Seattle's Sports Poster Boys

Over the summer, Manhattan gallery Salon 94 ran the exhibition For the Kids, displaying these once-ubiquitous, athlete-worshipping posters cranked out by West Seattle's Costacos brothers. John and Tock Costacos enjoyed early success selling "Purple Reign" T-shirts to Washington Husky football fans in the mid-'80s, before getting Seahawks star safety Kenny Easley to pose for their first poster as "The Enforcer." The Costacoses then convinced other star athletes to do the same, and by the time they sold their company in the mid-'90s, they had moved some 25 million posters featuring over 700 athletes. Their most popular poster was of Michael Jordan, selling 1.2 million copies. Probably the most popular poster here in the Emerald City celebrated notorious Seahawk flop Brian Bosworth (above).

The brothers initially didn't own licensing rights to display logos and game uniforms, so they instead relied on the color schemes of the subjects' respective teams, like the green and gold in this poster of Seattle SuperSonic Xavier McDaniel...

Nowadays these pre-Photoshop posters look pretty campy, with their garish colors and weird, non-ironic themes. However, for better or worse, they did help turn pro athletes into larger-than-life celebrities. Here's Giants-licensed hothead Kevin Mitchell (N.L. MVP in '89, the same year Tim Burton's Batman was released) before he joined the Mariners...

I never actually owned any of 'em -- I was more partial to Sports Illustrated's straightforward posters, like the one I had of Steve Garvey.
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We Hardly Knew Ye: Rick the Peanut Guy

Rick Kaminski, beloved longtime Kingdome/Safeco Field peanut slinger, dead of a brain aneurism at age 67.

Above, a classic Rainer Beer ad featuring Rick and another late, legendary Seattle sports vendor, Bill the Beerman.

More here.
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Gimme Gimme Gimme

Tomorrow's Black Friday, so now's as good a time as any to drop fat hints about all the weird stuff you should buy me. None of these things I can't live without, and I'd probably own 'em already if they weren't so elusive and/or expensive (or if I never got rid of some of these items in the first place). I guess it's their current elusiveness that makes them so desirable.

Like this Billiken bank, above. My grandma had one of these, which her dad bought her at the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. I don't know whatever happened to it, but I don't think I'd want any other than that one in particular.

I used to have these bitchin' Batman View-Master reels, which aren't all that rare, and that I can re-experience here and here (albeit without the stereoscope action). Still...

I also used to have a Mariners inaugural 1977 season program, like this one. These are always on eBay, except the one I want: it's from the first ballgame I ever went to, sold during the June 3-4-5 Cleveland series. It profiled Seattleite-turned-Indian Paul Dade, and had a photo feature of the first-ever M's triple play -- Reynolds to Meyer to Jutze.

Also on the baseball tip, I'd go for a vintage Pilots pennant or any other such ephemera - a pocket schedule, a scorecard, a media guide or a yearbook. But it's all too expensive.

All the heshers at Sequoia Junior High wore this KISW tee (most likely purchased at the Squire Shop, along with a pair of James Jean painter pants). Now I want one too.


Also on the rock 'n' roll tip, this Girl Trouble Live CD. The only time I ever saw one was at Fallout, but I passed on it that day. Haven't seen it since.



I'm also missing issues 1-9 and 11-13 of Wig Out!, Girl Trouble's self-produced fanzine, along with issues 1-9 and 11 of Roctober, a whole heap of Murtaugh back issues (featuring Tony Millionaire's Batty comics), and Motorbooty #2. I haven't even seen a picture of this issue, making me wonder if it ever even existed... This is an ad from around that era (circa '89) -- if it did exist, perhaps that's what the cover looked like?

Finally, I've mentioned before that I want a Six Million Dollar Man Bigfoot, but I wanna Beastie Boys Bigfoot even more. Supposedly just 70 of these were released in 2004 to promote "Triple Trouble" -- the figure wears an apron, just like in the video.

Alright, I gotta be at Mervyn's at 4 a.m... Let the war on Xmas begin!
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Way To Go, Felix!

King Felix wins the Cy Young.
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We Hardly Knew Ye: Dave Niehaus

My oh my.

