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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Seattle Mariners (External Link) • Schedule (External Link) • Stats (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, May 18, 2008 Hey M's, bring back Junior he'll fit right in By John Sleeper Herald Columnist If the Mariners weren't getting smoked like a platter of perch on a nightly basis, the rumor of Ken Griffey Jr.'s return to Seattle wouldn't have the legs it has. But that's what passes for hot news these days for the local nine. They're dancing the Titanic Boogie in the AL West. Fans who are used to this kind of swoon are saying, "Let's kayak!" And suddenly, M's management not only has a bad, bad baseball team, it no longer has fans who have the stomach to watch it. Solution, so says the rumor: Pluck Griffey out of Cincinnati. Let's see. He's 38 years old. Check. Injuries and age have him about seven years past his prime. Check. His batting average was .252 going into Saturday night. Check. He has four homers and 19 RBI. Check. Yep, looks like he'll fit right in with this bunch. That the rumor refuses to skedaddle is proof how desperate the Mariners are to put butts, however reluctant those butts may be, in the seats. They certainly can't attract the masses they have in the past with their play on the field. They need a gimmick. Understand, the suits know exactly what Griffey is capable of and what he is not. They know -- or should know -- that he is incapable of reviving the franchise as he did when he was 19 years old. But they can't get out of their heads what happened at Safeco Field last June, when three games' worth of forgiving fans poured on Griffey sustained and unconditional adoration when the Reds came through. Griffey himself added to the speculation at the time when he said he wanted to retire a Mariner. The topic even has been discussed nationally, to the point where some deal probably will happen. And if it does, it will understandably generate a great buzz in town, initially, at least. Fans eager to relive the Griffey legend in Seattle will flock to Safeco and boost the box office numbers. They will flock for about two weeks, when the nostalgia dies, or after Griffey slogs through his first 0-for-21 slump. Whichever comes first. But when will the deal happen? The Reds, understandably, want to keep him around long enough for him to hit his 600th career home run. The problem: Griffey has been stuck on 597 since April 23, and his once-prodigious skills have eroded to the extent that it's debatable whether No. 600 will arrive before Griffey turns 40. But where will he play? Center field? Nah. Ichiro has established himself as one of the game's greatest defensive center fielders and Griffey no longer has nearly the range he once did. Right field? That's where he's played the last two seasons, with mixed results. Such a move moves Wladimir Balentien to designated hitter. Don't ask Griffey to DH. It only makes him angry. Even 38-year-olds have egos, most of all Griffey. Then there's the cost to get Griffey. He's owed more than $12 million this year, along with a $16 million option for 2009. And the Reds aren't just going to give him away. Having emptied much of the organization's top minor league talent for Erik Bedard, what package can Bill Bavasi possibly put together? On the other hand, we have confidence in Bavasi, engineer of deals that brought us Scott Spiezio, Jeff Cirillo and Carl Everett. If anyone can bring to the Mariners a player past his prime, one who has no hope of helping the team, it's Bavasi. Going into Saturday night, the Mariners had lost 19 of their past 26 games. It's a team going nowhere, one four months away from a thorough housecleaning. What further harm could Griffey possibly inflict? Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. For Sleeper[`]s blog, "Dangling Participles," go to www.heraldnet.com/danglingparticiples.

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