Alvin Davis

After the Seattle Mariners joined the American League as an expansion team in 1977, the team and its fans endured 14 consecutive losing seasons. However, one player from this era emerged having made such an impact that he earned the nickname “Mr. Mariner.” Alvin Davis was the franchise’s first homegrown star and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1984. He combined an excellent batting eye and powerful swing to anchor the team’s lineup for eight seasons. Yet, it is perhaps his kindness and humility, traits rooted in his faith and upbringing, that stand out above his statistics.

Alvin Glenn Davis was born on September 9, 1960 in Riverside, California. His mother, Mylie (née Taylor), grew up in Riverside during the Great Depression. In her youth, she played both hardball and softball on traveling women’s teams coached by her father. William Davis was stationed at March Air Force Base in Riverside during World War II. He spotted Mylie one Sunday at Park Avenue Missionary Baptist Church and later introduced himself. When William was transferred to Montana to continue his military training, Mylie followed, and the couple married in August 1943.1

William served two years in the Pacific during WWII and rose to the rank of sergeant, overseeing more than 100 men.2 After the war he worked as a railroad and truck mechanic and in road construction. Mylie graduated from Riverside City College’s cosmetology program and for a time owned and operated a beauty salon in Riverside. The couple was active in the civil rights movement and were members of Riverside’s chapter of the NAACP. Alvin was the youngest of four boys raised by Mylie and William. Before Alvin came Bill and Mike, and the couple adopted Howard. The family regularly attended church, where William taught Sunday school and Mylie directed the choir. Alvin followed in developing a strong Christian faith.

The Davis family lived down the street from Bobby Bonds, then a teenager, who sometimes babysat for Alvin. Bill and Mike grew up playing ball with Bobby, and the families were very close. The Davis brothers also hung around Dusty Baker, another Riverside native. Alvin followed in his brothers’ footsteps by excelling in athletics. Bill played baseball at California Baptist University, and Mike played football at UCLA.

Tragedy struck the Davis family twice during Alvin’s childhood. In a 2017 interview on Brock Huard’s Above and Beyond podcast, he described these incidents and how they affected his life. In 1966, Howard attended a high school graduation party. Mylie had an uneasy feeling about it and begged him not to go. There was a beef at the party, and Howard tried to defend a friend. Howard was stabbed during the altercation and died from his injuries. Then, in 1970, William, who had undergone a novel type of surgery for an aortic aneurysm, died in Mylie’s arms.3 Left to raise three boys on her own, Mylie worked two jobs.

Alvin attended John W. North High School in Riverside. Each year, the city hosted a college baseball tournament which attracted many of the West Coast’s top programs. As a freshman baseball player, Alvin and his teammates worked at the tournament selling tickets and parking cars. During the tournament, he saw the Arizona State University Sun Devils play at Evans Park. “I fell in love with the way they played the game. I had never seen a college or pro team run out walks,” he later recalled.4 It was from this point that he dreamed of being a Sun Devil.

Davis had an important lesson during his sophomore year when he was invited to work out with the varsity baseball team. On the second day of practice, Davis overslept and showed up late. When Coach Rich Stalder asked why he was late, Alvin replied: “My mom forgot to wake me up.” After Stalder made him run laps the rest of practice, he told him to empty his piggybank and buy an alarm clock. “That was a defining moment in my life. I grew up a lot that day,” Davis later said.5

Davis, who threw right-handed throwing and hit lefty, played both third and first base in high school. Not the fleetest of foot, his strength was at the plate. He hit .400 his junior season, helping his team to the league championship.6 In the summer of 1977, he played on the Riverside team that advanced to the Colt World Series in Lafayette, Indiana. His senior year, Davis hit .380 and was the league MVP.78 His hitting attracted pro scouts and recruiters from many elite college programs. ASU, University of Southern California, UCLA, UC-Riverside, and Oral Roberts all offered scholarships.9 Once ASU coach Jim Brock offered a full-ride scholarship, Davis made his decision, fulfilling a years-long dream. Though he made his intention to attend ASU known, the San Francisco Giants selected Davis in the eighth round of the June 1978 draft, just in case he changed his mind.10 When funding for Mylie’s teacher’s aide position was cut, Davis convinced his mother to move with him to Arizona.11 Brock helped Mylie find housing and employment in the Phoenix school district. Mylie cooked and cleaned for Alvin, found work as a teacher’s aide once again, and traveled with the team to road games. She even took several classes each semester at ASU. They shared an apartment throughout his college years.

