PEORIA, Ariz. — Amid the Super Bowl postgame scene late Sunday, Mariners stars Cal Raleigh and Bryan Woo soaked in the celebration with the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium.
Posing for a picture with Mike Macdonald, Raleigh put his right arm around the Seahawks’ coach, pulling him close. In his left hand, Raleigh held up a shiny Lombardi Trophy.
“What an experience,” Raleigh said Wednesday morning at the start of Mariners’ spring-training workouts.
He’d love the chance to recreate the scene with a World Series trophy for the Mariners.
“We’re going to try match them and do everything we can to do what they did,” Raleigh said. “It’s awesome for the city of Seattle.”
Raleigh got to know Macdonald earlier this offseason through a mutual friend, local comedian Adam Ray.
“He’s a good dude. Super happy for him,” Raleigh said of Macdonald.
Over the past year, even as his national profile has reached superstar status, Raleigh has made a point to establish deeper connections to the Seattle area.
Last summer, Raleigh bought a home on the north end and began to settle in as a year-round Seattle resident. He recently surprised patients with a visit to Virginia Mason Medical Center. And he’s become an invested fan in other local teams, attending several Seahawks, Kraken and UW football games this offseason.
The Seahawks’ Super Bowl run, he said, he serve as an inspiration for everyone, he said.
“What an incredible thing, in two years, a quick turnaround like that,” Raleigh said. “I just love what they talk about, what they preach, and their mentality. Obviously, I follow it a little more closely now, just because I’m living there and I’m fully bought into keeping up with them and the Kraken.
“I just love the way he goes about his business,” Raleigh said. “He stays consistent with what he says — the same thing every day, every week. It’s a good mentality.”
Raleigh and Woo attended the Super Bowl along with Mariners teammates Josh Naylor and George Kirby.
“The affection our guys feel for the city of Seattle and for the fan base there, you can’t express how important that is,” said Mariners manager Dan Wilson, who attended the NFC Championship Game with Raleigh at Lumen Field last month. “When you see T-Mobile Park come alive like it did all season long, and particularly in the playoffs as a player, you’re so appreciative of that. …
“And I know our guys really appreciated having a lot of football guys around during our playoff run. And our guys really enjoyed being a part of the playoff run for them, and when you’ve got that synergy between teams, I think there’s a lot to be said for that.”
Naylor, an Ontario, Canada, native, had only attended one other NFL game, in Buffalo, as a kid. But he doesn’t really remember anything about it. The Super Bowl figures to be one he will remember.
“I told my wife something along the lines of like, ‘I can’t wait for this to be us,’” Naylor said. “Roles are reversed, we’re on the field, they’re watching us. But just us in a sense of we’re winning for the city, and we get to have a tour of the city out afterwards with a nice, big parade. I mean, I look forward to it.”
After arriving in Seattle in a trade last July, Naylor quickly endeared himself to Mariners fans. And after signing a new five-year contract in November, Naylor, in turn, has become more ingratiated in the Seattle sports scene.
“I don’t know … if I’ve seen a player get tied to a city so quickly,” Wilson said. “Their appreciation has really shown, back and forth. And that’s really cool to see, too.
“That’s what these guys are. They’re just good people and they want to win on top of everything. And that’s what we’re here to do.”