Notebook: Buhner Buzz Night makes Safeco debut
 |
|
||||||||||
Jay Buhner's smile shined as bright as the thousands of bald heads reflecting sunlight in the view-level seats above right field yesterday at Safeco Field.
Buhner, the longtime Mariner outfielder known for his signature bald pate, spent an hour among his fans before yesterday's game, shaving heads with borrowed clippers and hugging children in celebration of the team promotion named in his honor, Buhner Buzz Night.
"It's pretty awesome," Buhner said, moments after signing autographs and tossing out sweatbands and batting gloves to the masses gathered near the Safeco Field parking garage. "It's great to give something back to the community. It's (Buzz Night) taken on its own attitude. I've been very fortunate to have been a staple here for 13 years."
Fans, who started lining up for haircuts Wednesday night, stood for hours in the sun as 80 stylists shaved head after head. The first 3,000 were given T-shirts commemorating Buhner Buzz Night VII, and all 6,246 razor victims - a new Buhner Buzz record - received free tickets to last night's game. The previous record for most shaves was 4,071 in 1998.
In the six previous Buzz Nights, from 1994 to 1999, a total of 16,056 fans, men and women, received haircuts. There were 122 women who had their heads shaved last night, double the previous record. Helyn Nelson, 77, was the oldest fan to have her head shaved last night.
The promotion, long one of the Mariners' most popular dating back to the Kingdome days, made its Safeco Field debut last night. Among those receiving new hairdos were stepfather-and stepson Kevin Brevik and Ricky Hiller of Carbonado, both attending their first Mariner game at Safeco Field.
"We usually get our heads shaved during summer anyway," Brevik, 29, said. "We got here at 2 (p.m.) and it took an hour and 15 minutes to get through. We thought we would hold out until (yesterday) and go down and get our hair cut."
Hiller, 11, showed his T-shirt, which featured a picture of Buhner with the words "Take Me Out to the Baldgame."
"He's one of my favorite players. He's an awesome outfielder," Hiller said of Buhner. "I wish he could play."
Unable to play so far this season because of injury, Buhner said it was difficult not being in his customary right field spot among a sea of inflatable bones and "Boneyard" signs.
"I can't play, so I tried to sign as many autographs as I could," Buhner said. "The good thing is that I was able to spend more time with the people."
The promotion also helped raise money for charity, as fans donated money to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Locks of hair 10 inches or longer were saved to make wigs for cancer patients.
Seattle resident Linda Merrill received her fourth Buhner Buzz. "I shaved my head for the first time with a friend going through chemotherapy," Merrill said. "When they offer me a deal like that (free admission and T-shirt), it's not a hard decision. Most women are pretty into their hair, but I guess I'm not."
Charlton placed on DL
The Mariners placed left-handed pitcher Norm Charlton on the 15-day disabled list yesterday, one day after the veteran reliever pulled a groin muscle during a relief appearance. Left-hander Brian Fuentes was called up from Class AAA Tacoma to take Charlton's spot in the bullpen and was available to pitch last night.
Charlton said he felt fine during the first inning he pitched Wednesday, but felt a twinge of pain several pitches into the ninth inning before calling the Mariner medical staff out to the pitcher's mound. Charlton left the game at that point.
"With every pitch, it was getting worse," Charlton said.
Yesterday, Manager Lou Piniella informed Charlton of the decision to put the pitcher on the disabled list a few hours before the Mariners' game against Baltimore.
"I felt like this is the best thing for me and the best thing for the club," Charlton said. "It was just one of those things that happen. I don't want to go on the DL. I don't want to be hurt. But I feel like a valuable part of the team, and most guys would rather have me here for the rest of the year. I don't want to leave this team absent a pitcher for 10 days."
Fuentes, 25, arrived at Safeco Field during Mariner batting practice yesterday.
"He's thrown the ball well in triple-A," Piniella said of Fuentes. "We liked what we saw of him in the spring. I think he'll help us. We want to give him an opportunity and some experience."