Tag: Fernando Rodney

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2020 Ex-Mariner of the Year… late but worth it

Sorry, teacher, we’re a year late.

The 2020 Ex-Mariner of the Year announcement was all set for February 2021. It was a campaign marked by the deepest dive we’ve ever taken here at Playin’ in the Dirt. We searched MLB postseason rosters… added a Ross Eversoles bracket for guys still gripped by the game somewhere you’ve never heard of… an offshore bonus bracket for ex-M’s in foreign lands… we even put in a special folksong bracket for Ex-Mariners named Abraham, Martín, and Juan. And Robi.

So there we were, a year ago, ready to unleash the big announcement. Seriously. It was ready to go. No, teacher, the dog didn’t eat our homework. It was something way worse.

Kevin Mather, former Mariner CEO, goes off the rails
Absolutely, totally, unequivocally not the Ex-Mariner of the Year. (Bellevue Breakfast Rotary)

It was #thatman. Kevin Mather. Voldemort. He Who Shouldn’t Even Have Been Named Again here on these pages.

Continue reading “2020 Ex-Mariner of the Year… late but worth it”

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Ex-Mariner of the Year: Offshore Bonus Bracket

Today we find more Ex-Mariner treasure – those not named Abraham, Martín, or Juan (or Robi) – among distant oceans and byways of offshore baseball.

Aguilas Cibaenas of the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) is locked in a seven-game semifinal Dominican Series battle with los Toros del Este. This year’s Aguilas squad included ex-Mariner Vidal Nuno III, he of 8-21 over five MLB teams in six seasons. Nuno didn’t make the Aguilas’ playoff roster.

Fermin: You can buy this card on Amazon for $23.74.

But maybe you’ve heard of the Aguilas’ manager. A guy named Felix Fermin. El Gato was a stalwart Mariner middle infielder in the 1994-95 glory years. He’s been on the job since 2000, with a 2-year break to skipper los Gigantes de Cibao. But the Aguilas got him back, he’s an icon of Dominican ball, and he’s looking to add another title to his trophy shelf.

Meanwhile, over on the Toros, where they do these awesome clubhouse victory celebrations (if you click on just one link in this post, you gotta click this one) , recent ex-M Hunter Strickland has stepped off the field and serves as a pitching coach. And when you think about it, who wouldn’t want to coach for The Bulls of the East?

Continue reading “Ex-Mariner of the Year: Offshore Bonus Bracket”

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Your 2019 Ex-Mariner of the Year is…

Pitchers and catchers report to Mariners camp in just eight days. Winter wasn’t so long was it? Over here at Playin’ in the Dirt we spent the offseason deliberating how the hell to come up with a winner. A man fully representative of the perils, glories, and heartbreaks of ex-Marinerdom. A man fit to join our grand pantheon, a man worthy of the title Ex-Mariner of the Year.

A look at our past awardees:
2016: Mike Montgomery
2017: Munenori Kawasaki
2018: Mike Marjama

“When it’s over for me, would I be hanging on with the Ross Eversoles?”
– RIP Jim Bouton

We’ve lost track of how many beloved ex-hometown favorites are out there, still dancing on basepaths somewhere north of the Ross Eversoles. But just a few stood out, for us, in 2019. Continue reading “Your 2019 Ex-Mariner of the Year is…”

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First Pitch!

First loves and true loves, heroes and legends, green grass and clover… let’s get this season started!

Oh yeah. Blue skies on a spring day and the season begins with the Yankees on the road, set to pound the home team… but Logan Morrison grinds out three RBIs for the hosts, Brad Miller goes 2 for 5 with a run scored, Danny Farquhar looks sharp in relief… and Tampa Bay wins?

On the other side of the country, just like old times, 40-year-old Fernando Rodney comes on in the ninth inning, gives up the go-ahead run, but watches from the bench and picks up the win as the… D-Backs walk off?

Huh? Say what? Continue reading “First Pitch!”