Point/Counterpoint: Is signing Ken Griffey, Jr. a good idea for the Mariners?
February 17, 2009
Counterpoint: Griffey not right for return to Mariners
By Maks Goldenshteyn
Safeco Field may be the house that Ken Griffey, Jr. built, but lost in all of the nostalgia and yearning for a possible homecoming is an honest look at how the once-celebrated superstar bolted from that very house.
Some say it was a ploy to play in a more hitter-friendly ballpark and strengthen his Hall-of-Fame resume. Others might pin the trade demands on his highly sensitive personality and desire to get fair treatment from fans and media-types.
Whatever the reason for his departure, the fact remains that he turned his back on the fans of Seattle, the same ones who today are rallying the Mariners front office to help salvage the remnants of his career.
It’s been seven years since the Mariners have made the playoffs, and not surprisingly, attendance has slipped every year by about two or three thousand fans on average per game, according to the Baseball Almanac.
That trend can’t bode well for a team caught, like most everyone else, in an economic downturn. Especially not with a team that by most estimates won’t even reach the 80-win mark until three seasons from now.
A gimmick like signing Griffey would mean more jersey and t-shirt sales at the expense of winning later. And it would mean putting more $7 beer-guzzling, foot-long hot dog-slurping, foam finger-pointing fans in the seats.
As for the product on the field, it’s pretty clear that Griffey has been reduced by injuries to a shell of his former self. The more at bats he or the other potential signee, Garrett Anderson, receives means the less time young hitters like Jeff Clement get to develop.
Does the 39 year-old Griffey suddenly need his family less? Has the 405-foot center field wall inched closer to home plate since junior last patrolled the outfield at Safeco? The fact is, Griffey needs the Mariners as much as the Mariners need him.
And given what has been revealed about Griffey, that’s a scary thought.
Even during the magical 1995 Division Series against the Yankees, the all-too-sensitive Griffey took a glance at the crowd before Game Four and wondered out loud why so few of the 100 plus signs were for him, former Seattle Times writer Bob Finnigan wrote.
In July 2000, while playing for Cincinnati, Griffey allegedly called ESPN to complain that the network was running too many highlights of then-Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds.
Eighteen months later, formers Reds teammates Pokey Reese and Dmitri Young complained that Griffey demanded special treatment, which they say led to the decline of the Reds.
Judging by the severity of the Mariners’ clubhouse divide last season, it seems like an odd time to add an underperforming, over-the-hill prima donna like Griffey into the mix.
But desperate times call for desperate measures. Or so we’re told.
Reach columnist Maks Goldenshteyn at sports@dailyuw.com.
Point: M's should make push to sign Griffey
By Christian Caple
It should probably be noted that if Bill Bavasi was still the Mariners’ GM, this whole Ken Griffey, Jr. deal would have been done about a month ago, and Bavasi would have already fed the media his whole “this guy is a leader, a real team guy, you just watch,” routine.
And the reported salary in question would be hovering around $10 million, instead of the $2 million or so the Mariners are reported to be willing to pay Griffey.
But since Jack Z-what’s-his-name has this boring idea of actually being budget-conscious, we’re still discussing today whether the M’s should bring back the greatest player in franchise history.
I say do it.
Griffey is old. He’s not the same hitter as he was in Seattle in the ‘90’s, and he’s not going to be scaling the Safeco Field fence to rob home runs—not only because he doesn’t have that kind of range anymore, but because he won’t even be allowed out there. At this point, he’s got DH written all over him.
All of which still makes him a better middle-of-the-lineup power option than Richie Sexson ever was.
Let’s be realistic. This team isn’t going to the playoffs this year, or the next. They’re not a .500 team right now. They won’t be a .500 team if they sign Griffey, and they won’t be a .500 team if they sign the 36-year-old Garrett Anderson, or any other comparable substitute.
A big concern is what to do if Griffey is hitting .210 in June, and the M’s are in contention. How would he respond to being benched for Jeff Clement, or someone else who can be more productive?
Who cares? This is the Mariners we’re talking about, so that’s a dream scenario, anyway. It’s worth it to me to watch him strike out 150 times just to hear Seattle’s public address announcer, Tom Hutyler, belt out his name four times per night. If you’re older than 18 and grew up as a sports fan in Seattle, you know what I’m talking about.
And does anybody really think that there’s someone else on the free agent market right now that can provide more pop than Griffey? Remember, he hit 18 homers last year—which would have been third-best on the Mariners’ roster—and hasn’t hit less than that since 2003.
It’s smart financially, too, no matter what they have to pay him. The people they put in the seats will make this move more than worth it. You’ve got to think that even the staunchest opponents of this potential deal would make at least one extra pilgrimage to Safeco, just to see the savior of Seattle baseball back in a Mariners’ uniform.
So if you want a little buzz to go along with your below-average 2009 Seattle Mariners, get behind this deal and root for the M’s front office to get something done before Griffey changes his mind and heads to Atlanta.
Because what else are you going to have to look forward to on nights when Carlos Silva pitches?
Reach columnist Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com
1 Comments
Griffey needs to stay away ... he was a real jack ass when he got interviewed at some golf game (yeah, apparently the guy likes GOLF) by this tiny female reporter who was asking an innocent question. "So how would you feel about finishing your days out in Seattle?" "Why are you asking that? I don't know why you're asking that." And he looked like he was going to punch her in the face ... jerkwad.
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2 Comments
I say sihn him. Everybody has written him off. As DH he has a chance to stay healthy And What If? Junior could hit 25 Hrs and hit .280 avg 90 + RBIs
MY OH MY
Heck, I live in K.C., but I grew up in Everett. Jr was my hero growing up! Yes he's been broken alot since he left Seattle! But put him in Edgar's spot and watch him hit the ball over the right field fence! That would be an old dave my oh my moment! So what if the mariners are below par this year. I will fly back to Seattle just to see him wear that #24! Heck, I'll even go and watch the local below par team... the Royals play when Seattle visit's, just to see that #24! Once a fan, always a fan! Bring it home JR, bring it home!
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#1 Liz W.
(UW Campus)
on February 17, 2009 at 2:11 p.m.