally the Green Monster in 1997. And I actually remember the game in which he debuted because it was against the

The Mariners. The Mariners were in town. I don't know if you remember this, John, but the Mariners were in town, and the Red Sox busted out their new mascot, and as he was cartwheeling around the field and doing all his antics and trying to entertain everybody, he was just getting booed mercilessly, and I actually felt sorry for him. A 12-year-old me felt sorry for this fictional character, and I can't explain why. But the Red Sox stuck with him, and he grew on the Red Sox fan base. and he's still there, and he's now part of the Red Sox. John, what are your thoughts on Wally the Green Monster? I do not have a problem with Wally the Green Monster. I believe my sister actually had his book a number of years back, talking about him living in the Wall and Fenway. And that is actually a very creative take for a mascot, because you would wonder, okay,

what would the Yankees or the Red Sox or the White Sox or something, are they going to have a guy as a white stocking out there on the field? And so going to play on what a major feature of their ballpark is very creative. It is very creative. You know, I was 12 at the time and I liked them. So, you know, why not? And like I said, the Red Sox fans did grow to like him. In part because of Jerry Remy, who's been brought,

broadcasting Red Sox games for years after playing for the Red Sox. Jerry Remmy took a liking to him and would, you know, kind of talk him up on the broadcasts. And I guess the Red Sox fan said, hey, if Jerry Remmy can like this cat, so can we. And I guess the rest is history. We have not mentioned the Mariners Moose, who is actually among the favorite mascots overall in baseball. He's one of the better ones. And he was introduced in 1990. I'll give you a little bit of story on him.

The Mariners held a contest for local fifth graders. to choose their new mascot, and they got over 2,500 entries. It was for children 14 and under. A fifth grader from Ferndale submitted the winning entry, and his entry said, quote, I chose the moose because they are funny, neat, and friendly. The moose would show that the Mariners enjoy playing and that they still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

It shows they're having fun no matter what the situation, end quote. And considering that the Mariners were horrible during this time, period, having fun, you know, despite the fact that they sucked, I guess was important. And do you remember, John, this just sprung to mind for some reason. Do you remember when the moose was injured during the 1995 playoffs? You know, I actually do remember that. And then when the Mariners played the Indians in the America League Championship series, their mascot was injured, Slyder.

So they had, you know, two mascots on the disabled list, so to speak. Another oddity from the moose is that he used to wear the year on his jersey. Like if it was 1994, he'd wear uniform number 94, 1995, he wore 95, and so on. In 1996, 1996 is the last season he did that. But the mayors called up Makoto Suzuki from the minor leagues, and he requested uniform number 96. So the moose and Suzuki had the same number at the same time. Suzuki wound up only pitching one game, and it was in a number.

a way game. So we're never on the field at the same time. And starting the next year, the moose, the moose, the moose wore double zero. Mike Morse never wore double zero gang, and he's not a mascot. But I don't, that's neither here nor there, but it's kind of a neat story. And the reason Makoto Suzuki won't number 96 is because his fastball topped out at 96 miles an hour. He was set back down to the minor leagues and came back up, I believe, in 1998, I want to say. What are your thoughts on mascots, John? I just, I spent this whole. whole time babbling and I never really threw to you. I like the idea of mascots.

It can be great to, and we'll probably get to this on some other segment on a show. I'm not a big fan of some of the attractions they bring to ballpark. Some of them will have playgrounds or you've got a, is it in Arizona? They've got a pool or a hot tub or something. They got a pool in center field, yeah. It was a small pool. And I'm not a fan of that. I can't say I want to sit there and turn into a prune while I watch the ball game.

I think it does make for good TV, though, when there's some nice-looking women out there in their bathing suits, but that's just me. It does do that, and seeing them trying to catch a home run ball is always nice. Or when a home run actually lands in the pool and somebody who's not in their bathing suit, who has all their clothes on just all of a sudden dives in the pool for the ball. That's happened a few times. That is good to watch. But having a mascot to attract the kids, I remember going to a ballpark and getting a ball sign that I had purchased in the gift shop.

