Oh, you fan-cy huh?

It seemed simple enough. A group of friends were looking for their 15 seconds of fame, so they figured what better way to achieve it than getting on the big screen at Safeco Field.

"If you want TV time, it seemed the most logical to us to dress like people who are on TV," sophomore Nathan Young from Oak Harbor said.

Little did Young know that his group's clever costumes would get them a bit more than that.

Young and his friends from other universities dressed up like ROOT Sports announcers Rick Rizz, Dave Sims, Mike Blowers and Angie Mentink.

"We drew straws for who had to dress up like Angie, and of course I lost," Young said with a laugh.

However, it did create a clever rhyme for their rally fries sign: "Angie and these three guys, how about some rally fries?"

They held the sign throughout the game hoping to be the fans awarded with the free rally fries.

In the fourth inning, the group got discouraged that their clever idea may not have seemed so clever to others. "Then people started calling us and telling us we were on TV," Young said. 

Although they never made it on to the big screen at Safeco Field, the announcers found them so comical that they ended up splitting the television screen with them on the air for two innings.

"We were just hanging out, my friend was rapping very poorly to a song, and little did we know that thousands of people were watching us. I think he was a little embarrassed afterwards," Young said.

They ended up earning their rally fries in the 7th inning. For the first time in Mariners history, Mentink herself delivered the rally fries to the group because she was so impressed by their efforts. After the game, Young and his friends were asked to sign consent forms so that the Mariners could use their pictures, and upon signing them they were given free tickets to another game.

The fun didn't stop there. A few weeks ago, Young and his pals got a call from the Mariners requesting their presence at the Mariners Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday, Sept. 17, to receive the "Fan Outfits of the Year Award."

Upon arriving at the field, "We were taken back and were able to meet some people who were pretty high up with the Mariners," Young said.

The group walked out of the Mariners' player tunnel on a red carpet. They were surrounded by other special fans, including the "Ultimate Northwest Fans of the Year" from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, and "Colorful Character of the Year."

Young and his friends were wearing their original costumes, and were followed by the "Special Fan Moment of the Year Award" for Safeco Field's own online sensation Jonah Duvall, also known as the "Thriller Kid," according to the press release.

They were presented with a plaque for their achievement, and each individual was awarded two tickets to sit in the commissioner's box, located in the first few rows directly to the right of the dugout.

"We're thrilled. It truly turned into an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience," Young said.