Servais: ‘May be something’ to theory Mariners’ trident logo is bad luck
Mar 22, 2018, 7:00 AM | Updated: 8:47 am
A bonfire to burn the Mariners' trident hats is an idea that was brought up, Scott Servais said. (AP)
(AP)
Is there anything to the theory that the Mariners’ upside-down trident logo carries bad luck? After another avalanche of injuries this spring training, manager Scott Servais may see a benefit in getting rid of it.
“What’s the politically correct thing to say right now?” Servais responded when asked about the bad luck theory on Danny, Dave and Moore on Wednesday. “I think there may be something tied to it.”
Watch: Mariners’ Mike Zunino hits 3 HRs in win over Brewers
The Mariners are wearing hats featuring an updated version of their classic upside-down trident logo for the second straight year. An inverted trident is a sign of bad luck in Greek mythology, which is why the Mariners moved away from the logo in 1987 after 10 losing seasons, and they didn’t use it again in an official on-field capacity (save for the periodic throwback game) until last spring.
The Mariners ended up suffering so many injuries in 2017 that they tied a major league record for most pitchers used in a season, and the issues have continued into this spring. In Arizona this year, Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Jean Segura, Ben Gamel and Ichiro have dealt with muscle strains, pitchers Felix Hernandez and Marco Gonzales have been hit by comebackers, and Mitch Haniger, Ryon Healy and now Segura have suffered hand injuries. Even worse, the Mariners announced Wednesday night that they have lost reliever David Phelps for the year due to a torn UCL that will require Tommy John surgery.
Servais mentioned baseball players’ predilection to being superstitious when discussing the trident logo’s potential link to bad luck.
“Being a baseball guy and you get so into routine, the superstition becomes part of it,” he said. “When you get a hot streak going, you’re wearing the same socks all the time and eating at the same restaurants. When you have a bad streak going you look to what you need to change up. This might be one of those things we need to change up.”
When 710 ESPN Seattle’s Jim Moore proposed the team holding a bonfire to get rid of the spring training hats, Servais conceded that it was “an idea that got thrown around.”
The Mariners are set to also use the logo for their batting practice hats during the regular season, but Servais indicated that may not actually be the case when the season starts.
“We will get through the trident hat here in spring training and see where it goes from there.”
Servais didn’t just talk about logos, covering Felix’s recovery, Kyle Seager’s adjustments and much more with Danny, Dave and Moore. You can hear the full interview in this podcast of the second hour of Wednesday’s show.
