share-square-13230 SEATTLE -- There’s no big mystery as to why “Mariners” was chosen as the nickname for Seattle’s Major League Baseball team when the franchise began in 1977, given Seattle’s nautical ties and location on the waters of Puget Sound. But as for the man who came up with that moniker? That’s another story. When the American League awarded an expansion franchise to Seattle, the team owners -- a group consisting of actor Danny Kaye and five Seattle-area businessmen -- decided to hold a fan contest to name the team. More than 600 names were submitted from about 15,000 entries, and while numerous fans suggested “Mariners,” the team chose the entry from Roger Szmodis of Bellevue, Wash., because they liked his explanation the best.