Raul Ibanez’s career is full of proverbs, little stories that speak to larger truths. Last year, when the crow-footed Ibanez came off the Yankees’ bench to outshine the well-gelled (and since shamed) Alex Rodriguez, we were reminded that grit goes farther than glam in October. And with his triumphant return to the Mariners, a team that is constantly (and justifiably) looking for the next young stud, we see the wisdom of having someone on the payroll with a few years’ experience under the hood. In his typical deadpan manner, Ibanez is ripping the ball and giving M’s fans glimmers of those brighter years when he first donned the uniform. Even the July talk of trading him reminded us of the proverb that says “No good deed goes unpunished.”