Infographic: Seattle Mariner Plank Owners

I have been looking for an interesting way to display the set of 1977 Topps cards I created for the original opening day lineup of the Seattle Mariners.

There are many titles used in the Navy. Some are official rank names, others are earned as you move up the ladder, while some are given based on your chosen occupation. Amongst all of the titles sailors and officers earn there is one that warrants the most bragging rights: plank owner.

Plank owner is the term given to a member of the ship’s original crew. The name stems from tradition that the original crew would have their names engraved into the wooden deck planking at the time of commissioning. When the ship was decommissioned, these Plank Owners would receive a part of this wooden deck. Today, while the decks may not be wooden, Navy ship crews still hold the title of plank owner in high esteem. To be a plank owner means you are part owner of the ship; you are part of its legacy.

Parade of Ridiculousness: Reggie as a Mariner

The concept behind the Parade of Ridiculousness is based on showing famous players in outlandish or ridiculous uniforms. In the past I have shown Babe Ruth in Astros tequila sunrise stripes and Lou Gehrig in Bill Veeck's softball shorts. I'm always looking for new ideas.

My love for the original Seattle Mariners Trident logo is well documented and Reggie continues to be one of my favorites. Combining these two is not something I would have ever considered. The interesting and best thing about this Reggie Jackson/Seattle Mariner post is it actually happened.

In never knew about this. Last week, because there was no real baseball on the TV... I occupied myself by watching the marathon of All Star Game Highlight films on MLB Network.

The '79 Midsummer Classic was held in Seattle, a strange choice considering the Mariners were only in their 3rd year of existence. Appearing in his 9th of what would be 14 career All Star Games, somehow Reggie Jackson arrived at the Kingdome without his Yankee pinstripe uniform. Not sure if his luggage was lost or he was just looking for a reason to piss off George Steinbrenner. This was before the general availability of authentic uniform jerseys from retail shops inside each stadium and their surrounding neighborhoods. Reggie was stuck.

Instead of missing the American League All Star team picture, someone convinced Reggie to just put on a Mariners home uniform and take his place in the shot (2nd row, 2nd in from the left). If this happened today... it would take about 5 minutes for someone to fix it with photoshop. Fortunately for us, no one did that.

Still don't believe me? I made a video.

Hair-itage: 1977 Ruppert Jones

I have always loved the original Seattle Mariners simple yet powerful trident logo. It is too bad the club no longer uses it. In my opinion, it is so much better than their current logo based on a compass.

Earlier this week, I ran across this awesome image of the first Mariner All-Star, Ruppert Jones sporting a funky 1970's era beard design. I knew it was just a matter of time before had to make something from it.

Here is my latest custom HAIR-ITAGE design.

On this day... Mendoza's last stand

May 22, 1982. Kansas City. Facing Royals closer Dan Quisenberry in the top of the 12th inning, Texas Rangers pinch hitter Mario Mendoza lays down a bunt, reaching first base on a fielders choice. He later scores the winning run. It will be the last big league appearance before the Rangers release him June 7th. Mendoza finished his big league career had a lifetime average of .215. He managed to play nine seasons thanks to his superb defensive abilities. Bill James describes him as a "truly remarkable fielder."

Later enshrined in the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame, Mendoza has been immortalized in US baseball culture. It all started with former Mariner teammate, Tom Paciorek, who first referred to the now infamous Mendoza Line. This "line" sits at a batting average of .200. In his only season with 300 or more at-bats (with 1979 Seattle Mariners) Mendoza hit .198 as Seattle's everyday shortstop.

