August 7, 2026 • 8 mins
Raul Ibanez joins the show to talk about the Mariners 50th anniversary weekend and how the current Mariners can get going.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, a guy that would I you know what, just
like college football, I'd love to see this guy maybe
find some more eligibility and come back and play a
couple games for the m IS because we could use
his pop Man thirty three home runs, one hundred and
twenty three ribis in two thousand and six and presumably
in town because he's on the top fifty list. I
think I saw the last time I saw this guy.
(00:21):
I think it was at one of my wife's horse shows.
By the way, Raoul Lebanyez is joining us right now
on the Beacon Plumbing hotline. Raoul, it's Softie and Dick Fane.
How are you man?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey guys, how are you hey, Softy, how are you man?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I'm good man. It's great to hear your voice again, dude. So,
first of all, before we talk about what's going on
with this team right now, man, talk about being back here.
I'm assuming that you made the top fifty cats out
of the back as you're in Seattle. Tell us about
that list being a part of it in this celebration
tomorrow night. Man.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yeah, incredible honor.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Obviously, soft you saw when I.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
First got called up here, didn't go exactly as planned.
I had one foot on the other side of my
baseball life, in the graygard of.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
My baseball life, I should say.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
And so you know, just to be included and to
be a part of the organization that gave me the
opportunity is an incredible honor.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
How important is it that the team plays well this
weekend over this ceremony? We were talking about it earlier.
I mean, is it gonna matter or is this going
to be a fantastic ceremony regardless of how the baseball
games actually go.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I think it's going to be fantastic regardless of how
the baseball game goes. And I do have to tell
you that this is a really good ball club. I
worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers and we had just
played this team, and we were all discussing about, you know,
how good this baseball team is and how dangerous they
can be. They're pitching the elite and last year, if
I remember correctly, you know, they were down. They were
(01:47):
three games out in September and they came back and
made a huge run and when like seventeen of eighteen
or something like that and got into the postseason. So
you know, as long as you're in the position, in
the position that they're in, anything can happen. Would they
need to be within striking distance and they have the
talent to do it.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Roe Banyas is with us from across the street at
Tiamobile Park and Rowe you mentioned those first few, first
few go rounds right ninety six, seven ninety eight, you're
kind of up and down. I think it was what
like a fifty plus game span whatever, something like that,
and then something started to pop for you, you know,
a couple of years later. You know, two thousand and
one really was a four or five year kind of
(02:24):
up and down. What was the difference, like what finally
started working for you in that two thousand and one
two thousand and two era. And who do you get
credit for that?
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Man? Well, first and foremost it was Harvey Dorfman. And
first and foremost one A and one B was Kevin Seitzer.
Kevin Sitzer, Mariners current hitting coach. I got DFAD twice
in a month, and every team passed. And after that
second time, I heard about this guy named Kevin Sitzer
who had a cage in Kansas City. I gave him
(02:54):
a phone call the day I got dfa'd spent three
days with him. I went to Iowa one day, got
one at bat, hit a slider off a lefty, right
at the left fielder, hit a rocket and I said, wow,
I have not felt that in a long time. And
they pulled me out of the game, and next thing
you know, I was back in the big leagues and
the rest is history. So Kevin Sites are without him.
You know, my baseball career as a hitter was nowhere
(03:16):
near as good and and maybe over.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
So what do you think that disconnect is between hitters
like Kevin Sites, or teachers like Kevin Sites, or teachers
like Edgar Martinez and this particular team.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
I definitely don't think it's it's a disconnect. And what
I can tell you is that it's major league baseball.
It's hitting has always been hard. It's harder than ever
and and you know it's cyclical as well. Sometimes guys
have great seasons and then you come back and you
struggle to find it again, but then you know, you
find it at the right times. And some of these
guys that you certainly have the talent and the capability
(03:52):
to get really hot and carry an entire team and
one thing I learned. You know, when you play on
postseason contending teams, nobody really remembers what you did during
the season. If you get hot at the right time,
you can become a postseason here or get your team
to the postseason and next thing, you know, the team's
fighting for an opportunity to win a championships.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah. Well, Row you mentioned being with a Dodger as
Rollabanyez as well us on the air, and I mean,
obviously those guys are stacked. Man. Tell us about what
it's like being around Freeman, Muncy Show Hay Now, Trek
skouble Glass now yam a moto. I mean, what an
unbelievable clubhouse you guys have put together down there, and
it's so good that now people hate your guts for it.
