104-year-old Mariners fan wants to give manager 'some pointers'

SEATTLE  -- At 43-47, the Mariners can use all the help they can get.

And 104-year-old Margaret Hardin has some tips. In fact, the die-hard baseball fan says she wants to speak with Mariners Manager Scott Servais.

"I want to give him some pointers," the cheery Hardin said. "I think I could help."

Hardin celebrated her 104th birthday Friday at the retirement community Aegis on Madison. Surrounded by friends and family, Hardin ate cake, chatted with friends and even threw the baseball around.

Hardin says she gravitated toward baseball because it was one of the only sports African-Americans could play and watch when she was young.

"I like baseball because we could play baseball in those days but we couldn't play no football," Hardin said. "Football was for the other folks."

She has followed the Mariners since before they were a Pacific Coast League team, before becoming a Major League team in 1969. She says games used to cost a quarter or 50 cents.

Hardin says Ken Griffey, Jr. was her all-time favorite Mariner but she really liked Edgar Martinez and "respected" how Ichiro Suzuki played the game. She plans to attend a game in August with her family, who has grown to six generations underneath her. She says it's funny to see her grandchildren qualify for the senior discount now because of the age.

The secret to living a long life is simple, Hardin says. Live by the "Golden Rule." She says she's been nice to everyone she's met, and people have treated her in kind.

"It's simple, live by the Golden Rule," she said. "That's it."