Davis served as the Sun Devils’ DH his sophomore season in 1980, his first as a starter. He hit .370 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI.12 That summer, he played for the Goldpanners in the Alaskan Summer League. Ben Hines managed the team, Harold Reynolds played second base, and Kevin McReynolds manned center field. The team finished with a record of 43-9 and won the National Baseball Congress World Series.13

In 1981, Davis took over as the Sun Devils’ first baseman for his junior season. He was a co-captain and hit .395 with four home runs and 50 RBIs.14 His power was diminished by a shoulder injury and then bouts with Valley Fever and shingles.15 He couldn’t take batting practice but continued to play despite these maladies. “It was amazing all the key hits he got down the stretch as sick as he was,” said Brock.16 The Sun Devils advanced to Omaha and defeated Oklahoma State to win the College World Series. Davis was named to the All-Tournament team17 and was also named to the Pac-10 All-Star team. 18

Davis was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 1981 June amateur draft. He turned down the A’s offer of $40,000 and instead chose to return to ASU for his senior year.19 “I considered it seriously,” he said, “but I didn’t think I was ready physically to go out and play pro ball, and I wanted to get my degree.”20

As a senior, Davis served as team captain for the Sun Devils. He hit .351 with 13 home runs and 91 RBIs during the regular season and was named MVP of the Pac-10 South Division.21 He was also named Third Team All-American. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in finance. Brock called him “the most complete human being I’ve had on a baseball team.”22

Davis was drafted for a third time when the Mariners selected him in the sixth round of the 1982 draft. Mariners scout Bob Harrison had followed him since high school and developed a relationship with Davis and his family. “Mr. Bob,” as Davis called him, gave the Mariners draftee a blunt assessment as he sat in the Davis’ living room: “Alvin, you can’t run, you can’t throw, your glove is okay — but you can hit. And your bat will take you as far as you’re going to go.”23 Davis would later admit Harrison was “100 percent right in his assessment.”24

As was typical for seniors drafted without the leverage of returning to college, the offer Davis received from the Mariners was considerably less than the offer he turned down from Oakland the previous year. The franchise had also long had a reputation for being tight with money, and that remained the case under the ownership of George Argyros (1981-89).

Signing the Mariners’ contract offer was not a slam-dunk decision for Davis. He also received an offer for a full-ride scholarship for a master’s program in educational psychology from ASU. Davis asked his mother what he should do, and she gave him what he described as some of the best advice he ever received: “Whatever you decide to do, don’t ever look back,” said Mylie.

Davis later recalled, “That freed my mind to play baseball because I knew if I went the educational route I would always wonder if I had what it took,”25 Even after Davis left to play pro ball, Mylie remained in Arizona and remained involved with the ASU baseball program, taking players such as Oddibe McDowell and Barry Bonds into her home.

Davis was assigned to the Mariners’ Double-A affiliate in Lynn, Massachusetts. In 74 games, he hit .284 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs, and an OBP of .419 in helping the team to the second-half pennant. Hal Keller, Seattle’s minor-league director, was impressed with how developed Davis was at the plate. He offered perhaps the highest praise possible in his assessment, saying Davis “has more patience at the plate and a better idea of what he’s trying to do than any young hitter I’ve seen since Ted Williams.”26

In 1983, Davis’ first full season of pro ball, he was again assigned to Double-A but in Chattanooga, the Mariners’ new affiliate. In 131 games, Davis carried a batting average of .284, hit 18 home runs, and drew 120 walks. His accomplishments earned him a spot on the Southern League All-Star team and attention in The Sporting News, where he was referred to as “one of those quiet businessmen of the game.”27 Chattanooga skipper Bill Haywood noted that Davis’ skill at hitting righties and lefties equally well was his biggest strength. Haywood also called him “a gentleman on and off the field.”28

After being invited to spring training in 1984 as a non-roster invitee, Davis was assigned to the Mariners’ Triple-A team in Salt Lake City. After playing in just one game for the Gulls, the Mariners had a need for a first baseman after Ken Phelps suffered a broken bone in his hand when hit by a pitch. To take the place of Phelps on the roster and in the lineup, Davis got the call up to Seattle.

