Hit it, Larry LaRue. This is the most obvious link and blockquote in the history of the Mariner blogosphere.
The Griffey that a year ago helped build camaraderie in the Seattle clubhouse has taken a leave of absence this season. There have been times during games when he’s retired to the clubhouse, texted friends, watched the TV broadcast.
...So why didn’t Wakamatsu go to Junior off the bench.
"He was asleep in the clubhouse," one player said. "He’d gone back about the fifth inning to get a jacket and didn’t come back. I went back in about the seventh inning – and he was in his chair, sound asleep."
I'm not going to use this as another reason to get mad at Junior. That wouldn't be fair. What I will say, though, is that maybe people should lighten up on Milton Bradley a little bit. Players leave the dugout all the time. Pitchers shower and hang out in the clubhouse. Griffey falls asleep. If Bradley "quit on his team," then so did Seattle's greatest sports icon, because while Bradley may have left the stadium, it's not like Griffey was offering much support from his barcalounger.
Interestingly, LaRue hints that the time may be nigh for the organization to find a solution to the Griffey dilemma. I didn't realize we had options.
Note: here's the text-only version of the article, if the link isn't loading.