Two things are true right now. One, the dreaded Eugene Emeralds are in town to play out the last homestand of the C’s regular season. And two, I still have one outstanding team to write up in my wildly popular (I can only assume, anyways) “series preview” series.
And it isn’t Eugene.
I’ve never really been one for planning or organization if you must know. It was always my intention to do a little “shallow-dive” into all five of the other North West League teams, whenever they rolled into town.
But somehow, I missed The Everett Aquasox.
Believe me, if I could go back in time and fix this mistake: I would. Also, I’d probably engage in some Biff-from-Back-to-the-Future-II sports betting. But I am no time traveller. Just a humble baseball writer with two columns left on the season.
So even though we face Eugene this week (and also hopefully in the playoffs, as well) I’m devoting one of my two remaining columns to finish off our little tour of the League.
Next week, I’ll be back with some end-of-season ruminations to put a bow on our baseball journey this summer.
But for now, sit back, relax and let me take you to…Everett, Washington.
Major League Team
The Everett Aquasox are the High-A Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. Which is why they cleverly sport the Mariners Trident logo flipped on its side to become the letter “E.” This is the only cool thing they have ever done, in my opinion.
What happened last time
The last time the C’s and the Aquasox met, we took four out of six games from them on the road. They’ll have to live with that bad taste in their collective mouths for the entire offseason.
3 facts about the Everett Aquasox
In an effort to better understand our enemies, here are three facts about the city of Everett and their Aquasox-adorned baseball squadron.
- They play in a stadium known as “Funko Field.” Due to a sponsorship deal with the Funko toy company (best known for their little vinyl figurines called “Pops”), Everett Memorial Stadium became Funko Field in 2019. I have to admit, it’s fun to say.
- Speaking of said stadium, in 1987, the legendary Ken Griffey Jr. recorded his first professional hit there. It was a homer. And there’s a plaque to commemorate it. I love plaques.
- Their mascot, Webbly The Frog, is apparently a cross between a Pacific tree frog and a Central American red-eyed tree frog. Or at least so says the team’s long time radio announcer, Pat Dillon.
Player to watch out for
He’s currently on the Injured List, but Seattle’s number 8 prospect Adam Macko has an interesting story for sure. He grew up in Ireland, graduated high school in Alberta and was born in Slovakia. If he reaches the Majors, he’ll be the third player ever to do so from that country.
So there it is, Everett fans. I didn’t forget about you totally. Just a little bit.
See you all back here next week for my swan song about the baseball season that was, and still is, but only for a little while longer.
