[Petition submitted to MLB on 08/18/09. Please feel free to continue to sign our petition if you like.] Please read my pal Megan's blog post (below) about the recent MLB decision to squash the Mariners' team spirit (ie, require that they remove the gladiator helmets from the bullpen). Pat Courtney, an MLB official, says that the helmets were considered "inappropriate" in the sense that by allowing the Mariners to have the gladiator helmets in the bullpen while a game is being played, it could lead to other kinds of paraphernalia being brought onto fields and bullpens going forward. Join us in asking the MLB to reconsider their decision with the condition that the players won't let "other kinds of paraphernalia [be] brought onto fields and bullpens going forward." It's as simple as that. They're all big boys that could surely abide by that simple rule. Why punish them FIRST without actual cause This "e-petition" might not make a "real" difference...but who knows! Maybe it will! At the very least it might make you feel a little better. We are going to forward the signatures to multiple officials with the MLB in a week or two, so please route this to as many fans as possible. ~Jessica Blackshear Fan of the Seattle Mariners and their Awesome Gladiator Helmets™ Rules are rules, and they suck. August 6, 2009 by section331 (Megan) http://section331.com/2009/08/06/rules-are-rules-and-they-suck/ So according to a radio snippet I heard earlier today, and then read on Shannon Drayer's blog, the MLB has decided that the Mariners bullpen cannot display their gladiator helmets anymore. While I vaguely understand the MLB's position (dress code, distraction, etc), I don't agree with it. Pink backpacks, Phiten necklaces, and rosaries don't have anything to do with regulation play, either, but they are still part and parcel of major league baseball. This recent development might also explain why my blog hit searches have been nothing but 'mariners gladiator helmets' lately. I'm not clear on why the MLB would begrudge a team with a 61-101 record the previous year the ability to reconstruct their clubhouse chemistry. The helmet thing has caught on ' the one with the horns apparently was a gift from a fan somewhere in the midwest, and I myself have debated not only grabbing one from eBay to give to the guys at a future game, but also getting a t-shirt made with the helmet and crossed swords skull n' bones motif similar to the shirts they wear during pre-game downtime (my design isn't the same, but the idea is there ' all I have to do is hit the 'order' button on the website I use). It's something that makes us unique, and it's obvious that the guys are very much motivated by their newfound trophies. I guess you can liken it to having too many toys on your desk at work, but come on ' it's awesome. The fact that Mark Lowe was immediately on the horn to the player's association is all the proof I need that this means a lot to them. I have to wonder if this was the direct result of a complaint from an opposing team or fan; I'm pretty sure that the MLB rulebook has absolutely nothing strictly prohibiting the use or presence of gladiator helmets specifically. I'm being glib; I know that there is most likely a rule against it, or at least one that could be interpreted to be against it. But I'm tempted to start a petition, or at the very least write a letter. If it really is a problem with the fact that they're 'not part of the uniform or equipment' then reader MK on Shannon's blog has a very valid point (and one I made earlier; funny, that). Whatever happens, the bullpen has my full support on keeping the helmets. Fight for your right to party, guys. I look forward to continued shenanigans. This is the most fun I've ever had watching this team.

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