Lou Piniella in attendance for Dan Wilson ejection was perfect moment for Mariners fans

The Seattle Mariners lost another tough one on Tuesday, dropping a back-and-forth game to the Tampa Bay Rays by a 6-5 final. But if nothing else, at least Mariners fans were treated to a bit of theater that only they would enjoy.

Here's the scene: It's the top of the third inning, and somebody from the Mariners dugout gets the heave-ho from home-plate umpire Manny Gonzalez. Dan Wilson goes out to seek information about what the heck just happened, and Gonzalez runs him as well.

And there to see all of it is none other than Lou Piniella.

Mariners fans should file this one away for when they need a pick-me-up...such as right now, given that the team suddenly can't buy a win away from T-Mobile Park even with its playoff fate hanging very much in the balance.

Dan Wilson got ejected in front of the Mariners' master of ejections

In case anyone is keeping score on Mariners managerial ejections, here's where Wilson now stands vis-à-vis Piniella, who managed the M's between 1993 and 2002:

1. Lou Piniella: 28
2. [Lots of space]
3. Dan Wilson: 2

Wilson was privy to quite a few of Piniella's ejections, as he played under him for all but one of his 10 years at the helm of the Mariners. And for his part, "Sweet Lou" is all-in on Wilson being the man for his old job in the here and now.

“If I had to pick a manager from all my former players, I would’ve picked him,” the 82-year-old told reporters before Tuesday's game, including Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times.

Whatever Piniella, who is also Seattle's all-time wins leader with 840, was expecting as he sat down to watch his former catcher's team in action, it may not have involved Wilson getting run in just the third inning. Which, of course, is to say nothing of the utterly baffling circumstances of Wilson's ouster.

Following some chirping from the direction of the Mariners dugout after a questionable strike to Cole Young, it was Dominic Canzone who was initially run by Gonzalez. The entire dugout was confused, with several players and coaches seeming to try to get Gonzalez to understand that the chirping was coming from fans behind the dugout.

All the same, Wilson's attempt to gain information from Gonzalez was apparently a step too far. It's understandable that he got heated after getting the boot, or at least what qualifies as "heated" by Wilson's famously (some Mariners fans would say infamously) milquetoast standards.

Frustrating stuff? You bet. But also worth it, if for no other reason than because Piniella's reaction now lives forever courtesy of the miracle of screenshotting:

Someone better get on the horn to The Louvre. We have something that might interest them.