"Chone Figgins, who has surpassed retired relief pitcher Bobby Ayala as the most unpopular player in Mariners history, needs to wear a new uniform.

He's barely hitting his weight, and he weighs a mere 180 pounds.

Figgins' frustration at the plate has carried onto the field, where every routine ground ball is a potential misadventure.

It has become so hopeless for the embattled third baseman that Safeco Field fans, among the least confrontational in the big leagues, are not just booing Figgins after he returns to the dugout following an inevitable pop up or strikeout. They're booing the announcement of his name as he approaches the batter's box.

A new uniform for Chone Figgins would seem to be both in his best interest and that of his team, but there's a problem: Because he signed a contract guaranteeing him $36 million through the 2013 season, he has the trade value of a second-hand toothbrush. And while Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik could always decide to part ways with Figgins anyway, that's a lot of money to waste on a guy who, at the age of 33, is not old enough to be labeled a wash-up.

Here's one solution: If Zduriencik is unable to arrange a new uniform for Figgins, why not arrange for a new uniform number?

Figgins wears No. 9, which he brought to Seattle as a free agent after a fine career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

What's wrong with No. 9?

I think it's cursed.

Jeff Cirillo, another respected third baseman who showed up in Safeco Field and regressed to the point his confidence was shot, wore No. 9 in 2002, his first season after the Mariners acquired him in a trade with the Colorado Rockies. Things went so badly for Cirillo in 2002 that he switched to No. 7 in 2003, and though he struggled more than ever - he hit .205 - at least he was thinking outside the box."