Nelson’s agent, Jay Franklin, touched base with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and set up Nelson’s ceremonial invitation to Spring Training.

“Brian and I talked about it, and I told him Jeff really, really wanted to retire as a Yankee,” Franklin said. “He’s a Yankee, through and through. He has no love for the Mariners, even though he lives up there [in the Pacific Northwest]. Jeff still loves the Yankees.”

Interesting. That explains why Jeff Nelson pitched for the Mariners his first 4 years in the majors, and returned THREE times in 2001-2, 2003, and 2005.

And it was the Yankees who dropped Jeff Nelson rather than come across with a $1M negotiating difference in his last contract with them.

Maybe Jeffie thinks the Mariners’ (as a team, not an organization or front office) laid-back style has less cachet for his upcoming/future endeavors as an “Ultimate Fighter” in UFC pay-per-view events…

Sigh.

I walked into the Kingdome at the moment Bosio was shuffling off the mound, having just raced across town from the Huskies blowing a lead over Notre Dame. That was about as low as you could get in the space of two hours. We had nowhere to go but up, and Edgar obliged.

After Nellie knocked him down, the groundskeeper, lying on the ground, was repeatedly in the way of Nelson’s spikes. He kept slamming them again and again into the man, who for some foolish reason wouldn’t get out of the way.

Luckily Karim Garcia, playing right field, saw the predicament that Nelson was in, and leaped over the bullpen wall to add his spikes to the party.

Jolly times. Enjoy your retirement, Nellie. You went out as a Real Yankee.

(“this is awsome, man.”)

I watch the last 3 games of the 1995 series against the Yankees once a year or so and I’ve got my 11 yo baseball fanatic son doing it now too.

Over and over again I’m left with the feeling that it is Nelson’s FOUR innings of relief in game 4 that saved baseball in Seattle. Very dynamic clutch pitching. I know it’s only 4 innings by a reliever, but it should be considered one of the top moments in Mariner history. If you know somebody who has it taped, check it out. When Bosio goes shuffling off the mound, you know everybody thinks it may be all over. The tension is palpable through the time machine of video. Baseball at its best.

maybe if more players had the balls to speak their minds like nelly did, we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in now…

um, yeah. and those damn yankees never listened to him either, amd look where they are.

At the risk of sounding like a cranky old man, it’s different than it was in my day (my day being, probably, the mid-to-late 80′s to about 1999). There’s way more at stake now, and players take themselves way more seriously than they used to, and don’t want to “embarrass” themselves by doing something crazy.

Forget for a moment the disconnect between not wanting to embarrass yourself and being a Kansas City Royal in the first place, and it’s too bad stuff like that doesn’t happen any more.

IP Hits Runs ER BB K HR
Nelson 4 6 0 0 2 4 0

Starter Chris Bosio was hooked after giving up five runs in the first two innings. Nelson comes in and shuts the Yankees down for four innings, while Edgar Martinez hits two homers and drives in seven runs to lead the Mariners to a 11-8 victory.

And the best part …

I was there! Whoa Nelle!