Longtime Mariner Announcer Ron Fairley Dies

Ron Fairley, a Mariner commentator and announcer during some of the team's best years has died.  He was 81.  

Fairley, known as "Red" was in the team's booth from 1993 to 2006, although he did fill in work for the team after his departure. 

Fairley played in the Majors for 21 years, his best with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 3 World Series titles.  

A little known fact is he played as in the All Star Game for the Montreal Expos in 1973 and was an All Star from the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977.  He is the only player to have  represented both Canadian teams in the Summer Classic.

He started his broadcasting career with the San Francisco Giants in 1987, before joining the M's.
I loved Fairley because of his stories while on the air.  He would talk about his playing days in the 60s, a time when the baseball really mattered.  That was the time that I discovered baseball and had a huge baseball card collection.  When I watched my first World Series on TV.  I read every baseball book that I could get my hands on  and could never wait to watch the Saturday national telecast.
Not everyone was a fan of Fairley's and many thought of him as a cornball.  But maybe most of his critics weren't fans during that era.  Maybe baseball could use a little cornball.