Raleigh, Mariners' faithful celebrate Buhner Buzz Cut Night

SEATTLE -- For Kevin Martinez, the Mariners’ senior vice president of marketing and communications, the best promotions focus on fans and players and shorten the gap between them.

Thirty years ago, on May 19, 1994, the Mariners struck promotional gold with the first Jay Buhner Buzz Cut Night. The premise was simple: Get your head shaved like the fan-favorite outfielder and earn free tickets to the night’s game.

“Fans would run through a wall for Jay Buhner,” Martinez said. “They absolutely identified, related with him, so when you have that -- and then you have something that’s a little bit crazy, like shaving your head -- now you’ve got a party.”

Thursday, the Mariners brought the promotion back. Buhner was on hand, flying out from Texas to resume his role with the razor.

But there was a star in the show: catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit a walk-off grand slam Monday, added a go-ahead two-run double Tuesday and ended the four-game set by getting shaved bald for the first time in his life -- by Buhner himself.

“It’s always fun to get out here and see everybody and do things like this,” Raleigh said after the Mariners legend gave him a once-over in front of the cameras -- and team barber Mark Jacob Baysinger cleaned everything up. “It’s just hair, it’ll grow back," Raleigh said.

Martinez said Raleigh didn't need to be asked to participate, volunteering the first time the marketing team came to the clubhouse with the idea.

And for Martinez, who has worked in the Seattle organization for over three decades, Raleigh was the perfect Mariner to take the torch -- and the cut -- from Buhner.

"I think people recognize that workman-like approach people have," he said. "He's got an endearing nickname. He has one of the biggest hits in Mariners history. And he's just out there every day. He plays through the bumps and the bruises, and he's as clutch as they come."

Raleigh wasn't the only one there, of course. A line snaked its way through Victory Hall and down Dave Niehaus Way as a procession that lasted well over an hour and a half got their heads shaved or presented a previously cropped dome to earn a T-shirt and a free ticket to Thursday's series finale against the White Sox.

“It’s been pretty cool,” said Dave Nelson, who got buzzed, along with his wife, Judi. “I loved having short hair, and I thought, ‘This is the time to do it.’”

"I thought it was really cool for Cal Raleigh to participate because I feel like Cal Raleigh is like the leader of the team," Judi added. "He's such a strong player, and really clutch, so it's really cool to see him participate."

Of course, to run a buzz-cut promotion, you need more than fans willing to lose their locks and a star to be the focal point. You need a barber.

Actually, you need a few dozen.

That's where Baysinger came in. The Mariners' clubhouse barber, who runs a salon in Bellevue, reached out to his industry colleagues through the On the Mark Project, which coordinates barbers with local non-profits like Mary's Place and the Boys and Girls Club of Seattle.

"I have a baseline of barbers that give back, having the right hearts, good guys," Baysinger said. "I said, 'What's better than bringing everyone to the ballgame, and being able to have the opportunity to not only take them to the ballgame but be a part of something iconic like this?'"

On Thursday, Baysinger and OTM had over 40 barbers on the steps outside Victory Hall. This added one more aspect of community to the promotion, revived after 23 years on the sidelines. And with a weekend of likely sellouts coming and a high-stakes series against the Rangers on deck, it may just kick off a summer that could be a special one in Seattle.

“I think sports teams hold a really unique place in communities, and they really can bring people together in a way that not a lot of other things can,” Martinez said. “And why not make it fun as well, and memorable? Those are the qualities that you look for when you put these things together.”