(04:33):
By the way, you're like the you're like the Evil
Empire of baseball. What's it like being a part of
that organization? Man?
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, I mean, you know, we were playing against the
Evil Empire of Baseball when I was, you know, coming
up and playing against them, and that wasn't fun. It's
certainly better to be the Evil Empire where you're getting
an opportunity to win. That being said, I could just
tell you that everybody from the top down the organization
deeply cares about winning. All the players deeply care about winning,
and they're just when you around them, they're just really normal,
(05:01):
good dudes to be around. Dave Roberts and our coaching
staff as a phenomenal they do a phenomenal job of
keeping everybody accountable. They hold each other accountable, but also
they don't forget they work really hard, but they also
have a really good time together.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Yeah, SOVII and I had absolutely no problem with the
Dodgers getting Schooble. I mean, I think a lot of
people did, but we were like, hey, make yourself as
great as you possibly can.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
What would you say to the people out there that.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Would say, hey, yeah, this is bad for baseball that
the Dodgers are getting Trek.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Schooble, I would say that the entire purpose of playing
Major League Baseball or being part of a team is
to win. And if you know, as Andrew Friedman alway says,
our north star is winning and everything is geared towards winning,
then you have to give yourself the absolute best opportunity
to win, and to win win a championship, and we
owe it to our you know, our fans. We owe
(05:50):
it to our players, We are to our ownership group.
We always ourselves as in a group and as an organization.
So our fans come out, you know and support us
north of four million every season. We have incredible fans
and they deeply care about winning and we owe it
to them and we have a obligation to and a
commitment to win.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, the kids still have the horses or are you
guys done with that?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
By the way, I'm sorry to say it again.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Do the girls still have horses or are you out
of that game now?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
No, one of my girls is still riding. Great question.
I thought you said something about horses. I was like,
did he say horses? One of my daughters is still riding?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
That was safty. That was like way out of left
field right there.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
But yeah, yeah, my daughters are still riding and recently
was recently in Traverse City, Michigan, and still love riding.
I'm stressed out just as I was then every time
that they jump on a huge animal. But they have
a blast doing it and they'd love it.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
I love it. Well, it's great to hear your voice.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Man.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Do you know what number you are on? The top
fifty list. By the way, they're protecting that stuff like
it's a government secret.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
You know that, right, I have no idea to be
on with you. I have no idea, and I found
out a lot of stuff yesterday we got together.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Had dinner.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I have no idea and quite frankly, it's okay either way,
like whatever it is. Just to be part of this,
you know, these these fifty players that are here to
be part of the great story history of this Mariner.
Francis is a huge honor.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You're on it. You made it top fifty. That guy
that was up and down in late nineties, early two
thousands is a top fifty Mariner of all time and
you deserve it. Man. So Rale Labanya is great to
hear your voice, and we'll check in suit Bud.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Thanks guys, Thanks Toftie. Thanks, I see you, take care.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You got it man. Raoul Lebanya is with us on
the radio show and Dick he's exactly right about the
way his career started. He played four games on ninety six,
eleven games in ninety seven, thirty seven games in ninety eight,
eighty seven and ninety nine, ninety two and two thousand
and he had up until that point thirteen fourteen home
runs in five years. That's incredubit, and then left him
just totally popped and turned.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Around Kevin Sitzer in Kansas City and here he is
one O two. Kevin Seitzer's right back here. You know,
I think a lot of it, including myself. I mean,
I had to go back and look at that. I
I almost think of raoul A Banias's career as one
long career here at the Seattle right.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
You know it does.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
I don't really, I didn't really remember the part one
and the Part two and the part two obviously being
fantastic with the you know, twenty thirty three, twenty one,
twenty three bombs in a four year stretch.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Three and thirty five RBIs over three years. I'd like
to have that guy back.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
He'd lead, he'd lead the team in RBIs by forty
by the end of this year.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
If this everything keeps going with Cole Young, unreal. All right,
we're gonna break. Thanks to raul Lebanias for hopping on
the fun with Audio Next on ninety three three kJ
RFM
Well, a guy that would I you know what, just
like college football, I'd love to see this guy maybe
find some more eligibility and come back and play a
couple games for the m IS because we could use
his pop Man thirty three home runs, one hundred and
twenty three ribis in two thousand and six and presumably
in town because he's on the top fifty list. I
think I saw the last time I saw this guy.