Davis made his major-league debut on April 11, batting sixth and playing first base in front of 9,120 fans at the Kingdome. Dennis Eckersley was the starting pitcher for the visiting Boston Red Sox. After flying out in his first at-bat, Davis came to the plate in the fourth inning with two runners on base in a scoreless game. The rookie sent a 2-1 fastball into the second deck in right centerfield for a three-run homer.29 In his second game Davis hit a solo shot off Minnesota Twins reliever Ron Davis, becoming just the fifth player in major league history to homer in his first two games.30

Davis started his career with a nine-game hitting streak, batting .400 with four home runs, five doubles, and 12 RBIs. He said humbly at the time: “I’m just fighting to stay on the team. The job is still Ken Phelps’ as far as I’m concerned. If I get sent back down, I’ll accept it and work harder.”31 However, Davis played so well that when Phelps returned, the rookie kept the first base job and Phelps was relegated to DH.

Mariners manager Del Crandall was impressed by Davis’s makeup and maturity.32 Davis later credited his experience at ASU in preparing him for the major-league stage. “It was a combination of preparation and opportunity. So much of my experience at ASU prepared me when that opportunity came. Playing in front of crowds at Packard Stadium, playing in pressure-packed games in super regionals and Omaha, having pressure-packed at-bats and plays on defense. All of those things prepared me for when my opportunity came in Seattle.”33

Hines, who’d coached Davis in Alaska and had become the Mariners’ hitting coach, had attributed Davis’s success to his vision and innate ability to know the speed and direction of the ball from the moment the pitcher released it.34 On May 12, though, Davis would encounter a problem with his vision that may have affected his career. He took a bad-hop ground ball off the face at Yankee Stadium and suffered a fractured nose. Nonetheless, he was back in the lineup six days later and continued his torrid hitting. On the last day of May he was batting .340 with a .460 OBP. His sizzling first half earned him a spot on the American League All-Star team.

As teams started to throw Davis more breaking pitches, however, his average dipped below .300. Davis adjusted and maintained a level of consistency for the rest of the season, finishing with a .284 average, 27 home runs, 116 RBIs, and 97 walks.

For a franchise that had been short on both homegrown talent and wins since its inception in 1977, Davis provided Mariners fans with some exciting moments and hope for the future. He received curtain calls from the Kingdome crowd on multiple occasions during his rookie season, something that had only happened once before in the team’s seven-year history.35 In November, Davis was named the American League Rookie of the Year. His teammate, Mark Langston, finished second in the voting.

Davis reported to Arizona in 1985 established as the team’s first baseman. On March 1, he and the M’s agreed to a $175,000 contract with the opportunity to earn another $80,000 in incentives.36 Through the first half of the season, Davis showed a dropoff in power and run production. At the All-Star break, he had just seven home runs and 33 RBIs. Groin strains suffered early in the year may have affected his play. “I’ve never gone through anything like this in my life,” said Davis.37 After a better second half, he finished with a .287 average and 18 home runs. Heading into the 1986 season, his salary was set by an arbitrator who ruled in favor of the Mariners’ $400,000 offer.38

During spring training of 1986, routine vision testing found that Davis had 20/20 vision in his the right eye — but could not read the eye chart with his left.39 “I didn’t have depth perception that I had before. It was hard to recognize spin and depth on breaking balls, and it was difficult to go to my right as a fielder,” said Davis.40 He tried glasses and then contact lenses, but nothing seemed to help. He particularly had trouble under the dim lighting of the Kingdome. “Major challenge in my career. Maybe in the big picture affected me in the long term,” he said looking back in retirement.41

