(compliments of Lucy in Seattle)

Mariners' fans were sure Omar was going to make the All-Star team that year. He had great numbers. The papers were ablaze for a week after the team was announced. It was quite a slight, but Omar took it gentlemanly. Anyway, "Omar's August"....he went into the month hitting .288 (without yet having had a day off), and came out of it hitting .250. All through his downward spiral (it was way more than a slump) the Seattle fans cheered and encouraged him. Omar's explanation was that prior to 1993, he had never been expected to hit, and thus had never before experienced a hitting slump. He was unsure how to handle it. But, I remember going to games where he hadn't had a hit in his last 32 AB's and the Kingdome (3/4 empty as it was) was busy yelling "You can do it, Omar," and, "We believe in you!"

Then the circumstances of the trade itself.…Piniella announced immediately following the '93 season that the M's "1st priority is to sign our own." Then they traded Erik Hanson and Brett Boone for Bobby Ayala and Dan Wilson...which meant they weren't offering lifelong Mariner Dave Valle a contract. This was expected, but they didn't even talk to him first. As for the bombshell.…Looking back there were sniffs of it occurring....When they drafted Alex Rodriguez, everyone started talking about converting him to left field. Then Chuck Armstrong (M's COO) said Alex would "be given every opportunity to play shortstop."...But it was still heartwrenching. Of course, (just as they did later with Tino, Mike Jackson, and Randy) the M's didn't talk to Omar before to see if he would be willing to take less money. (He's gone on record saying he would have.)

 Bob Finnigan, beat-writer, Times:

"Critics of the trade would say that Seattle General Manager, Woody Woodward, traded one of the games best shortstops and a fan favorite--for payroll." Woody responded in the article as saying, "If that's what they're feeling, fine. But, if that's what they're thinking, they are missing the boat completely."

 John Owen, columnist, P-I, who quoted his own article from nine months earlier:

"The guy who led all American League shortstops in both hitting and fielding in 1992, should have better job security than John Ellis [the M's CEO.]" He went on to say that "He had only one negative: He was too valuable to keep."

 From Blaine Newnam, columnist, Times (I'm gonna quote quite a bit of this one... I still remember most of it):

"In 1955, 50,000 fans lit candles in the darkness of Ebbetts Field and sang Happy Birthday to shortstop, Pee Wee Reese. The Brooklyn Dodgers never thought about trading Pee Wee. He was the Dodgers. ...My stockbroker understands the Omar Vizquel trade. My kids don't. A five year old called The Times last night, a five year old who ought to have been worrying about the arrival of Santa Claus, not the departure of Vizquel. 'Why did we lose Omar?', he asked. 'The business of baseball', I answered as if it meant anything to anybody. We had a history with Omar Vizquel. The night in Oakland he began his Major League career with Ken Griffey, Jr. The night he saved and saluted Chris Bosio's no-hitter with the bare-handed stab behind the mound. ...The sign "Older Women for Omar" will no longer hang from the upper deck. Every ball banged toward shortstop won't be gracefully processed by Vizquel. ...He was the most Mariner of Mariners. Sound and sensible. Sensational in an ordinary way...Ken Griffey, Jr. always seemed on loan to Seattle. Vizquel played as if he should have played for the Rainiers. ...The Mariners might win in realignment. But they won't win in loyalty. They might win a pennant, but the fans won't celebrate by singing Happy Birthday to Felix Fermin in the darkness of The Kingdome. Felix, we hardly know you."

 A few days later, from the Editorial page of the PI:

"We understand why the Mariners traded popular shortstop Omar Vizquel to the Cleveland Indians, but we don't like it...Vizquel was traded because he became too expensive...Nonetheless, the Mariners committed what Vizquel rarely did in the field, an error...he worked his way up through the Mariners minor league system, and then once he reached the big leagues continued to sharpen his skills. He became one of baseball's premier players and won the admiration of thousands of fans. Not just for his athletic abilities, but also for his contagious enjoyment of the game...Until baseball reverts to where it is first and foremost a sport and hometown heroes like Vizquel aren't traded away solely for the bucks involved, baseball will continue to be a troubled enterprise. In the meantime, we bid Vizquel goodbye, sadly, and with gratitude for the many thrilling and inspiring feats on the imperfect diamond of Mariner Baseball."

 Dave Neihaus, the Voice of the Mariners, on Opening Day, 1994:

"It just doesn't look right to see him in a Cleveland uniform."

 Jean Godden, columnist, Times (or the PI--she's gone back and forth), right before the start of the 1994 season:

"No one in Pugetopolis liked it when the Seattle Mariners traded popular shortstop Omar Vizquel to the Cleveland Indians. It was one of those dark of the night, bean counting deals, a slap in the face for the fan favorite. But, Seattle's loss is Cleveland's gain. And it might even turn out to be a good deal for Vizquel, too. Already Cleveland sportswriters are writing about Omar, singing his praises. They're going to love him there."

Many thanks to Lucy from Seattle for this wonderful history. I'm sure many of Omar's fans in Cleveland did not know all the details of what brought Omar to us, and how beloved he was in Seattle.

Lucy, I salute you! You are truly a loyal fan!