I Gotta Bunch of Updates, You Guys

I felt like I've been neglecting SteveMandich.com for most of the year, so now I'm in the process of updating a bunch of stuff on there... Among the new additions are 24 Bigfoot on Film titles, 30 Knievel Rock songs, two 2010 Robbie Knievel Timeline dates, a couple items on Bigfoot Is Real, and one new addition to Knievel Injuries... Plus, Super Ichiro Crazy is again up to speed, now that his 2010 season is in the books.

Elsewhere, there's still a trickle of posts over at Quatchi Watch, and I made a new Flickr set of Seattle Mariners media guides (pictured above).

Now get reading.
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Ichiro vs. Kenny Powers

In 2006, Ichiro played for the Seattle Mariners, and Kenny played for "Seattle." How do they compare?

Height
Ichiro: 5'9"
Kenny: 5'8"

Weight
Ichiro: 160
Kenny: 210

Home
Ichiro: Kasugai, Japan
Kenny: Shelby County, North Carolina

Strengths
Ichiro: An excellent contact hitter, a speedy baserunner, and a nine-time Gold Glove winner
Kenny: An arm like a damn rocket, a cock like a Burmese python, and the mind of a fucking scientist

Favorite Bar
Ichiro: Saito’s Japanese Café & Bar
Kenny: Shh-Boom Shh-Booms

Hobbies
Ichiro: Collecting paintings, shopping for antique furniture, driving his Porsche, coin collecting, playing Go, playing golf, growing bonsai trees
Kenny: Getting drunk on the reg, fuckin' good times on the reg, yachts on the reg, sex on the reg, riding the Panty-Dropper (his Jet-Ski), cocaine

Memorable Quote
Ichiro: "August in Kansas City is hotter than two rats in a fucking wool sock."
Kenny: "I’m the man with the ball. I’m the man who can throw it faster than fuck. So that is why I’m better than everyone else in the world. Kiss my ass and suck my dick, everyone."

On Fashion
Ichiro: "The fashion sense Americans have is a crime."
Kenny (to girlfriend): "I know one of us has had their own personal stylist, and the other shoplifts their shit from Fashion Bug... You got clothes like a fuckin' dickhead."

On Seattle
Ichiro: "You can see water everywhere you go, which is very unique for an urban area in the States."
Kenny: "You should see my fuckin' cookouts, man. When I was back in Seattle, I had the goddamn Spoonman from the Soundgarden videos comin' to my shit. Oh yeah, I’m talkin' six grills burnin' at all times, tiki torches, three whole pigs, fuckin' shitloads of macaroni and cheeses, baked potatoes, collard greens, a horse, fuckin' Puerto Rican chicks showin' their pussies and tits off everywhere. They were amazing!"

UPDATE

Kenny: "Seattle can tongue-kiss my shithole."
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Way To Go, Ichiro!

Ichiro just reached 200 hits for the tenth consecutive season!

That's now the American League record for 200-hit seasons, and it ties Pete Rose for the Major League record. Most incredibly, it took Rose 17 seasons to reach the mark (he was 37 at the time); 36-year-old Ichiro's done it in ten.

Amazeballs!
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From Today's Ballgame...

Saw the M's edge the Rangers, 2-1.

Doppler was there too, fully clad in a basketball uniform.
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Ichiro a Go-Go, etc.

It's been too long since I've had anything in print, so I was stoked that today's mail brought the new issue of Zisk, containing my Ichiro a Go-Go article (it's mostly a bunch of factoids culled from my Super Ichiro Crazy! page). I was even more stoked that this picture I snapped at a game in May wound up on the cover!

Besides my stuff, there are an additional 14 pages of Ichiro goodness in the issue, including words by Young Fresh Fellow Scott McCaughey and a comic by Slink Moss, plus stuff about Stephen Strasburg's awesome Nationals debut and Adrian Beltre's bum testicle... Send $3 to Zisk, 147 Route 164, Patterson, NY 12563.

Speaking of Ichiro, here was my view of him Tuesday night:

And speaking of baseball, it's cool that Junior is the cover star of the upcoming DVD Baseball: The Tenth Inning, Ken Burns's follow-up to his epic 1994 Baseball documentary:

That is all.
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Flip Flop Fly Ball!

