~ Chapter Six ~

TV Review in the Seattle Times - April 8th

The Boys of Summer are back, as you have probably noticed from the barrage of commercials flying at you from your television set.  The Seattle Mariners started an ad campaign several years ago, making commercials that star the actual players.  The commercials are the creation of Ned Gibson of Morris Marketing.  Gibson admits to being a Mariners fan, and says he writes the spots with the personality of specific players in mind.

Gibson has done an excellent job with commercials in the past - who could ever forget Alex Rodriguez and Joey Cora turning the airsick bags on the plane into hand puppets?  Or Jay Buhner swatting giant flies (yes, the insects, not the balls) into the outfield wall?  And this year, Gibson has done it again.  He's created five entirely entertaining commercials.

The first one expands on the story of Mariners pitcher AJ McLean and his alleged "ghostbusting" of the bullpen, featuring McLean and two of his bullpen friends, righthander Steve Graves and lefty Brad Arton, dancing and lip-synching to the Ghostbusters movie theme song.  They cut to each of the pitchers on the mound, throwing balls everywhere but over the plate, and the commercial ends with McLean shaking his head and saying, "Okay, it didn't work that time.  Let's do it again."

Catcher Kevin Richardson is featured in one, as Gibson took Richardson's reputation to be just a little detailed oriented.  Richardson is shown counting the towels in the clubhouse, carefully rubbing off home plate, measuring the height of the grass in the infield, performing random locker checks in the clubhouse, and as the commercial ends, alphabetizing the video collection the players keep on the opposition.  "Michener, Martin, Martinelli..."

Mariner announcers Dave Niehaus and Charlie Chasez give rookie of the year outfielder Nick Carter a little lesson in the culture of the Northwest, including a trip to the downtown REI, (where Carter actually did scale part of the rock climbing wall for the commercial shoot, still wearing his Mariners uniform, of course.)  Niehaus also gives tips on how to multitask while stuck in traffic on I-5, how to differentiate between different kinds of salmon, and that standard Northwest staple, how to order at the drivethru windows at Seattle's Best Coffee.  Carter seems awkward with the entire situation, which makes it all the more believable.

Scott Martin, the first baseman, is shown sneaking into the PA room and playing with the sound system, turning a deserted Safeco Field into his personal karoke club.

And AJ McLean is featured again in the last one, when the Mariner Moose decides to shadow McLean.  He's shown at various local landmarks, the Space Needle, Pioneer Square, on a ferry to Bremerton, etc.  No matter where he goes, the Moose is always ten steps behind.  McLean hams up the part perfectly, glancing back over his shoulder every few steps, staring over the top of his sunglasses as the Moose appears on the ferry dock, all the way to the end when McLean pops out from behind a pole in the Safeco Field parking garage, glances around, then disappears again. 

Of course, the purpose of these commercials is to get people to come out to the games.  And the Mariners are just as entertaining on the field as they are on TV.

~*~

"And today's Chevy Player of the Game, Kevin Richardson."  Charlie Chasez narrated as the highlights of the game flashed by on the TV screen.  "3 for 4 with a home run, and this sliding catch into the dugout in the seventh, which is the Play of the Game.  He also had a stolen base."  Chasez added in amusement.

"When was the last time that happened?"  Niehaus wondered.

"He had two last year."  Chasez affirmed. 

"That just about wraps it up from Safeco Field today."  Dave Niehaus announced, smiling broadly for the television camera.  "The final score, Mariners 6, the Boston Red Sox, 2.  Tomorrow a travel day.  We'll see you Friday from Yankee Stadium."

~*~

Feature Article in the Seattle PI - April 10th

The flight to New York was fairly quiet and uneventful, until sometime over the Midwest when a voice came over the loudspeaker.  "Gentlemen, don't be alarmed.  The flaming ball of fire you see spewing from the engine on the right wing isn't anything to worry about.  The chances of us hurtling to the ground as a ball of flaming metal are quite slim.  Thank you for your time."  Thirty seconds later, AJ McLean returned to his seat, smirking slightly.