After the Mariners struggled to a 9-19 start in 1986, manager Chuck Cottier was fired and replaced by Dick Williams, Davis’s third manager in three years. Davis posted respectable numbers again with a .271 average and 18 home runs, but his level of production was below his first base peers. The Mariners lost 95 games and finished in last place. Following the season, first-year general manager Dick Balderson expressed controversial concerns that players’ religious beliefs were affecting the team’s success. He felt that Christian players were not aggressive enough and were more apt to accept defeat.42 Davis, who was an active member of the team’s chapel, took exception to Balderson’s comments. Yet there were also instances where chapel ran late and players were tardy to pre-game activities. “We were a little sloppy with our timing. We let chapel run over into stretch far too often. I could have been a better leader and prevented that from happening,” Davis said in retrospect.43

A meeting after the season between Davis and management led to a compromise in which players could hold chapel at the stadium prior to any scheduled pregame activities. This solution worked well, and team chapel continued the following season.

Prior to the 1987 season, Davis saw more eye specialists and was diagnosed with keratoconus, a rare condition involving a thinning and bulging of the cornea.44 Once the problem was correctly identified, doctors recommended a new type of contact lens. The change made a world of difference for Davis. “I am not hesitant to call it a miracle,” he said.45

With his vision restored, Davis’s production in 1987 was on par with that of his rookie season. He led the Mariners with 29 home runs and 100 RBIs while hitting .295. The Mariners won 78 games, a franchise best to that point. Davis received a personal honor that year when he was inducted into the ASU Hall of Fame. Heading into the 1988 season, there was reason for optimism. “I sense a feeling from players that this is going to be our year,” said Davis in spring training.46 His hopes did not come to fruition. Though he personally had another successful season, Seattle finished in the AL west cellar once again.

In January 1989, the 28-year-old Davis signed a three-year, $4.45 million contract with the Mariners.47 That year saw the departure of one star player from Seattle and the arrival of two future Hall of Famers. Langston, Davis’s road roommate and teammate since Chattanooga, was traded to Montreal for Gene Harris, Brian Holman, and a 6-foot-10 lefty named Randy Johnson. Ken Griffey Jr. made his major league debut and roamed center field. Davis set major-league career highs in batting average (.305) and walks (101) while striking out only 49 times. Yet, the Mariners still finished with a losing record.

By this time, Mariners Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus had given Davis a flattering nickname: Mr. Mariner. “He told me that I reminded him of the great Ernie Banks, Mr. Cub,” recalled Davis. “I was stunned and speechless the first time he said that. Ernie Banks was, and is, one of my heroes. One of the best players to ever play the game, loved and respected by everyone he came into contact with.”48

Before the 1990 season, the Mariners signed Pete O’Brien. Though Davis was under the impression that the two would be sharing first base and DH duties, O’Brien became the everyday first baseman while Davis served as DH. One teammate was quoted as saying Davis was hurt by the way team handled the situation.49 If this was the case, he outwardly was positive and supportive of the move. “Alvin told me he would do whatever was asked of him to help our club,” said manager Jim Lefebvre.50 Davis found the transition to the DH role challenging. “I never realized how different it would be. The tempo is so different. The approach and preparation, too,” he said toward the end of the 1990 season.51

On July 22, 1990, Davis became the first Mariner to reach the 1,000 hit mark when he singled off Teddy Higuera at Milwaukee’s County Stadium.52 He finished the season with major-league career lows in home runs (17) and RBI (68), though he still reached base at a rate (.387) on par with his career average.

