He loves us. He really loves us.

The one they call "King" has grown up before our very eyes. From the young kid whose hat flew off with every pitch in his Spring Training debut to the runner-up in the CY race.

Felix has matured on and off the field - developing and perfecting his pitches and raising and loving his children.

Most knew he was special from the beginning and many believed he was destined for a bigger, better market. As time went on, Felix started living up to the hype of his talent - validating his "phenom" status.

Then last season, the speculation of his departure really revved up...

~How could Seattle possibly lock him up long term?

~They have the money, but will they spend it?

~Why would Felix even want to remain tucked up in the left corner when he could head easily write his own ticket for brighter lights?

We now have our answer....

He stayed because he loves Seattle. He stayed because Jack Z and the entire organization made it clear that they love him. He stayed because he wants to give back to the organization that brought him up. He stayed because he wants to do give back to the fans that adore him. He stayed because he wants to win and he believes in the team that is being built - the philosophies espoused and the talent assembled.

Yes indeed.

Felix has grown up but he isn't ready to leave the nest just yet. He's got some things to accomplish and he wants to do it for his families - his immediate family, his wife and children AND his baseball family, the Seattle Mariners and their fans.

Heraldnet.com

His fans from Seattle to Venezuela call him "King Felix."

Yet it's another, more personal title that Felix Hernandez cites as the reason his career took off last year, when he went from maddening inconsistency and unfulfilled potential to dominant pitching that earned him a $78 million, five-year deal with the Mariners.

Dad.

"It's the maturity, man. I had my kids and it made me grow up," the 23-year-old ace said Thursday after finalizing his first big contract.

:::

Wearing a constant grin, a sharp, black, three-piece suit, a silver tie plus diamonds in each earlobe, the son of a truck driver rolled up his cuffs. He pulled away his jeweled watch and proudly showed off script tattoos inside each wrist — the names and birthdates of his and wife Sandra's 4-year-old daughter, Mia, and 11-month-old son, Jeremy.

"My daughter and my son, they made me a great person," Hernandez said. "They are the best thing that's happened to me."

:::

"I just wanted to be here. I didn't care about free agency," Hernandez said. "I'm here for five more years. I hope we make the playoffs and the World Series for the fans. They need it. We got this out of the way, now my mind is ready to play baseball."

SeattlePI.com

Hernandez could have played out his old contract, which would have forced the club into its usual survival-mode form of trading him for prospects. Instead, the second-best pitcher in the American League the past season said he wanted to stay.

Obviously, the Mariners gave him plenty of incentive to continue on, so it's not necessarily a reason to salute Hernandez as much as the deal is a breakthrough celebration for a franchise's effort to play with the big boys.

"I hope this sends a message," said Zduriencik, "that this is a good play to play."

Even more than enhancing the chances for the 2010 season, the extension of Hernandez, 23, tells baseball that something is going on here. Rather than accept the conventional wisdom that Latino players would prefer East Coast teams because of larger Spanish-speaking populations and proximity to home countries, Hernandez made the statement that he likes town and team.

"It's far," he said of the distance between here and his native Venezuela. "It's OK. They have to see what's here."