Mariners: the game, the family, the legacy
Carrie Pichler
Mariners Head Coach Jami Hanson gathers his players to the mound for a little mid-game conference.
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Baseball, America’s favorite pastime. Sunflower seeds, hotdogs, music, and cheering fans all played under the summer sunshine. But what does it really mean to be a Mariner? What do these kids take from these few precocious years of their lives?
The Mission Valley Mariners program started in 1989 under founders Beth and Leonard DeVore and with American Legion representative Jeff Nelson. The 1989 team picture still hangs in the M’s clubhouse and in the picture you can find a young Jami Hanson. Hanson is and has been a part of the Mariners since day one — first as a player, then assistant coach, and has been the head coach for the last 10 years.
You could say that the Hanson family is the true heart of the Mariners. From grandma and grandpa Hanson, Jami’s parents, who are there to cheer on the boys faithfully every game with Marge (grandma) providing all the chopped onions and pickles you can eat at the concession stand and Jerome (grandpa) helping with practices and keeping the grass in tip top shape over the years; to Staci Hanson, Jami’s wife, who not only dedicates her time recording the score book but also travels with the team, cooks for them, and provides a cheering section no matter what city they may be visiting. The boys have grown close to the Hanson family and will forever cherish the fond memories.
They will remember watching Jami’s daughter growing up with the team, running around barefoot, splashing mud puddles and never without her favorite “Kenna Pops.” They will remember the nicknames: Jami as “Hambone” and Jerome as “Meat.” According to Hanson, the boys will “remember Mariner baseball more than any other sports,” due to the fact that the team is so diverse, pulling from every town in the valley.
“Family.” That is what every Mariner asked said the epitome of being a Mariner is. Going into their fifth season of Mariners baseball Kellen Hoyt and Bradley Pichler are the longest standing Mariners of this generation of ball players and know more than anybody the dynamics of their baseball family. They have taken lessons learned throughout the years and are applying them to life.
Hoyt has just graduated the MP program in the Army National Guard and has future plans of becoming a drill sergeant. He believes Coach Hanson and the Mariners program helped him throughout his young Army career. “I always think about what Jami would say,” Hoyt said. “He always told us never believe you can’t do something; keep your head high and shoulders back.”
Pichler is attending Dawson Community College on a full baseball scholarship. According to Pichler, Mariners baseball has not only prepared him for college but also helped him adjust to different situations and people tha come along in life.
“Jami taught us to look for the best in people, to be honest and true,” he said. “He made baseball not just a game but more to cherish, a passion.”
Pichler is not alone in the continuation of baseball into college. The M’s have produced on average three to four players who have advanced to college on baseball scholarships each year. From junior college to division one schools and everything in between, that’s well over 70 kids throughout the years.
With a baseball family come the many parents and family members who put in countless hours of volunteer work and provide the most loyal and loving fans in the stands. From the board members who go above and beyond to keep the club afloat to the ticket takers that sit in the rain, to the parents brave enough to “man the mic,” announcing the games. It takes manpower and it takes heart, but any Mariners parent will tell you it’s well worth it. Mariner parent Eileen Evertz has been with the organization for six years. Both her stepson Justin Evertz and her son Kellen Hoyt have played with the team. Once again the word family comes up in conversation.
“It brings us all closer as baseball parents,” Evertz said. “It’s fun and exciting good family time.” Evertz also appreciates what the boys will take from their time with the Mariners. “It gives them tools they will use throughout their life,” she said. “It gives them discipline and a work ethic that carries on.”
That is the goal of Coach Hanson, life lessons that will carry on. For instance, understanding that people in general are a “group of many,” and will always need to work as a team whether it be in the work force, in a family, or even in marriage.
“You can’t do it yourself,” Hanson said. “It takes many to make it happen.”
Each Mariner will tell you how proud they are to take the field in a Mariner uniform and with the return of many ex players to help out in the coaching department, the love and sense of pride never leaves them. This in turn becomes a legacy, from player to coach and, even maybe someday, Mariner parent.
Hanson uses baseball to grow responsible young men ready to take on the world. Through hard work, dedication and heart these boys will continue on to be strong business men, charismatic teachers, passionate artists, and loving family men.