Up and coming stars like Johnson, Griffey, Edgar Martinez, and Jay Buhner vaulted the Mariners to their first winning season in 1991 with a record of 83-79. Davis later said that winning their 82nd game of the season and thus securing Seattle’s first winning season was the most memorable moment of his career.53 “That was a hill that we knew we needed to climb in order for us to move the organization where we all wanted to be,” he said in 2020.54 For Davis personally, however, the season was a struggle; he hit just .221 with 12 home runs. He sometimes sat versus left-handed pitching and was often lifted for a pinch-hitter late in games. “Something has changed, I’ve done a lot of soul searching and haven’t come up with any answers,” said the veteran.55

In the last game of the 1991 season, Davis received standing ovations from the Kingdome crowd when he pinch-hit in the sixth inning and again when he batted in the ninth.56 He was set to become a free agent at season’s end, and fans knew that could be his last game as a Mariner. Davis expressed a desire to return to Seattle. However, the Mariners had O’Brien under contract and another young first baseman, Tino Martinez, knocking on the door. When an offer did not come from the Mariners, he agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract with the California Angels.57

Competing for playing time with Lee Stevens and Hubie Brooks, Davis played sporadically with the Angels in 1992. In 40 games, he hit .250 without a home run. In June, a Japanese team, the Kintetsu Buffaloes, reached out to the Angels about acquiring Davis. After Davis agreed to cross the Pacific Ocean to continue his career, the Angels granted Davis his release. “I think it’s worth it, an opportunity I can’t pass up at this stage of my career,” said Davis.58 Coincidentally, his last game for the Angels came in his return to Seattle on the same night the Mariners sponsored “Alvin Davis Night.” During a pregame ceremony, Davis gave an emotional speech, thanking fans and teammates and crediting his mother for being his inspiration. He drove in a run with a single in his final major-league at-bat.

Davis played 40 games in Japan, where he hit .275 and homered five times. In 2021, he shared memories of his time abroad: “Playing in Japan was quite the experience both on the field and culturally. Baseball is a pastime of passion for the people of Japan. I loved the dedication and enthusiasm of the fans. I loved having the opportunity to play with Hideo Nomo before he came to MLB. I also had the pleasure of seeing and competing against a young Ichiro Suzuki.”59

Though he was only 32 years old, Davis’s playing career then came to an end. Coming off an unproductive season and an injury suffered in Japan, he assessed that the road back to the majors would have been a difficult one. “I would most likely have returned to minor league baseball to attempt to re-establish MLB value,” Davis reflected. “When I considered my family, with three young children at home, the decision to retire seemed clear, and I was and am at peace with it.”60

Davis retired as the Mariners’ franchise leader in ten offensive categories. He finished his nine-year career with a batting average of .280 and 160 home runs. He walked 123 more times than he struck out. From afar, Davis watched the Mariners finally break through and make a magical playoff run in 1995. He made this analogy: “It’s kind of like being a farmer with a vineyard when the grapes are planted and then not being there for the harvest.”61

In retirement, Davis and his wife, Kim, lived in Riverside and raised three children: Jordan, Justin, and Kayla. He worked as a Bible-based financial counselor and became involved with Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church, where he was an elder and served as treasurer, positions he still held as of 2021. He remained connected to baseball by serving as an assistant coach at Martin Luther King High School for several years.

In 1997, Davis became the first inductee in the Mariners Hall of Fame and gave an acceptance speech in front of a sold-out crowd at the Kingdome. In 2006, his jersey number (#9) was retired by ASU.

In 2012, with his kids grown, Davis rejoined the Mariners organization as a roving minor-league instructor. He then accepted a permanent position as Special Assistant in Player Development that offseason. He donned the Mariners’ uniform the following spring in Peoria, Arizona, working with first basemen on fundamentals, helping hitters with their swing, and coaching players on the mental side of the game. As of 2021, Davis was still employed in this capacity. “The relationships I have with fellow staff members and players are the most enjoyable parts of the role,” said Davis “I also enjoy helping both staff and players realize their dreams in professional baseball.”62

Decades after his retirement, Davis is still referred to as “Mr. Mariner.” Other players surpassed him statistically, but he will always be remembered as the Mariners’ first homegrown star player. Does anyone think there will ever be another Mr. Mariner? Ken Griffey Jr. answered this question in 1997: “I don’t. Alvin is the original and only one.”63

Last revised: March 15, 2021

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Alvin Davis for sharing his perspective and memories from his career. This biography was originally published on January 20, 2021, and was subsequently augmented with input from Mr. Davis. It was updated on March 15, 2021.

