SEATTLE -- He's a little shorter than you'd normally think of Santa Claus. He's not sporting a big, white beard -- or any beard at all -- and his belly certainly doesn't jiggle like a bowl full of jelly. But don't try telling the thousands of homeless and needy children in the Seattle area that Rick Rizzs isn't some version of Good St. Nick.
For the 23rd consecutive year, the Mariners' broadcaster and his band of merry helpers raised funds -- cracking the half-million dollar mark for the first time in 2018 -- to spread the joy of giving by presenting gifts to children in hospitals, shelters and tough situations around the region through the Toys for Kids charity.