"A love of baseball plus a love of infographics equals Flip Flop Fly Ball."

Lotsa good-ass stuff here -- I especially like these Flopps baseball cards.

Of course, this post is mainly an excuse to highlight this sweet Ichiro card.








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Ten-Time All-Star Ichiro

Here's our man tonight, snaring a Pujols blast in the first inning. His evening continued with a popout to short and a strikeout, as updated in the comments of my 30 Years of Mariner All-Stars post. Despite his so-so performance, he's now played in ten All-Star Games in his ten seasons (the Majors' longest current streak), starting in nine of 'em, and leading off a record nine times.

Here he is at yesterday's BP.

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So Long, Cliff

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Weekend Wrap

Saturday I attended Turn-Back-the-Clock day at Safeco Field, with the M's clad in their turquoise jerseys from 1995. Ichiro looked sharp, giving a curtain call after scoring his 1,000th career run. Otherwise, the less said about the embarrassing 11-2 drubbing by the Angels, the better.

Today, after breakfast today at Johnny's at Fife, we hit Tacoma's Washington State History Museum for Giants in the Mountains: The Search for Sasquatch.

It was pretty cool, but it was also pretty much the same exhibit, with the same name and promotional materials, as the one we saw in 2008 at the State Capital Museum in Olympia. This time, however, I bought a souvenir Bigfoot snow globe.

While in T-Town we hit a bunch of thrift stores, drove through Point Defiance Park and had lunch at the fabulous Frisko Freeze:

We also stopped for a quick photo op at the Goofy Goose:

On our way home, heading north on the First Avenue South Bridge, we spotted this:

Despite Bigfoot's endorsement, we instead dined at Smith.

UPDATE

Also on Saturday, 48-year-old Robbie Knievel jumped a bunch of stuff in Texas, his first performance in nine months.
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So Long, Junior

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Ichiro Rock 'n' Roll

Xola, "Ichiro!" (2001).

In the early '90s, when Xola was known as Kid Sensation, he recorded the hiphop tune "The Way I Swing" with guest rapper Ken Griffey Jr. Though Ichiro doesn't rock the mic on "Ichiro!", Xola did get him to license his name to this song, which was played at Safeco Field and sold locally as a CD single during Ichiro's rookie season. The disc was then released in Japan in 2002, featuring four tracks: the original version, a new 2002 version, the "Club Groove Remix" and "Mad Flava Remix" (at least one of the remixes was by Sir Mix-a-Lot). The track again appeared on the 2009 Kid Sensation CD Back Home. According to this, "Ichiro reportedly thinks the song is 'cool.'"

The Ventures, "Let's Go! Ichiro" (2001).

After opening with a promising surf-rock riff, this song is mostly just a mix of guitars, horns, and the song title sung ad nauseum over a dumb dance beat. Kinda sad, Tacoma's legendary surf-guitar gods putting out this half-assed effort. (They were still inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame seven years later, ostensibly for such unassailable classics as "Walk, Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O.") This tune comes from the EP Songs for the Baseball Players, which was apparently only released in Japan. Makes sense, since both the Ichiro and the Ventures are huge there.

Terry Cashman, "Ichiro" (2002).

Cashman has milked his dopey 1981 novelty hit "Talkin' Baseball" far beyond its worth, with customized versions for nearly every Major League team (as well as for The Simpsons, which is actually kinda cool). His Ichiro tribute is a generic, mid-tempo rocker, though he rolls the R when he sings "Ichiro," presumably for authenticity. From the EP Talkin' Baseball: Seattle Mariners.

Supersnazz, "Go Go Ichiro" (2004).
Now we're getting somewhere: a two-minute garage-rock blast by the all-girl Japanese band, shouting the title over and over like crazed fans who are genuinely stoked about their subject -- any additional lyrics would just get in the way. This comes from the compilation Seattle ...A Baseball Town, in which Ichiro gets additional shout-outs in "Baseball Hero" (also by Supersnazz) and "2001" by Presidents of the United States of America frontguy Chris Ballew. Here's a video.