From a July 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated

As Mendoza remembers it, Paciorek coined the Mendoza Line in the late '70s. Paciorek has always shifted credit to first baseman Bruce Bochte but doesn't dispute spreading word of the Mendoza Line to Royals third baseman George Brett. "At the beginning of the 1980 season Brett was struggling and made a comment about being around the Mendoza Line," Mario says. "Once Brett made that remark, [ SportsCenter impresario] Chris Berman picked it up." And once he did, it hurtled with escape velocity into the culture at large.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #35 Ichiro

When I really think about, the primary reason I like Ichiro is simple... he plays a different game. I recognize he is playing the same game I have watched and loved for 40+ years, but he does familiar things in an unfamiliar manner. I have never seen anything like it. 

Ichiro's dual Rookie of the Year & MVP 2001 premier in Seattle allowed Mariners fans to shrug off ARod's spectacular departure.  The first time I got to watch him live was July 25th, 2002; it was all so interestingly similar but strange... His pre-game routine, his on-deck circle rituals, his batting box mechanics, and the way he seems to be running to first before his bat makes contact with the ball. He collected 3 hits, including a home run, and stole a base.

Like most Americans, I had been brought up convinced that General Douglas McArthur installed baseball after World War II as a way to "Americanize" the defeated Japanese culture. The reality is baseball in Japan dates back to sometime around the 1860s. The Japanese have a long history of amateur baseball, from collegiate baseball to high school baseball and international baseball. The first professional team was founded in 1920. The first professional league was founded in 1936. The American occupying forces purposely used baseball to help reconcile the United States and Japan after World War II. In 1950, the team owners of the previous Japanese League reorganized into the Nippon Professional Baseball League, and that organization exists today. 

A couple of years ago, I took the opportunity to photograph the Mariners on a road trip to Texas. I spent several hours with my camera focused on Ichiro (the image used in this post is mine). I was struck by the solitary bubble of isolation the man operates in. In stark contrast to the very social and relaxed nature of most major league ballplayers, he basically talks to no one. He stretches alone, he sits in the dugout alone, he jogs out to his outfield position alone, and if he could... I am convinced he would play catch by himself. It all seems so lonely, but the results are impressive. 

DAHOF Top 100 -- #72 Ken Griffey Junior

The Kid. Number One overall pick in the draft. AL MVP. 13 time All Star. All Star Game MVP. 3 times the Home Run Derby winner. 10 Gold Gloves. 7 Silver Slugger awards. League Home Run champ. 2 50 Home run seasons. League RBI champ. League Runs champ. Comeback Player of the Year. All Century Team.

Ken Griffey Jr was born to play baseball. He grew up inside the famed Big Red Machine and obviously learned something. He arrived with incredible expectations, and delivered. He basically saved the Seattle Mariners franchise and developed into one of the Top 3 players of this generation. In an era best remembered for fairy-tale numbers fueled by performance enhancing drugs, KGJ delivered eye-popping numbers without a hint of PED aid, establishing himself as a first ballot hall of famer.

Plenty of memories, but nothing sticks out more than 51 game span in 1990 & 1991 that he got to live out just about every kid's wildest baseball fantasy.... playing on a major league team with your Dad.

On August 29th, 1990, five days after being released by the Reds, Ken Griffey Senior signed a contract to play with the Seattle Mariners. A couple of days later, they were in the starting lineup at the same time, playing next to each other Junior in center & Senior in left. It was the first time in ML history a father & son played on the same team... and they both collected hits. Tim Raines & Tim Raines Junior would play together on the 2001 Baltimore Orioles.

However, even a Hollywood script writer could not top what happened on September 14th. The Mariners were in Anaheim, playing out the season against in the Angels. After walking leadoff hitter Harold Reynolds to start the game, Angels starter Kirk McCaskill hung a curve ball to KG Senior who promptly blasted it to left-center field over the head of leaping Devon White. KG Junior was on deck and greeted his father at home following his 151st career HR. Four pitches later, Junior lofted a low outside pitch over the wall about 6 pad panels to the left of where his Dad's home run went out. Back-to-Back-Father-and-Son home runs. It was the 36th HR of his young career. I was stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time and watched it live on TV, immediately recognizing it was something I would likely never see again.