(00:21):
I think it was at one of my wife's horse shows.
By the way, Raoul Lebanyez is joining us right now
on the Beacon Plumbing hotline. Raoul, it's Softie and Dick Fane.
How are you man?
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Hey guys, how are you hey, Softy, how are you man?
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I'm good man. It's great to hear your voice again, dude. So,
first of all, before we talk about what's going on
with this team right now, man, talk about being back here.
I'm assuming that you made the top fifty cats out
of the back as you're in Seattle. Tell us about
that list being a part of it in this celebration
tomorrow night. Man.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Yeah, incredible honor.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Obviously, soft you saw when I.
Speaker 3 (00:56):
First got called up here, didn't go exactly as planned.
I had one foot on the other side of my
baseball life, in the graygard of.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
My baseball life, I should say.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
And so you know, just to be included and to
be a part of the organization that gave me the
opportunity is an incredible honor.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
How important is it that the team plays well this
weekend over this ceremony? We were talking about it earlier.
I mean, is it gonna matter or is this going
to be a fantastic ceremony regardless of how the baseball
games actually go.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
I think it's going to be fantastic regardless of how
the baseball game goes. And I do have to tell
you that this is a really good ball club. I
worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers and we had just
played this team, and we were all discussing about, you know,
how good this baseball team is and how dangerous they
can be. They're pitching the elite and last year, if
I remember correctly, you know, they were down. They were
(01:47):
three games out in September and they came back and
made a huge run and when like seventeen of eighteen
or something like that and got into the postseason. So
you know, as long as you're in the position, in
the position that they're in, anything can happen. Would they
need to be within striking distance and they have the
talent to do it.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Roe Banyas is with us from across the street at
Tiamobile Park and Rowe you mentioned those first few, first
few go rounds right ninety six, seven ninety eight, you're
kind of up and down. I think it was what
like a fifty plus game span whatever, something like that,
and then something started to pop for you, you know,
a couple of years later. You know, two thousand and
one really was a four or five year kind of
(02:24):
up and down. What was the difference, like what finally
started working for you in that two thousand and one
two thousand and two era. And who do you get
credit for that?
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Man? Well, first and foremost it was Harvey Dorfman. And
first and foremost one A and one B was Kevin Seitzer.
Kevin Sitzer, Mariners current hitting coach. I got DFAD twice
in a month, and every team passed. And after that
second time, I heard about this guy named Kevin Sitzer
who had a cage in Kansas City. I gave him
(02:54):
a phone call the day I got dfa'd spent three
days with him. I went to Iowa one day, got
one at bat, hit a slider off a lefty, right
at the left fielder, hit a rocket and I said, wow,
I have not felt that in a long time. And
they pulled me out of the game, and next thing
you know, I was back in the big leagues and
the rest is history. So Kevin Sites are without him.
You know, my baseball career as a hitter was nowhere
(03:16):
near as good and and maybe over.
Speaker 4 (03:19):
So what do you think that disconnect is between hitters
like Kevin Sites, or teachers like Kevin Sites, or teachers
like Edgar Martinez and this particular team.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yeah, I don't.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
I definitely don't think it's it's a disconnect. And what
I can tell you is that it's major league baseball.
It's hitting has always been hard. It's harder than ever
and and you know it's cyclical as well. Sometimes guys
have great seasons and then you come back and you
struggle to find it again, but then you know, you
find it at the right times. And some of these
guys that you certainly have the talent and the capability
(03:52):
to get really hot and carry an entire team and
one thing I learned. You know, when you play on
postseason contending teams, nobody really remembers what you did during
the season. If you get hot at the right time,
you can become a postseason here or get your team
to the postseason and next thing, you know, the team's
fighting for an opportunity to win a championships.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah. Well, Row you mentioned being with a Dodger as
Rollabanyez as well us on the air, and I mean,
obviously those guys are stacked. Man. Tell us about what
it's like being around Freeman, Muncy Show Hay Now, Trek
skouble Glass now yam a moto. I mean, what an
unbelievable clubhouse you guys have put together down there, and
it's so good that now people hate your guts for it.