Goblin Cock, “Ichiro’s Dilemma” (2005).
A dumb metal song about some character from the Godzilla movies, so don't bother.

Charles Mazarakes, “Ichiro” (2006).

A brief, minor-key instrumental, with flute mingling with the plucking of some Japanese-sounding stringed instrument. There are no other clues as whether this is about our Ichiro or some other Ichiro -- check out the Songs from a Stone CD and decide for yourself.

Phil Coley, "Ichiro" (2007).

Imagine Waylon Jennings singing over a Wesley Willis composition, though with a bit more lyrical ambition than the above numbers. Coley ticks off Ichiro's various career achievements as a sort of folky ballad while tossing in a few oddball lines ("He has the drive, precision and smoothness of a Toyota"). From the CD Baseball Songs: Sports Heroes 2.

The Seattle Sports Band, "Ichiro Suzuki" (2009).

This is even more amateurish than the album cover seen above. Still, Mariners & Seahawks might be worth a spin for its other tunes, including "Matt Hasselbeck," "Don Wakamatsu," and "T.J. Houshmandzadeh."

Projekt A-ko, "Ichiro on Third" (2009).

From the album Yoyodyne, these Scottish lads tackle Ichiro with a sort of Pavement-y sound. The lyrics are neither here nor there.

Carlos De Couto, "Go Ichiro!" (2010).

Mix a '90s Helmet riff with cheering crowd noises, a fake stadium announcer and the song title sung repeatedly, and, well, you get this.

The Baseball Project, "Ichiro Goes to the Moon" (2010).

Okay, these guys are cool, and so is this song. It has yet to be released, but it's definitely the best Ichiro tune I've heard -- they played it live at their show I attended last Friday, as seen on my stolen set list (above). "Don't put him on a pedestal/ Just treat him with respect/ (something something something)/ He earns all that he gets." The verses praise Ichiro's stellar achievements, and the chorus goes, "I won't be surprised at all when Ichiro goes, Ichiro goes to the moon." After playing the song, band co-leader Scott McCaughey mentioned that Ben Gibbard from the Death Cabs for the Cuties is also working on his own Ichiro song, so be on the lookout for that one. Read more about the mighty Baseball Project here.

Dave Ross, “Ichiro: The Opera” (year unknown).
Novelty song sung to the tune of Figaro by a wacky Seattle DJ -- listen here.

Ichiro's Entrance Music

Over his ten seasons at Safeco Field, these are among the tunes that have played as he's stepped up to bat...

"In Da Club" by 50 Cent

"In the Ayer" by Flo Rida
"Jump" by Flo Rida
"Sugar" by Flo Rida

“Identity” by Ringo Shiina
“Yokushitsu” by Ringo Shiina

"Take it to da House" by Trick Daddy
"Yeah!" by Usher

If you know of any other bits of Ichiro Rock 'n' Roll, send 'em in!
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From Tonight's Ballgame...

The subject of this awesome illustration went oh-for-four, but I got to witness a rare Mariner win. Bonus photo: Ivar Dog.


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Ichiro de Mayo!

Yes, I'm aware that today is Cinco de Mayo, though Ichiro de Mayo was last Saturday, at our pals Ken and Chinatu's house. Along with our friends Will and Joy, we ate Mexican food and dipped fruit in a chocolate waterfall. Above is a killer sign that greeted us in their entryway; below is their kitty Midnight, quite possibly my favorite cat on earth.

Thanks, Ken and Chinatsu!
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Flickr Update '10

I've updated three of my flickr sets for 2010: Mariners Scorecards, Mariners Schedules, and All-Star Game Ballots. I've also added a couple of newer sets: Seattle Curling 2010 and the modest beginnings of Rail Transit Passes.

Bon appetit!
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Welcome Back Again!

Griffey will play another season with the M's next year.

His 2009 production wasn't so hot, and I suspect next year will be even worse. It's sad when a slowed-down, overweight superstar doesn't know when to call it quits, stumbling along while vainly trying to recapture their glorious youth. But with the fun-loving Griffey, it should be cool having him back anyway, hopefully with more scenes like the one above (from last year's final home game).