Griffey Returns Home

[Porter]

As announced on Fox Sports Northwest. Griffey agrees to contract with Mariners.

[cjkalt]

Good signing for PR

[DaddyWarbucks]

The greatest baseball player the past 25 years returns home.... Good move.

[love_that_reefer]

Cool story:

Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays, the man who inspired Ken Griffey Jr. to wear the No. 24 as a Mariner, helped inspire Griffey on Wednesday to return to Seattle. Mariners president Chuck Armstrong was driving from the team's Peoria complex to Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport Wednesday afternoon and not feeling good about the Mariners' chances of landing Griffey. The Atlanta Braves had been putting on a big push, and many thought the Braves would prevail. It was during the drive down Loop 101 that Armstrong got a call from former Mariners second baseman Harold Reynolds, now an analyst for MLB Network. "Harold wanted to know if I wanted to talk to Willie Mays," Armstrong said. "He wanted to know if it was an imposition. An imposition? He's conceivably the best player of all time. Who wouldn't want to talk to Willie Mays? So he gave me Willie's number and I called him. And although Willie and I had met a few times, he's talking like we're old friends. "He goes on and gives me a list of reasons why Junior should finish his career in Seattle. And then he asked if I minded if he called Junior. Did I mind? So I gave him the number, and Ken told me later that he had talked to Willie."

Maybe Willie could call Manny and talk him into take a one year, $17 million deal with the Giants.

[bcshorts]

I'm sad to see him pass up the Braves' offer, but it feels right for Griffey to go back to Seattle. I'm not sure that it really matters at all in actual baseball terms, but it's a nice feel good story nonetheless.

[catman]

I like this move. The Braves offered more money, but Griff has a huge fan-base in Seattle and probably feels more comfortable playing there.
Good move for both.

[Nephrectomy]

Seattle loves Griffey. This is where he needs to be.

[missionhockey21]

For Griffey, going to a fringe contender, close to his home, was better than going to Seattle. For baseball, Griffey returning to Seattle is better than anything else.

I might be writing an article over this soon so I won't go into terrible detail, but hopefully Seattle properly uses Griffey. Griffey is a threat against RHP and a threat against his own team in the outfield. I know he is basically penciled in for LF and will probably see way too many AB's against lefties, but hopefully instead of turning it into the Griffey show, the Mariners will let him get the rest he needs by keeping off the field for the most part and put up some killer numbers against righties.

[Porter]

For Griffey, going to a fringe contender, close to his home, was better than going to Seattle. For baseball, Griffey returning to Seattle is better than anything else.

I might be writing an article over this soon so I won't go into terrible detail, but hopefully Seattle properly uses Griffey. Griffey is a threat against RHP and a threat against his own team in the outfield. I know he is basically penciled in for LF and will probably see way too many AB's against lefties, but hopefully instead of turning it into the Griffey show, the Mariners will let him get the rest he needs by keeping off the field for the most part and put up some killer numbers against righties.

He could DH in some games as well. Ill wait until after your article to do mine. It would be nice to have two points of view on the event.

[love_that_reefer]

Ken Griffey Jr. hit five home runs during his first batting practice session with the Mariners.
"He's telling me his legs are better, that he can use them on (low) pitches where he couldn't last year," Mariners rookie manager Don Wakamatsu said, referring to the knee injury that led to Griffey's offseason arthroscopic surgery. "Offensively, I think he looks great." Griffey likely won't play in exhibition games until later this week as the Mariners go slow with the aging outfielder.

Off to a good start. Everyone has said Griffey has been getting in shape and that his knees feel good which will allow him the generate that power we are used to seeing. All good things..