(04:33):
By the way, you're like the you're like the Evil
Empire of baseball. What's it like being a part of
that organization? Man?
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, I mean, you know, we were playing against the
Evil Empire of Baseball when I was, you know, coming
up and playing against them, and that wasn't fun. It's
certainly better to be the Evil Empire where you're getting
an opportunity to win. That being said, I could just
tell you that everybody from the top down the organization
deeply cares about winning. All the players deeply care about winning,
and they're just when you around them, they're just really normal,
(05:01):
good dudes to be around. Dave Roberts and our coaching
staff as a phenomenal they do a phenomenal job of
keeping everybody accountable. They hold each other accountable, but also
they don't forget they work really hard, but they also
have a really good time together.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Yeah, SOVII and I had absolutely no problem with the
Dodgers getting Schooble. I mean, I think a lot of
people did, but we were like, hey, make yourself as
great as you possibly can.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
What would you say to the people out there that.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Would say, hey, yeah, this is bad for baseball that
the Dodgers are getting Trek.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Schooble, I would say that the entire purpose of playing
Major League Baseball or being part of a team is
to win. And if you know, as Andrew Friedman alway says,
our north star is winning and everything is geared towards winning,
then you have to give yourself the absolute best opportunity
to win, and to win win a championship, and we
owe it to our you know, our fans. We owe
(05:50):
it to our players, We are to our ownership group.
We always ourselves as in a group and as an organization.
So our fans come out, you know and support us
north of four million every season. We have incredible fans
and they deeply care about winning and we owe it
to them and we have a obligation to and a
commitment to win.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, the kids still have the horses or are you
guys done with that?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
By the way, I'm sorry to say it again.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Do the girls still have horses or are you out
of that game now?
Speaker 3 (06:21):
No, one of my girls is still riding. Great question.
I thought you said something about horses. I was like,
did he say horses? One of my daughters is still riding?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
That was safty. That was like way out of left
field right there.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
But yeah, yeah, my daughters are still riding and recently
was recently in Traverse City, Michigan, and still love riding.
I'm stressed out just as I was then every time
that they jump on a huge animal. But they have
a blast doing it and they'd love it.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
I love it. Well, it's great to hear your voice.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Man.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Do you know what number you are on? The top
fifty list. By the way, they're protecting that stuff like
it's a government secret.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
You know that, right, I have no idea to be
on with you. I have no idea, and I found
out a lot of stuff yesterday we got together.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Had dinner.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
I have no idea and quite frankly, it's okay either way,
like whatever it is. Just to be part of this,
you know, these these fifty players that are here to
be part of the great story history of this Mariner.
Francis is a huge honor.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You're on it. You made it top fifty. That guy
that was up and down in late nineties, early two
thousands is a top fifty Mariner of all time and
you deserve it. Man. So Rale Labanya is great to
hear your voice, and we'll check in suit Bud.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Thanks guys, Thanks Toftie. Thanks, I see you, take care.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
You got it man. Raoul Lebanya is with us on
the radio show and Dick he's exactly right about the
way his career started. He played four games on ninety six,
eleven games in ninety seven, thirty seven games in ninety eight,
eighty seven and ninety nine, ninety two and two thousand
and he had up until that point thirteen fourteen home
runs in five years. That's incredubit, and then left him
just totally popped and turned.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Around Kevin Sitzer in Kansas City and here he is
one O two. Kevin Seitzer's right back here. You know,
I think a lot of it, including myself. I mean,
I had to go back and look at that. I
I almost think of raoul A Banias's career as one
long career here at the Seattle right.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
You know it does.
Speaker 4 (08:06):
I don't really, I didn't really remember the part one
and the Part two and the part two obviously being
fantastic with the you know, twenty thirty three, twenty one,
twenty three bombs in a four year stretch.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Three and thirty five RBIs over three years. I'd like
to have that guy back.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
He'd lead, he'd lead the team in RBIs by forty
by the end of this year.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
If this everything keeps going with Cole Young, unreal. All right,
we're gonna break. Thanks to raul Lebanias for hopping on
the fun with Audio Next on ninety three three kJ
RFM
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