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NOOOOOOOOOOO

Tiny by eponymous_coward on

http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/mariners/index.html#3485

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said moments ago that he has had a conversation with the agent for outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. But Zduriencik isn't prepared to say whether Griffey fits into his plans. He'll want another week to 10 days, until after the winter meetings are over, before answering that question.

"I have had discussions with Ken Griffey Jr.'s agent, yes,'' he said. "We had a discussion, yes. We talked about Ken Griffey, yes. Is there anything concrete? I'd say it's more an inquiry than anything else.''

Star-divide

Worstplayer_medium

via i307.photobucket.com

Just say noooooooooo, Z.


 

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Well, considering the M's probably aren't going to compete next year.

And Griffey is planning on retiring soon, I wouldn’t complain if he got a one year deal and played DH with the seldom OF appearance. I want to see Griffey in a Mariners uniform in person just one last time (I wasn’t an M’s fan until 2005).

by Fin on Dec 2, 2008 1:09 AM PST   0 recs

No offense intended

but if you weren’t a fan until 2005, why does it matter to you if Griffey comes back or not?

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 2, 2008 8:17 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

I know it doesn't make any baseball sense.

Nevertheless, it would make next year more interesting for many of us just to see the man in our uniform again on a regular basis.

If he’s not blocking anyone of importance/value, and the money sent his way doesn’t deny us a more important FA (which we have no indication that such a FA is on his way next year), I don’t see what the big deal is. We are most definately not going to the play-offs next year, so that gets thrown out the window too.

The only thing that would bother me about a Griffey signing is that it would be a confirmation that HowChuck is still involved heavily in personnel decisions, because bringing Jr. aboard would fly in the face of everything that Cik said about making us as competitive as possible.

That, and signing him through 2012.

by Omerta on Dec 2, 2008 8:13 AM PST   0 recs

It's a big deal because it would mean the M's don't really care about getting good

only about selling replica jerseys and tshirts.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 2, 2008 8:17 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Professional baseball teams exist to make money

most try to do it by entertaining the fans with winning, but if you’re not going to win right away, I don’t see the harm in bringing in a gate attraction who will help you maintain profit margins when the on-field product isn’t.

by seattlebruin on Dec 2, 2008 8:48 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

It creates and perpetuates low expectations and that bothers me

“Well, they suck, but at least they brought back Griffey! How about some Griffey Garlic Fries?” isn’t exactly the marketing approach I want to see the M’s take.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 2, 2008 8:57 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

I wonder whether any boost in ticket sales will last past April.

I can’t cite anything because I can’t recall where I read it, but I saw something that said these types of signings only boost ticket sales for a very short period of time.

by Teej on Dec 2, 2008 9:00 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

That wouldn't surprise me

Griffey in a Mariner uniform will spark short term interest but there are several big problems:

1) Baseball is a long season (162 games)
2) Ken Griffey Jr. is not good.

I don’t vision fans doing cartwheels if Mariners go on an 8-game losing streak where Griffey goes 0-16 or goes 3 weeks without a homerun.

At first I didn’t mind. Signing him for a year ultimately wouldn’t bother me but we REALLY need to start seeing the best team put on the field from here on out. I don’t like this “we’re gonna suck anyway” mentality. Rebuilding means formulating a new foundation, not punting seasons just for the hell of it.

by ThundaPC on Dec 2, 2008 9:06 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

If Griffey must take a victory lap with the Ms

Either let him sign with a different team and trade for him at the deadline for cash considerations or some thoroughly mediocre, useless RHP…

or do the Clemens thing and sign him in late June, early July.

by BrianL on Dec 2, 2008 9:13 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

The Clemens thing?

I thought that was to get through one of the arbitration loopholes?

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Dec 2, 2008 9:37 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

It seems like it'd be the same as the new stadium effect

A lot of people that never go or haven’t gone for years would go once, to see what all the fuss is about, and never go again. Multiply that by 81 home games and it’s a nice little boost. So I could see it lasting an entire season, maybe.

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 2, 2008 9:07 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

I think you'd see kind of a diminishing returns

where it generates a big boost of interest in April, smaller in May and then that small gain continues the entire season on down

by seattlebruin on Dec 2, 2008 9:21 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Yeah, probably right.

Unless by some freakish coincidence the M’s start to play well at the same time Griffey shows up. Then he will have OMG SAVED BASEBALL TWICE!!!!!!

Nice Guys Finish Third - Hopelessly lost, but makin' good time.

by pdb on Dec 2, 2008 9:32 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

There's a difference in "not actively trying to compete" and "totally punting."

I don’t expect the Mariners to win the division next year, but I expect them to use next year to try and figure out who can help them in the future. Griffey might not be blocking anyone that’s in the system right now, but he’s blocking AAAA types who might end up being quite useful going forward.