The review was conducted by Paul Proia and Rory Costello, with fact-checking by Chris Rainey.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author relied on Baseball-Reference.com

Notes

1 “Riverside Woman Celebrates 100th Birthday,” The Press-Enterprise, August 19, 2020. https://www.pe.com/2020/08/19/riverside-woman-celebrates-100th-birthday-2/, Accessed October 30, 2020.

2 “Riverside Women Celebrates 100th Birthday.”

3 Brock Huard, host. “Trust with Alvin Davis,” Brock Huard’s Above and Beyond: The Intersection of Faith and Sports,” Posted June 20, 2017. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trust-with-alvin-davis/id1216908138?i=1000386800558, Accessed November 4, 2020.

4 Huard podcast interview.

5 Huard podcast interview.

6 Jeff Washburn, “Alvin Davis Has Scouts, Colleges Knocking on Door,” Journal and Courier (Lafayette, Indiana), August 16, 1977: 15.

7 “All-Star Game,” The San Bernardino County Sun, June 16, 1978: 60.

8 “ASU Snares 7 Top Baseball Prospects,” Arizona Republic, August 31, 1978: 20.

9 “Alvin Davis,” Legends of Packard Podcast, Posted May 30, 2020. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alvin-davis/id1506446431?i=1000476286352, Accessed November 4, 2020.

10 Bob Finnigan, “Al Davis Story: Believe it or Not,” Seattle Daily Times, April 30, 1984: 11.

11 Bill Plaschke, “Family-Oriented Seattle Has Thrown Open Its Arms for Alvin Davis, The Sporting News, July 23, 1984: 25.

12 Bob Egar, “Sun Devil Pitchers Untested, but Brock Says ASU a Favorite,” Arizona Republic, February 1, 1981: 70.

13 Alaska Goldpanners page on baseball-reference.com, https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Alaska_Goldpanners, Accessed November 19, 2020.

14 Bob Egar, “Sun Devil Baseball Starts Talent Rich,” Arizona Republic, January 30, 1982: 103.

15 Huard podcast interview.

16 Bob Egar, “ASU’s Davis has a Special Pace on Brock’s List of Special Players,” Arizona Republic, February 18, 1982: 26.

17 http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/baseball_cws_RB/2012/1-CWSGeneral.pdf

18 https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1084291-2019-baseball-media-guide/59?m4=

19 Ken Leiker, “Signed ASU Draftees Cite Davis’ Devaluation,” Arizona Republic, June 13, 1982: 76.

20 Egar, “ASU’s Davis has a Special Pace on Brock’s List of Special Players.”

21 “Arizona State University Baseball All-Time Statistics,” https://static.thesundevils.com/old_site/pdf/m-basebl/alltimestats.pdf?db_oem_id=30300, Accessed March 13, 2021.

22 Bob Egar, “ASU’s Davis Pac-10 South MVP,” Arizona Republic, May 20, 1982: 64.

23 Larry Stone, “Late Mariners Scout Bob Harrison’s Legacy Goes Far Beyond Ken Griffey Jr. Signing,” The Seattle Times, June 22, 2016.

24 Stone.

25 Huard podcast interview.

26 Ken Leiker, “Davis Got a Break in ’84, and Seattle’s Glad He Did,” South Florida Sun Sentinel, April 4, 1985: 40.

27 David Jenkins, “Quiet Alvin Davis is Justifying Mariners’ Confidence with Bat,” The Sporting News, July 25, 1983: 50.

28 Jenkins.

29 Steve Kelley, “New Stars Shine as Mariners Revert from Hopeless to Hopeful,” Seattle Daily Times, April 12, 1984: 44.

30 Bill Madden, “Anything Can Happen — and it did,” New York Daily News, May 12, 1984: 10.

31 Bill Plaschke, “Family-Oriented Seattle has Thrown Open its Arms for Alvin Davis,” The Sporting News, July 23, 1984: 2.

