I believe The Veteran Gravitas were supposed to be on Sub Pop 200 but got squeezed out by some choice Cat Butt.
The Mariners are paying Ibañez $2.75 million this season to do more than tell stories. He’s expected to contribute as a designated hitter, backup first baseman and left-handed batter in a pinch. But, yes, Ibañez’s most substantial gift could be the gab he brings to a clubhouse craving for older players able and willing to share insights with those still learning the nuances of a frustrating game.
“It’s a ‘been there, done that’ thing,” general manager Jack Zduriencik said Wednesday during the team’s annual pre-spring training media luncheon at Safeco Field.
Asked if the 2012 Mariners suffered from an absence of veteran gravitas, Zduriencik was blunt.
“I don’t think there’s a doubt,” he said.
...“You’ve got a young kid sitting in the on-deck circle,” Zduriencik said, “and someone like Raul Ibañez gets up and puts his arm around the kid and says, ‘I’ve been in this situation before.’ That’s a whole lot different than coming from the hitting coach, or the manager.”
...“You can make an argument,” Wedge continued, “that Raul Ibañez is as good as anybody in the game in regard to performing and playing. That’s why you sign him, to be a baseball player. But beyond that, there are the intangibles he brings as a guy who has been part of championship clubs and really done everything in the game.”