I've never caught a ball at a ballpark. Or getting a, you'd get the team set and have the mascot card and you get the mascot to sign it. And that might be the only signature you get depending on if the players are still hanging out. And for those that are listening, I did grow up at the Kingdom and Safeco Field. I also grew up at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. So the players are a little more welcoming to that. And DC, you might be able to fill us in on that. There might be more restrictions as to how long the players are allowed to be out in the major leagues

or what interaction they're allowed to have. And some players are just snobs. Yes, they are. And they want you to pay for an autograph or something like that. And others, they're the known that if they're having an autograph session, the people have to, okay, you have to get in the car. You have to leave because they're going to sign for everyone. You know that actually brings to mind something that I do want to bring up,

but I will bring it up in the second half of the show because we are way past two for the trivia corner. And today's trivia corner is a hall pass. And today's subject had a 19-year major league career in the 1960s, 1970s, 1970s, and 1980s. He has a career slash line of 294,

329, 446. He has 2,599 hits, 440 doubles, 272 home runs, 1,308 runs batted in. He led the league in hits twice, and he also played 162 games, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

6. six times. He also played 163 games once, and in the Strike Short in 1981, played all of his team's games. And in addition, he also has one season where he has 161 games, one season where he has 160 games. He is a four-time Gold Glove Award winner, a 10-time All-Star. He has an MVP award, and he also placed one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight other times, including a second place finish and three sixth place finishes. Is this man, or should this man be a Hall of Famer in the opinion of you out there in podcast land?

I'll tell you who this is after I tell you about Bet Online. Are you ready for some football? College football heads into bowl season and there are some big matchups this weekend. The NFL regular season is finishing up and the playoff picture is becoming clear. And there's just one place that has you covered and one place we trust. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Bet Online. A.g. Sign up today for a free account at betonline.A.g. And use promo code locked on all one word for a 50% welcome bonus. Don't sit on the sidelines anymore. Get in on the action. Don't forget to use promo code locked on to receive a 50% welcome bonus with your first deposit. Betonline, your online sports book experts. Visit our good friends and exclusive partner at at BetOnline underscore AG to take advantage of the best bonus. in the business. Sign up for a free

account and use that promo code locked on for your sign up bonus. Hashtag bet online. The hall pass, John, would you put, would you vote for this man for the Hall of Fame if he were on the ballot and if you had a vote?

Uh, you had DC. I'm not sure that I would. He's good. His stats are impressive. His fielding is especially impressive. But, I, I'm not sure that he, in my mind, belongs with the greats. You know what?

And I'll tell you this. He is not a Hall of Famer, or he's not in the Hall of Fame, although he did stick around on the ballot all 15 years, with a high of 41.6%, pardon me, with a high of 42.6% in his third attempt. Do you have any idea who this man might be? What decades did you say he played again? He played in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and I also forgot to mention the fact that he is a corner infielder.

Okay. Had an MVP award. And eight all-star appearances. I will tell you, his MVP award came in 1974. Well, that just gave it away. Oh, sorry. All right, who is it, John? It is Steve Garvey.

Yes, indeed. This was Steve Garvey, very, very good Major League player, played on some very very good Dodgers teams. As a matter of fact, played on some very good Spokane Indians teams when Spokane was the AAA affiliate of the Dodgers had one of the best in fields in minor league baseball at that time. If you out there have a question or comment, please submit it to Lockdown Mariners at gmail.com and I'll reply to it on the air in an upcoming mailbag episode or episodes. Questions and comments on any subject are welcome. They are encouraged, and I love answering them. Please keep them appropriate, though. This is

a family show and Locked-on Mariners at gmail.com. Once again is a place to send those questions and comments. We will continue after this word from Belt Bar. Ladies and gentlemen, what springs to mind when I say delicious protein bars covered in 100% real chocolate that are low in sugar, calories, and carbohydrates? If you said Clara Guerrero, then you're obviously distracted, but I can't say I blame you in that case. But in any case, I'm talking about the greatest protein bars on the planet. Yep, Bilt Bar. Great for a pre-or-post-workout protein boost, a quick breakfast, or simply as a between-meal snack. They taste as close to a candy bar as a protein bar can get. They come in 18 delicious flavors in addition to the limited edition flavors they've got from time to time. So why don't

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The new Locked-on Betts podcast is hosted by Lee Sterling of Paramountsports.com. Lee is red-hot to start the season, and he shares a lock of the day on every episode. Subscribe to Locked on Betts today wherever you get your podcasts. And back to this podcast, John Miller is here with me, as is Clive Braithwaite the 4th to read the emails for us. We're going to continue a conversation that we had in the first half of the show. We had gotten an email question about Mascotch, which of course led into a conversation about autographs for some reason. Anyways, we were talking about players signing autographs and how some are, let's say, less than generous than others,

which brought to mind something that we both witnessed John at the airport in Albany, coming home from the Hall of Fame weekend in Cooper Center in 2016. I'm not going to name the player that was involved, but there were several Hall of Fame at the airport. Three of them were on our flight even. And we did see one Hall of Famer refuse an autograph to someone. But to be fair, there were a lot of autograph and memorabilia dealers at the airport. And the players know that if they sign an autograph for something,

then it's more than likely going to get sold rather than go into that autograph Hunter's personal collection. They know that there are a lot of dealers out there. So I give this player a complete pass. And again, I'm not going to say who it is. even though I'm on his side and I'll defend him. What about you, John? Oh, definitely.

