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Rays' Smith jokes Mariners stint was 'best 77 minutes of my life'

Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

It lasted little more than an hour, but Mallex Smith may never forget his time with the Seattle Mariners.

The former Atlanta Braves outfielder was shipped to Seattle on Jan. 11 for a pair of minor-league pitchers, before the Mariners promptly flipped him that same day to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for starter Drew Smyly.

Still, he says he'll always cherish those 4620 seconds with the Mariners organization.

"Some of the best 77 minutes of my life," he joked Sunday, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "It was awesome. The environment was crazy.

"It was electric. … I'm still getting fan mail from the Mariners fans about all the work I put in over there."

Of course, according to Topkin, Smith admitted that Mariners general manager Jerry DiPoto had told him ahead of the time not to get comfortable, but at least he's appreciative.

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