This time, Mariners pick McClendon

Associated Press

SEATTLE

Lloyd McClendon wanted this news conference three years ago. He wanted the showy introduction and to be posing for pictures holding his new jersey. He wanted to be asked about his managerial philosophy and why it didn’t work his first time out in Pittsburgh.

And when it didn’t happen, when the Seattle Mariners chose Eric Wedge to be their manager back in 2010, McClendon didn’t sulk. He made sure to greet Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik every time their paths crossed and waited for a time when his desire to be a manager again would be realized.

“When he didn’t get this job I think he was really heartbroken and he was really looking forward to [it],” Zduriencik said. “When we would see each other on the field when we would play Detroit, he would come over to me and was always, ‘How are you doing?’

“And he never wore anything on his sleeve. It was a handshake and a hug .... It’s pretty neat. Three years ago and this guy never held it as a negative.”

Their paths have come full circle with McClendon being named as the Mariners’ new manager earlier this week. He was introduced on Thursday, showing a mix of quiet intensity, a sense of humor and a belief that Seattle can finally return to winning after a dozen years without a postseason appearance.

It’s a refrain heard in the past in Seattle that this will be the time the losing ways end and the Mariners become a consistent contender for the first time since an eight-year run, 1995-2002, when the franchise made four postseason appearances.

McClendon spoke of understanding the challenges ahead with a young roster, unproven in spots, and playing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. McClendon said he wasn’t dissuaded from going after the job by Wedge’s sudden decision to leave at the end of the 2013 season.