Ken Griffey Senior would hit one more home run before retiring in May of 1991. Ken Griffey Junior would hit 594 more home runs before retiring in June of 2010.

DAHOF Top 100 -- #100 Gaylord Perry

You want to attempt a fun baseball related mental exercise ?

Sit down with a pen and blank piece of paper and without any aid, list your top 100 favorite baseball players of all time. I tried it recently and had a lot of entertainment thoughtfully shuffling through my memory bank looking for players I enjoyed. Of course, this exercise also germinated an idea for a new series of posts. There are roughly 95 days until the start of spring training, I hope to complete this undertaking before the start of the new season.

Lets get started...

On August 16th, 1920 Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman was struck in the temple by a ball thrown by the Yankees Carl Mays. He died on the spot. An investigation into his death showed contributing factors included the lack of protection for his head, a poorly illuminated ballpark, and a dirty and altered baseball.

A spitball moves atypically because of it has been altered by some foreign substance, typically saliva or petroleum jelly. After the 1920 season, partly in response to Chapman's death, the league owners voted to ban the "spitball" (although they did exempt and grandfather 16 pitchers).

Eighteen years later, the most famous spit-baller ever, a guy named Gaylord Perry was born. He claims he was taught the pitch in 1964, and he quickly developed a reputation for doctoring baseballs and throwing the illegal pitch. So paranoid were his baseball opponents, he was constantly monitored and inspected, often right on the pitching mound by umpires. The fact is - it wasn't until his 21st season in the majors (August 23, 1982) that he was actually ejected from a game for doctoring the ball.

As a kid, I used to love watching Perry pitch. He had a whole series of hat touches and gyrations designed to psyche out hitters. Apparently, it worked because he was a five time all star, won the Cy Young Award in both leagues, won 314 games and was inducted in the the Hall of Fame in 1991. My favorite memory of Perry is his 300th win in 1982 as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

Dick Williams 1929-2011

Baseball lost one of it's all-time greats yesterday. Former player and Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams died in Las Vegas from an apparent brain aneurysm. He was 82 years old.

As a player, Dick Williams was good enough to play in over 1000 games in 13 seasons at the major league level. He made three pinch hitting appearances in the 1953 World Series as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1964 he finished his playing career as a member of the Boston Red Sox with a .260 career batting average.

It was as a manager that he became a Hall of Famer. Immediately after retiring as a player, he spent three seasons managing in the Red Sox farm system. In 1967, prior to the start of the season Williams was named the new manager in Boston. The season before taking over the team finished ninth and the franchise had not won a pennant in 21 years. His first season he led the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox to the World Series, where they lost the Cardinals in seven games. Under his command, all-star Carl Yastrzemski was stripped of the title "Captain" because Williams didn't want anyone to question who was in charge. Refreshed and focused after having the heavy yolk of peer leadership removed, Yaz went on to win the last triple crown in baseball history.

In 1972 & 1973 he managed the Oakland A's to the first two of what would be three straight World Championships. These powerful and colorful A's teams included superstars like Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi, Vida Blue, Ken Holtzman, Sal Bando and Bert Campaneris. He shocked his team and the baseball world after he announced he was quitting the Oakland dynasty immediately following the 1973 World Series. The reason: Williams had had enough of owner Charlie Finely and was angry at the embarrassing attempt to remove second baseman Mike Andrews from the roster with a phantom injury after Andrews had made a pair of errors earlier in the series. The A's went on to win a third straight ring under Alvin Dark in 1974.

George Steinbrenner actually named him as the manager of the 1973 Yankees, but it never happened. Feeling jilted after giving Williams his "best wishes", Charlie Finley filed a suit in federal court to prevent Williams from going to New York. His claim was Williams was still under contract with the Athletics. Finley apparently demanded two Yankee prospects in exchange. The Yankees balked and hired Bill Virdon instead. Finley eventually relented and Williams became manager of the Angels in the middle of the 1974 season and stayed in Anaheim for 3 seasons.