You probably know him as the "ghostbuster", the thin, tattooed pitcher that ran around Arizona fighting the ghosts in the Mariner bullpen with a spray bottle of water (which he also used liberally on his teammates).  Regardless of whether or not there were ghosts involved, something has happened to the Mariners bullpen.  They haven't given up a run yet, and we're into the second week of the season.

Manager Buddy Williams attributed this success to an attitude change more than anything else and the rest of the team seems to agree.  "AJ comes into the game - when that YEEEEEEAAAAH comes over the PA system - the entire atmosphere of the game changes."  Second baseman Brian Littrell affirms, referring to the ubiquitous "Thong Song" played whenever McLean enters the game.  "When he comes in, he's totally in control, he knows exactly what he's going to do."

Kevin Richardson adds, "AJ comes in and the opposing offense loses their momentum.  He's offbeat enough to change the focus of the game, and by the time they're back on track, he's in charge."  Richardson thinks for a moment, then shakes his head.  "And that's a pretty scary thought."

The secret to his success?  McLean insists it's not that special.  "I just never take myself seriously."  Pitching coach Sam Ventrella agrees with the theory.  "Pitching is mostly psychological.  You can't dwell on the last pitch you threw, on the last home run you gave up.  And AJ is very good excellent at ignoring all that.  He has the right personality to come in in a pressure situation and do his job."

AJ will be the first to admit he's not an overpowering pitcher.  "I don't actually have a pitch you can call my fastball.  I have one that moves about funeral procession speed.  I don't go out there with the intention of blowing the ball past anyone.  It's all about outsmarting them.  If you cross a hitter up, you can make them look really stupid."  He smiles happily.

As for baseball itself, "I'm not into baseball for ‘baseball'."  McLean admits.  "You know, when you go to Yankee Stadium and your teammate is like, ‘Mickey Mantle played here!' and I'm like, ‘Dude!  That fan just chucked a dead rodent at my head!'  Whether you like the idea or not, baseball is entertainment.  I'm paid to entertain people - so that's what I do."

So how did he get started in baseball, if it wasn't something he was particularly interested in?  "I was kind of an annoying kid."  He shrugs.  "My mom wanted me out of the house, so she signed me up for Little League.  And I never really stopped playing.  It was my senior year of high school in Tampa, and there was actually a major league scout there to see me... and that was when I started looking at this entire option seriously."

"I wanted to be an actor."  McLean adds.  "I was always really into costumes and characters and stuff." 

That would probably explain the dramatic side.  Major League Baseball requires players to wear a tie while traveling.  AJ's wearing his tie.  He's also wearing rust colored suede pants.  And underneath that black silk shirt - he has thirteen tattoos.  "I get bored in the offseason."  He explains, enthusiastically pulling up his shirt to display the tattoo on his stomach. 

That's one place where he does draw the line.  "My personal life is totally separate from baseball.  It's not any of my teammates business, it's not any of your business, it's not any of the fan's business.  I know guys that have had their personal lives turned into a public spectacle, and I don't want that.  So they stay separate.  And I like it that way."

It's okay.  Between fighting the ghosts and making announcements over the PA system, there's more than enough going on to keep everyone entertained.  Littrell sums it up best, "Well, let's put it this way... when he's around, it's never boring!"

~*~

Sidebar included with article

Name: Alexander James McLean

Number: 21

Position: Pitcher

Throws: Right

Bats: "Only when I have to."

Favorite  -

Cereal: Fruit Loops

Cartoon Character: "Wile E. Coyote.  I relate to the anvils and stuff."

School Subject: Drama

What CD is in your car? "Aw man.  It's not cool or anything.  It's like, Whitney Houston or something."

Costco or Nordstrom: "Huh?  What's Costco?"  (After having the options explained to him.) "Oh!  Nordstrom!  Why would I want to buy potato chips in bulk?"

Check or Credit Card: "Credit, man!"

Arco or Texaco: "Um... does it matter? Which one's better?"