32 Plaschke.

33 Davis interview on Legends of Packard Podcast.

34 Madden.

35 Jim Cour, “Alvin: Major Star is on the Rise in Seattle,” Longview Daily News (Longview, WA), June 14, 1984: 25.

36 Bob Finnigan, “Davis, Mariners Happy with New Contract,” The Seattle Times, March 2, 1985: C1

37 Bob Finnigan, “Alvin? — Alvin Davis has Tried Everything- To No Avail,” The Seattle Times, July 16, 1985: B1.

38 Bob Finnigan, “Take the $400,000, Arbitrator Tells M’s Davis,” The Seattle Times, February 5, 1986: E1.

39 Bob Finnigan, “The Eyes Have It — Davis, Doctor Call Restoration of Alvin’s Sight ‘A Miracle’,” The Seattle Times, March 13, 1988: D6.

40 Huard podcast interview.

41 Huard podcast interview.

42 Craig Smith and Bob Finnigan, “Too Much Religion in Mariner Clubhouse? — Balderson, Davis to Meet Regarding GM’s Remarks,” The Seattle Times, October 24, 1986: D1.

43 Huard podcast interview.

44 Another major league player, Tommy Pham, would later also deal with this condition.

45 Finnigan, “The Eyes Have It — Davis, Doctor Call Restoration of Alvin’s Sight ‘A Miracle’.”

46 Bob Finnigan, “Davis Speaking Less Softly, But Still Carrying a Big Stick,” The Seattle Times, February 28, 1988: C1.

47 Bob Finnigan, “M’s Sign Davis; Langston Next Up?” The Seattle Times, January 18, 1989: B1.

48 Alvin Davis, E-mail correspondence with Eric Vickrey, March 12, 2021.

49 Bob Finnigan, “Slow Start? Alvin Says All’s Well — DH Takes Cut as Adjusting to ‘Splitting’ with O’Brien,” The Seattle Times, June 25, 1990: E1.

50 Finnigan, “Slow Start? Alvin Says All’s Well — DH Takes Cut as Adjusting to ‘Splitting’ with O’Brien.”

51 Bob Finnigan, “Will Seattle Trade Alvin Davis? Former All-Star Feels ‘Vulnerable’,” The Seattle Times, September 24, 1990: C1

52 Bob Finnigan, “Davis Does No. 1,000 With Style — Milestone Hit Helps Seattle Beat Brewers,” The Seattle Times, July 23, 1990: C1.

53 “Checking in with ‘Mr. Mariner’ Alvin Davis,” https://marinersblog.mlblogs.com/checking-in-with-mr-mariner-alvin-davis-3a3fd074cb41, Accessed November 4, 2020.

54 “Checking in with ‘Mr. Mariner’ Alvin Davis.”

55 Bob Finnigan, “Remember Mr. Mariner? — ‘Something has Changed,’ Says .225-Hitting Davis,” The Seattle Times, July 3, 1991: D1.

56 Bob Sherwin, “Farewell for Davis, Lefebvre? — Cheers, Tears for ‘Mr. Mariner’,” The Seattle Times, October 7, 1991: D1.

57 Lloyd Herberg, “Davis Turns Page on Career,” Arizona Republic, February 18, 1992: 45.

58 Helene Elliott, “Davis Will Play in Japan,” The Los Angeles Times, June 27, 1992: 590.

59 Davis-Vickrey E-mail.

60 Davis-Vickrey E-mail.

61 Dick Rockne, “Memoirs — Davis Sorry He Missed Glory Days, but He’s ‘Touched’ by M’s Success,” The Seattle Times, May 25, 1997: D7.

62 Davis-Vickrey E-mail.

63 Davis Eskenazi and Steve Rudman, “Wayback Machine: Alvin Davis, Mr. Mariner,” sportspressnw.com, March 11, 2004. http://sportspressnw.com/2180315/2014/wayback-machine-alvin-davis-mr-mariner, Accessed November 7, 2020.