Seattle Times columnist Larry Stone (@StoneLarry) featured former Crusader and current manager of the Seattle Mariners, Lloyd McClendon, in his Wednesday column.

The M's record currently sits at 50-43. If the playoffs were to begin today, McClendon would guide Seattle to its first postseason appearance since 2001. That's not bad for a franchise that entered this season exactly 100 games under .500 (274-374) since 2010.

Many around baseball have attributed a culture change fueled by McClendon. Stone chronicled McClendon the man, not just the manager.

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(Third-base coach Rick) Donnelly sees shades of Jim Leyland in all aspects of McClendon’s demeanor, from his interactions with players to his big-picture outlook. That’s not surprising, since Leyland first put the managing bug in McClendon when he was a reserve with the Pirates, then nurtured him through seven seasons on the Tigers’ coaching staff. They still talk frequently.

“He reminds me so much of Jim the way he does stuff,’’ Donnelly said. “He communicates with everybody. He doesn’t miss a thing.”

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To read Stone's column in its entirety, click here.