In case you just woke up and are wondering what all of the Lloyd McClendon noise is all over the site, you've missed the hiring of the new Mariners manager.
Here's what we know about McClendon:
- 54 years old
- Born in Gary, Indiana
- Became a Little League legend for his Gary team, hitting five homers in five swings at age 12 in 1971
- Former part-time MLB outfielder, pictured on 1990 Donruss as an outfielder despite clearing fielding grounders in the infield
- Began his minor league career as a catcher before moving to first base, third base, and outfield
- Made his debut at age 28 with the Reds, went on to play with the Cubs and Pirates, retiring after 1995 at age 36
- Was hired as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001, where he stayed through August of 2005. The Pirates increased their winning percentage twice in a row to begin his career, but decreased for the next two years before he was fired
- Did not bunt excessively as a manager, ranking 14th, 9th, 3rd, and 9th (h/t Patrick Dubuque)
- Was a notoriously hotheaded manager, stole first base in a legendary tirade with Richie Sexson as witness
- Career winning % of .430
- Has been the Detroit Tigers hitting coach for seven seasons under Jim Leyland
- Interviewed with the Mariners in 2010 to follow Don Wakamatsu before Eric Wedge was hired
- Interviewed with the Miami Marlins in 2012 to replace Ozzie Guillen, lost to Mike Redmond
- Interviewed with the Detroit Tigers several weeks ago to replace Jim Leyland before losing to Brad Ausmus
- Spells his name with two Cs, ruining years of possible McLendon Hardware advertisements