Dick Williams went on to manage the Montreal Expos, where he was unexpectedly fired in the middle of 1981 season. That '81 Expos team went on to deliver the only playoff appearance in franchise history. He also managed the San Diego Padres, where he led the Padres to the 1984 National League pennant and a trip to the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. He finished his managerial career with three seasons in Seattle. The 78 wins his 1987 Mariners delivered was the most in the first 14 seasons of the franchise. In 1993, George Steinbrenner was finally able to hire Dick Williams, this time an adviser and scout. He remained with the Yankees for 10 years and undoubtedly had a hand in building the Yankees teams that won three straight World Series titles from 1998-2000.

In his 21 years as a major league manager Williams finished with a .520 winning percentage, four pennants, and two World Series Championships. He is one of two managers in baseball history to lead three different teams to World Series appearances. Dick Williams was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame by Veteran's Committee as Manager in 2008. His Hall of Fame plaque shows him wearing an A's cap.

In addition to being a great manager, it is my opinion that Dick Williams was blessed to wear some of the most interesting and memorable (and most colorful) uniforms in baseball history.

More Gypsy Queen customs

I was inspired yesterday to create some more custom GQ cards.

Familiar Faces / Strange Places: Maury Wills / Mariners

I love the original Seattle Mariners trident M. It is both simple and brilliant at the same time. If I was in charge of the Mariners, the first thing I would do would be to re-incorporate it into my brand.

As a player, Maury Willis was a speedy switch-hitting shortstop. His best years were as a member of the Dodgers, where he won three world championships. In 1962 he stole 104 bases to set a new single season record, breaking Ty Cobbs old mark of 96. That season he stole more bases than all the other teams in the league and was MVP of both the National League and the All Star Game. He also played in 165 games in 1962, setting a record that still stands today. During his playing career he made seven All Star teams (actually 5 different years, they played two all star games in '61 & '62) and won two gold gloves.

He retired after the 1972 season. He worked in TV and managed in Mexico for a couple seasons. Then he wrote a book and actively sought a managers position claiming he "could take any last-place club and make them champions within four years." The 1980 Seattle Mariners took him up on the offer, but things did not go as planned. To put it nicely, Wills was an incredibly inept manager. He had a drug problem, was a poor communicator, once called for a relief pitcher when he had no one warming up in the bullpen, and was once caught by Billy Martin after he ordered the Mariners grounds keeper to make the batter's boxes one foot longer than regulation to help Tom Paciorek. He lasted less than one full season, leading the Mariners to a dismal 26-56 record. The .317 winning percentage is one of the worst records for a non-interim big-league manager in history.

My cards: 2010 Justin Smoak

I took this photo in 2009 during one of the Oklahoma City Red Hawks visits to the Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas. Last summer, Smoak was the key prospect send to Seattle from the Rangers for Cliff Lee.

Familiar Faces / Strange Places: Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson was the best leadoff hitter and base thief in baseball history. His career spanned 25 seasons, most notably with the Oakland Athletics. He has two world series champion rings (1989 with Oakland and 1993 with Toronto), one MVP award (1990 with Oakland) and is the career leader steals and runs scored. He leads the next closest player (Lou Brock) in career stolen bases by an unbelievable 468 steals. He was easily and deservedly elected to the Hall of Fame in his first season of eligibility.


The last couple seasons of Rickey's baseball career were nomadic to say the least. In 2000 he played for the Seattle Mariners, in 2001 he played for the San Diego Padres, in 2001 he played for the Boston Red Sox, and finally in 2002 he played in Los Angeles for the Dodgers. I couldn't pick which one of these uniforms he looked stranger in, so I selected them all.

One of my favorite recent additions to the baseball-reference web site is the inclusion of uniform numbers with each player. I have not done the research, but I am willing to guess Rickey also has the most circled numbers in baseball history.