SEATTLE GETS OWN E-MAIL SHORTHAND - Seattle Times, The (WA) -

August 20, 1995 - page B1

August 20, 1995 | Seattle Times, The (WA) | JEAN GODDEN | Page B1

With electronic mail becoming more commonplace, Internet newcomers are discovering
messages laced with the Net's own version of alphabet soup: BT W for "by the way," IMHO for "in
my humble opinion," FAQ for "frequently asked questions.

Once novices get comfortable with these shortcuts, they probably will want some only-in-Seattle
versions. KPLU's Greg Coe recently drew up a list, among them:

ABL, short for "another Boeing layoff."

AMM, for "another Microsoft millionaire."

BT BB: "Bad traffic, both bridges."

CBC: "Catered by Costco."

HONPR: "Heard on National Public Radio."

LLL: "Looks like lutefisk."

MBFC: "Must be from California."

MBFF: "Must be from Fremont."

RLNJW: "Real locals never jaywalk."

SSBB: "Seattle sushi, Ballard bait."

T MOT : "T he mountain's out today."

WONE: "Was on Northern Exposure."

YAPP: "Yet another Patches Pal."

Home run: A little known factoid: Mickey Mantle, the baseball great who died last week, deserves a
share of credit for bringing the Mariners to Seattle. Publicist Bill Sears explains that, in 1976, King
County voters were deciding whether to build a domed sports stadium.

Sears, then a political consultant, says: "T he American League granted a baseball franchise to
Seattle based on our building a stadium. But polls showed the stadium was in trouble. We had 58
percent approval; we needed 60 percent."

What to do? T hey brought Mantle and other major leaguers (among them Carl Yastrzemski and
Jim Piersall) to Seattle to help sell baseball. "Mantle made dozens of appearances," Sears recalls.

Did "T he Mick" make a difference? Sears thinks so. When votes were tallied after the Feb. 12, 1976,
election, 62 percent of the voters said, "Yes."

Identity crisis: After 10 low-profile years, Spud Goodman, the spatula-wielding host of the Spud
Goodman Show, says "happy trails" on a farewell show at 10 p.m. next Sunday on KT ZZ-T V.

During the show, Goodman explores a possible career change. He interviews author Gennifer
Flowers, KING-T V's John Keister, comedian Paul Mooney and mattress company spokeswoman
Sunny Kobe Cook.

Goodman even pays me a visit to ask whether he can get rich quick writing a column.

He doesn't know where he's headed, but, "Somewhere down the road, I'll return to annoy, and
hopefully, to amuse."

Strange feeling: Ballard resident John Moe commutes home via Leary Way Northwest, passing a
store that sells lottery tickets. T he store has a sign that reads: "Do you feel lucky?"

T he other day, Moe noticed the "L" was missing, so the sign read: "Do you feel ucky?" T hen, the
next time he passed, they'd fixed the "L" but lost the "K" so it read, "Do you feel Lucy?"

Finders: Spotted was a brown T oyota pickup with the license IFINDU.

It's puzzling unless you read the sticker on the rear window: "Pierce County Search and Rescue."

Jean Godden's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday in the Local News section
of T he T imes. Her phone is 464-8300.
Copyrig ht 1995 The Seattle Times