From what I recall and I recounted this story to others, this player was sitting there with his wife. They had their coffee and they were reading the morning paper. Pretty much, yeah. And I don't know how they do it. They probably got used to it over the years. Turning these people down so graciously, he was so polite about it.

but my wording would have been, I'm sitting here with my wife, we're reading the paper, we're drinking our coffee, could you please leave us alone? Exactly. You know, there were memorabilia dealers

with tables set up for crying out loud who were hounding these players trying to get them to sign what they had. And the players, you know, pretty much ignored them as they should. It's not like a fan walking up to someone asking for an autograph. This is a completely different situation.

And pretty much every, everyone at the airport who was trying to seek an autograph was in it to make a buck. I got to be honest. And I'm on the player's side on this one again. I'll relay a couple more stories since now we don't have time for the next email. So we may as well continue with this for a while. The first half went really long and we're already over time actually, even though the second half has been short. Anyways, 2000 or 2001, could have been 2002 actually now that I think about it.

Anyways, one summer, I went to a lot of Mariners games with a group of friends and acquaintances from high school. And one of them knew where the player's parking garage was, and he and our group would wait outside the exit waiting for players to drive by. And if a player's window was down, we'd ask for an autograph. I did this one or two times at the most. And also, we were not the only ones doing this. There were dozens of other people. And some of the players would be more than happy to sign an autograph for these people while they were sitting in their car waiting for traffic to go ahead. There were also a couple who were not so gracious. And I'm, I'm not going to say who they are.

I'll tell you after we're done recording, John. And also, our friend told us, do not hound the players. If they say no, take no for an answer, and we would not press the issue. I want to make that clear. We were polite about it. There was one specific player who did refuse us, which would, and that's fine,

but then traffic was so backed up to the point where he couldn't go anywhere. So this player kind of exasperatedly, if there is such a word, stuck his arm out the window to ask for the ball to son, sign without saying a word. So he took the ball, signed my friend's baseball, but he wasn't too happy about it. But I'll also say that there are a number of players

who are very gracious with autographs. Mike Trout is one of them, which is good since he is the face of Major League Baseball. He's the game's best player, and he's very generous with his time. Tom Wilhelmson is another one, the bartender, who was also very good with the fans and generous with autographs during batting practice

when he was a mariner. And he was very engaging. He would chat with the fans. and the whole bit, it was really good to see. And I remember one game with Felix Hernandez was not pitching. He was playing catch with a kid in the stands. And that was really cool to see. Felix Hernandez was also really good with the fans.

Another story, and I don't know why I recall this one so vividly, but I do. It was 1997. And after a game, I was standing next to a kid who had some autographs on the under bill of his Mariners cap. I asked who the autographs were. and he told me that they were Scott Sanders and Josez Manzanillo. There are some names from Mariners' history. I personally have gotten only one autograph in person.

Several years ago, the Mariners used to have players sit atop the dugout during batting practice to sign autographs, and people would line up to do this. The one that I got was Jamie Moyer. And he seemed like a pretty nice guy, actually. And I asked him how he was doing, and he said, no, I can't complain. You know, just very nonchalantly. the one thing that struck me about Moyer was how average he was.

He wasn't built like, because most baseball players these days, they're built like football players. But Moyer is my height and built just like an average guy. And that's the first thing that struck me. And with that, that's going to be it for today. Clive, thanks again for reading the one email for us today. Always a pleasure. But next time, don't go off on a tangent unrelated to the email.

questions. I'll try not to. No guarantees. John, thanks again for joining us as well. Where can people find you on Twitter? I can be found on Twitter at Seattle Pilot 69. Very nice. Thank you once again. That'll wrap it up. Thanks for listening. Please remember to download rate and subscribe to this program. Look for us on any podcasting app you can think of. Follow us on Twitter at L.O. underscore Mariners and follow yours truly on Twitter at DC underscore Lundberg. Follow John on Twitter, by the way, also at Seattle Pilots 69. Thank you. Once again for listening. Ladies and gentlemen, we'll continue with part three next time in what may be

a four-part mailbag series. Who knows? But part three is definitely next time. Join us then. This is Joey Martin speaking for Locked-on Mariners, part of the Locked-on podcast network.