So, does Brian Goldberg have John Hickey's cell phone, or what?

Seriously.

And the outfielder who has both the promise of power and no expectation of a big payday is the one the Mariners are not pursuing. The Mariners seem intent on not revisiting their past in the person of Ken Griffey Jr., who helped turn around the franchise from 1989-99.

There seems to be a belief, shared by the Mariners and some other clubs, that Griffey, who faltered badly while playing with an injured left knee in 2008, is over the hill at 39.

Dr. Timothy Kremcheck, the Cincinnati Reds team orthopedist, refuted that Thursday.

"He had cartilage damage and some degeneration of his left knee," Kremcheck said. "It limited his ability to push off. We cleaned it out and it's going to really help him utilize his left leg and core in generating power. I think you will see a different Junior. Will he have the power of 15 years ago? No. But maybe the power of 5, 6, 7 years ago."

Griffey had 30 homers and 93 RBIs for the Reds two years ago before the knee injury. He wants to finish his career as a Mariner, but the team has not called Kremcheck to ask about his health.

"I want to add another productive bat, definitely," Zduriencik said while declining to talk about any free agent, Griffey included. "It has to be the right fit, in the field and financially, too."

Griffey would cost less than Bobby Abreu, Adam Dunn, Garret Anderson, Cliff Floyd, Manny Ramirez and any number of still-unsigned free agents. That's because the deferred money in his nine-year contract with Cincinnati kicks in this season. He doesn't need a payday in the way some others do.

It's possible the Mariners will head toward Griffey as the market shrinks.

I'm just kind of surprised Goldberg wasn't waving a "SIGN KEN GRIFFEY OR WE'LL SHOOT THIS DOG" sign outside the team media luncheon yesterday...

In other news, it appears Carlos Silva stayed away from guzzling quarts of gravy from the Old Country Buffet this offseason, yadda yadda yadda.