(And yes, I realize that this completely contradicts other things I’ve said in the past but I have changed my mind.)

by acblue on Dec 2, 2008 1:22 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Yeah, this is pretty much where I am at.

Yes, the Mariners have nearly nothing in the way of bats in the minor league system for corner OF/corner IF/DH. That doesn’t mean they should punt on acquiring any (and giving them playing time) by signing Junior and going “great! we have a DH now!”

Griffey is the crappier version of Raul Ibanez at this point in his career- same immobility in the field, same inability to hit LHP, but with less ability to stay in a lineup and older, and arguably not as good a hitter any more (Raul’s OPS+’s are considerably better). I think there’s a non-significant chance Griffey has a Sexson/Vidro style collapse

if it was August 30th, we were 12 games out, and it would cost us an AA reliever to give Griffey a goodbye tour, sure. Otherwise, forget it, no sale.

by eponymous_coward on Dec 2, 2008 4:32 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Hmmm.

This signature space for rent.

by PositivePaul on Dec 2, 2008 9:14 AM PST   0 recs

That's a clubhouse leader.

Screw you, Mariners. I'm back in football's loving arms. *edit: well, shit. This isn't going well.

by kevin_ess on Dec 2, 2008 9:15 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Hope that's just a long handled ladle, and he's stirring a pot of Yuni stew.

Toss in a little Silva for flavoring, blam! that’s a gooda meata ball!

by dpseadv on Dec 2, 2008 11:08 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Most tardy.

Furcal

by JI on Dec 2, 2008 9:24 AM PST   0 recs

Was this what you were voted in high school?

Screw you, Mariners. I'm back in football's loving arms. *edit: well, shit. This isn't going well.

by kevin_ess on Dec 2, 2008 9:29 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Being a tardy was automatic detention

You might as well just cut class.

Furcal

by JI on Dec 2, 2008 10:17 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

What the hell kind of facist school did you go to?

Jeff's guide to not looking stupid:
+/- is an absolutely terrible stat, so don't use it, and don't give up on young players before they turn 24.
54!

by joof on Dec 2, 2008 3:11 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

It's fine to bring Griffey back for the sentimental reasons.

But it is going to be awfully difficult to watch him get booed by June and completely destroy the nostalgia.

by Wilder. on Dec 2, 2008 9:30 AM PST   0 recs

It would be nice to hear Kid Sensation every time he comes to bat, though.

As opposed to “Send in the Clowns” for Sexson.

Screw you, Mariners. I'm back in football's loving arms. *edit: well, shit. This isn't going well.

by kevin_ess on Dec 2, 2008 9:37 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

This.

Trust me, we’re hardly talking objective criteria when it comes to mainstream fan impressions towards either player.

by Gomez on Dec 2, 2008 2:22 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Griffey was a dick.

But most people saw The Kid mature during his tenure in Seattle and he earned the respect of the fans both on and off the field doing so.

(send this rebuttal to the Devil and get back to me)

by Wilder. on Dec 2, 2008 5:31 PM PST to parent up   0 recs

Depends on how GMZ fills the roster.

I foresee the DH spot being the last position filled and nobody who would make a huge impact will be signed. Might as well give it to Griffey and then let him retire after the season.

It will be interesting to see what GMZ does.

by Wilder. on Dec 2, 2008 9:51 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

He still thinks he can play.

Screw you, Mariners. I'm back in football's loving arms. *edit: well, shit. This isn't going well.

by kevin_ess on Dec 2, 2008 9:59 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Remember when Jeff Nelson did that with the Yankees?

Classy.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Dec 2, 2008 10:01 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Relax

The odds are very good that Goldman called Zduriencik, not the other way around.

by Jeff on Dec 2, 2008 9:54 AM PST   0 recs

Bringing Griffey back would ruin this team.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett http://mvn.com/marinersminors/

by JY on Dec 2, 2008 9:57 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

Whenever you tell us to relax,

Hell usually breaks lose in the next 48 hours.

by Robert on Dec 2, 2008 10:09 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

For the Mariners to wind up with Manny Ramirez to play left field, the Giants would get Richie Sexson to play first base and the Red Sox would get reliever J.J. Putz, and center field prospect Adam Jones, among others. Seattle would, under one scenario, also land starting pitcher Noah Lowry.

That would have been terrible.

Furcal

by JI on Dec 2, 2008 11:01 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

An OJ Simpson kill?

Screw you, Mariners. I'm back in football's loving arms. *edit: well, shit. This isn't going well.

by kevin_ess on Dec 2, 2008 10:15 AM PST to parent up   0 recs

If Griffey is brought back

then Howie and Chuck are still making major roster decisions. There’s no other reason for signing Griffey then Howie and Chuck.

Midnight Baseball - No Lights - Only in Alaska!

by MfaninAlaska on Dec 2, 2008 11:08 AM PST   0 recs