All I can say is NICE to finish up where you started! http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2008736944_webgriffeystone12.html The return of Ken Griffey Jr. to Seattle, 10 seasons after he departed for Cincinnati, appears to be imminent. Baseball sources confirmed that talks between the club and Griffey, a free agent, have heated up in recent days. The two parties appear to be on course for a one-year contract that could be announced next week, provided Griffey passes a physical examination. Griffey had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in October to repair partially torn cartilage and meniscus. The Reds' team physician, Timothy Kremchek, has said that he expects Griffey to be fully recovered for the 2009 season. Griffey is currently in California playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, which will end for him Saturday or Sunday, depending on how his team does. If talks continue to progress, he could come to the Phoenix area for a physical early next week. Reached in Cincinnati, Griffey's agent, Brian Goldberg, declined to comment other than to acknowledge there are ongoing discussions with the Mariners. The Mariners have mulled a Griffey signing all winter, but have pursued other options for offensive help. However, when free-agent Bobby Abreu reached agreement with the Angels earlier this week, they reportedly began moving seriously toward re-acquiring Griffey, considered by most to be the greatest player in club history. The two sides have reportedly begun talking parameters of a contract. The Mariners are approaching their budgeted payroll figure, so there will have to be creativity from both sides to get a deal done. However, Griffey is motivated to return to Seattle, where he received a hero's welcome when the Reds came through in 2007. He ranks fifth on the all-time home run list with 611.
over/under on griffey playing 100 games in the outfield?? Ill take the under, DH Griffey the glassman.
It's too bad he had injury problems in Cincinnati. If not being for being plagued with injuries, he is the home run king and not a cheater, and the record wouldnt be threatened by another cheater (A-roid). Good story for one of the all-time greats.
Selfishly, I'm glad it didn't work out better in Cincy being the Astros fan that I am. That said, Junior has always been one of my favorite players to watch...especially in his days with the Mariners. His sweet swing and amazing defense were always a thing of beauty to watch. I'm glad for him that he'll get to finish his career at home.
knocking wood here, but i hope Griffey's name wasn't one of the 103 on that 2003 list. if it was, my fond childhood memories of actually loving baseball goes down the toilet.
It's funny...before the steroids crap went nuts and became everyone's favorite baseball headline....Griffey was labelled as a bit of a loafer. The people in Cincy believed in his injuries similar to how Rockets fans believe in McGrady's. But time has passed...and now most people feel very positively about Griffey...me included. I've always liked the guy, and really wanted Houston to find a way to bring him in back in 2000.
Was and still is one of my favorite players. I had every damn rookie card you can imagine of this guy. Glad to see him go back to where it all started. If he had stayed healthy he would have been the one shattering the records and not Bonds. No doubt in my mind about that.
If he had any heart or wanted what's best for the game, he would have taken steroids so he could recover from injuries faster.
AWESOME move by the M's. The city is completely stoked here, which is nice because it's been a while since the professional teams here did anything noteworthy (at least in a POSITIVE way). It's clear Seattle won't be competing for anything this year, so this is a cool way to encourage people to come out to the games. They just sold me enough to attend a few games if this goes through. Never seen Griffey in person (not originally from Seattle).
Was Griffey the one that had a feud with Jim Edmonds and called ESPN to complain about them showing too many Edmonds highlights?
I think they all are, but sans Craig Biggio, Griffey is the one player that could seriously break my baseball heart should anything ever come out about him. Glad to see he found a job for 2009, and in Seattle no less.
Didn't he come back from that injury (I think it was in 1995) and have four straight 48+ HR seasons for the Mariners?
That was a fast 10 years. He always looked disgruntled and bored in Cincy. I know he wasnt a kid anymore when he got there but never got that vibe of "The Kid" from him, seemed all business and serious
I distinctly recall having long talks about Griffey to the Astros in 2000 outside the law school. Too bad it didn't happen.
