Griffey

Admittedly I am not a Mariners fan. I don't really follow them with the same passion or connection (however real or fake) that a real fan does (or would). But ever since word leaked last week that the Mariners were in the hunt to sign Ken Griffey Jr as a free agent, I found myself unexplainably excited. I basically missed Griffey's first stint with Seattle as he left after the 1999 season and I had just moved to the Northwest in 1998; I hadn't yet put down roots or become involved in any of the local teams. So this presented itself as an opportunity to relive that time, what I would guess is the glory days of Mariner baseball.

I'm not naive enough to believe this was anything but a marketing ploy by the team. Griffey isn't the commanding presence in the lineup anymore. He's not going to lead the team to the playoffs by his offensive production. He's being paid basically to draw folks back to the ballpark and wash themselves in the pool of nostalgia. And I don't blame the Mariners for this. I hate, hate, HATE bringing up THE ECONOMY (dun, dun, dunnnnn), but you gotta do what you gotta do to try and remain viable with the current state of things today. If that means bringing back a past-his-prime ballplayer to wring a few more dollars out of ticket sales, then by all means. I know it's worked for me. I haven't bought tickets yet, but before the Griffey signing I wasn't planning on making a trip to Safeco this year. Now, I am instinctually drawn, like wanting to catch a Merle Haggard concert before he fades away into old age or a museum exhibit before it is shuttered to the public.

So as a non-Mariners fan who happens to live in Mariner country, this is happy news. There are grumblings out there, probably among the real fans, that this does nothing for the team and may even set them back. But I don't care. I'm just here to catch a farewell performance.

by David (I know it says it's by Fish, but I accidentally signed in under his name, sorry)