Jay Buhner speaks his mind about Mariners

When you're Jay Buhner, there's only one way to begin a harmless interview.

By talking bad about yourself.

"For me, I guess I've always been kind of full of crap," Buhner said. "No Gray Jay. That's me."

And you thought his nickname was Bone. No Gray Jay is perfect, though, because the Mariners legend is irreversibly colorful. He could make wall staring a hoot. Get him going on things he truly cares about, and you're in for a revealing conversation.

It happened during a far-reaching hour conversation last week. The retired slugger, a link to the franchise's only glorious period, covered everything from cancer to the Sleepgate controversy involving his good friend Ken Griffey Jr. to some raw feelings about a Mariners organization now in its ninth year of rebuilding.

He did so because he's building awareness for a project that's quite personal to him. Buhner is the spokesman for Seattle's "RadioShack for LIVESTRONG" team that will compete in a 5k event June 20. His goal is to raise money, find competitors and spread the word for this cause, which will help the Lance Armstrong Foundation in its fight against cancer.

For the self-described man full of crap, this is serious. And personal. Buhner's family history is full of cancer: Mom battled breast cancer. Grandfather, his No. 1 fan, died of cancer. Grandmother died of cancer. And currently his mother-in-law, who has already had a double mastectomy, just found out she has lung cancer. You can feel the pain in Buhner's voice when he mentions that his mother-in-law won't be able to attend the graduation of his 18-year-old daughter, Brielle, because she's too ill.

"Unfortunately, it's touching home for me big time right now," Buhner said. "I think, at some point, it's a natural reaction for everybody, where you go, 'Aw, (expletive). Not again.' I scratch my head a lot of times and just go, 'Why?' But at the same time, that's when you've got to roll up your sleeves and say, 'OK, what's it going to take? What can we do to make this better, to get her in remission?'

"We've all been affected by cancer, and that's why I'm doing what I'm doing. When I attack something, I do it full tilt. I take a lot of pride in it. I know we'll make a difference."

You remember that determination from his hard-nosed playing days. Buhner is still competing — in life and, in spirit, for the Mariners. He transitions from soft-spoken words about his family fending off disease to the proud, aggressive talk of a man who put 14 years of his life into helping the Mariners become a legitimate major-league baseball team.

For the record, the Griffey controversy sickens him. It began almost two weeks ago when The Tacoma News Tribune wrote a story about Griffey's uncertain future with the Mariners and included two unnamed sources saying Griffey slept in the clubhouse during a game. It continues now with debate over whether Griffey should retire. And Buhner can't stand it.

"To be honest with you, I never worry about Junior," he said. "Junior is unbelievable with being able to take criticism whether it's constructive or unwarranted. He's always been able to brush it off. But I think when you start questioning a guy's passion, his integrity, I think that can be a little BS.

"That's the thing that pisses me off more than anything else. Whether it was warranted or unwarranted, what people don't realize is it's a black eye for this organization. We're taking the most beloved sports star in Seattle history. We wouldn't be sitting here talking if it wasn't for this guy. Seattle wouldn't be on the map if it wasn't for this guy. We wouldn't have a great stadium. I can go down the list and check things off and keep saying 'if it wasn't for this guy.' And we're questioning Ken Griffey Jr.

"It's amazing that it even got out there and became this big. It's a national story. And now if I'm an agent, I'm going, 'Man, do I want my client to go to Seattle? They're treating Ken Griffey Jr. like this, the guy who's the most beloved guy ever?' Man, I don't think it's a win for anybody in this situation."

The Mariners began the season with playoff hopes and a marketing slogan telling people to "Believe Big." But those expectations have faded amid a disappointing start full of numerous controversies and a last-place standing in the American League West.

But there are still 119 games left to play. And while Buhner feels your pain, he preaches patience.

"Man, I can jump on and off the bandwagon with the best of 'em," he said. "It's tough for me. We're all fickle fans. We all get caught up in the emotions and the roller-coaster ride. Having played the game, I find myself sometimes second-guessing the Mariners. I'll be the first to admit that. But I also realize how difficult it is, and I realize it's a grind. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet."

That said, Buhner called out the Mariners offense for their poor production and said, "At some point and time, you've got to look yourself in the mirror and say, 'OK, enough's enough. I'm tired of getting it handed to me."

It appears the Mariners are beginning to do that. There are signs of life on offense. But they have a long way to go. And furthermore, it has been a long nine-year playoff drought.

Buhner loves the direction the Mariners are headed in and praised general manager Jack Zduriencik, field manager Don Wakamatsu, president Chuck Armstrong and CEO Howard Lincoln. But he worries that fans have suffered too much heartache and frustration. He worries about the erosion of confidence in the Mariners.

"It's been some lean — I mean, really lean — years," Buhner said. "And no offense, some really ugly baseball. And some really bad product. And the fans have stepped up. They've been there. But the frustration is really starting to show up this year. I'm sorry. It's been nine years, man. You can't fault the fans. Let's be honest, too: Fans are fickle, man. They jump on and off the bandwagon in a heartbeat, man. You just don't want to continue to keep burying yourself and putting yourself into a hole."

Asked to offer an elixir, Buhner joked, "Give Edgar Martinez, myself, Dan Wilson and everybody else anti-aging pills and bring us back."

After a long laugh, Buhner paused, admitted their time is over and put his trust in Zduriencik to make the right decisions. Then he dismissed himself as only he can.

"I've got to go," No Gray Jay said. "Time's up. It's been fun talking, but I've got to go pee."

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer