Relievers get personal with their new tattoos
ST. PETERSBURG — Mike Dunn maintains a realistic outlook on the existence of a relief pitcher as a disposable commodity.
“The Expendables,” he said. “That’s life in the bullpen.”
The Marlins’ situational lefty now wears the designation as a badge of honor on his pitching arm as part of an elaborate tattoo featuring a winged skull with the seams of a baseball as stitches on the head.
“That’s my thought process of, that’s a reliever, because there’s always a younger person coming up. So you’re always competing against the other team and younger kids over time,” Dunn said this week as he showed off his new ink, which has a few additions to come.
“So it’s kind of like my tombstone for my arm. It’s going to have my [career] start date, my end date, ‘RIP,’ and I just kind of started it now.”
In the final week of his sixth full season in the major leagues, Dunn, 30, spent six hours Monday at Atomic Tattoos & Piercings in Clearwater having his career perspective immortalized covering his left arm from shoulder to elbow.
Dunn was accompanied by bullpen buddy Bryan Morris, who had an even more intricate design inscribed on the upper part of his right arm as a tribute to his marriage and impending birth of his first child. Morris’ wife Chelsey is due to give birth in November.
Morris had work done previously by the same tattoo artist. He and Dunn had Monday’s off day prior to the Marlins’ series against the Rays targeted for months for their latest body art additions.
“I’ve been talking to [the artist] since spring training for [Monday’s] date,” Morris said, “knowing if I was still with the Marlins that we would be here on that off day and it would work out good for me to get it right before I went home getting ready for the baby to come.”
Morris’ latest tattoo — he already had one on his left upper arm and another on his back — which he preferred not to have photographed, has the beginning of a Bible verse that was read during his wedding ceremony inscribed adjacent to a pair of praying hands: “Love it patient, Love is kind.”
The tattoo is anchored by a related message, also from 1 Corinthians: “Love never fails.”
“She wanted the bottom part on there,” Morris said of Chelsey.
While the tone of Morris’ tattoo is in stark contrast, Dunn also had the blessing of his wife, Kimberly.
“My wife found it online. Knew I had the approval when she found it,” Dunn said, adding that it initially frightened son Mitchell, 3.
“He liked it, though. He loves skeletons and skulls and stuff. So this morning he was like, ‘Show me the baseball skull.’ ”
It was a long day at the tattoo parlor for the two relievers, with Morris’ taking about two minutes longer than Dunn’s.
As far as the discomfort level, Morris said, “It feels like I got a little sunburn. Keep some lotion on it and you’ll be all right.”
In other words, less painful than giving up a winning run, as Morris did in Tuesday’s loss to the Rays. Such is reality in the life of the Expendables.