Spring Break
'Kid' is back, not glory days
Adam Loghides
Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: Sports
Last week, when the Seattle Mariners signed free agent outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr., there were those in Seattle who thought the Mariners were making the right move at the right time to help a struggling team get a lot better.
They hailed Junior as the guy who is the "perfect fit." Bloggers in Seattle were triumphing that the Mariners were relevant again.
I don't think so. Not even a little bit.
Bringing back an old outfielder who is more than a half-decade past his prime for one year to attempt to sell tickets isn't the move of a franchise trying to put a winner on the field. It was a move to try to put butts in Safeco Field's seats.
This is a franchise with a few playoff appearances - all in the late 1990s or early part of this decade. They haven't been relevant in about six years, or the number of years Junior is past his prime.
This Griffey signing is nothing but nicely designed frosting on a really bad cake.
Was Gaylord Perry not available?
The thing to remember is that this is not the first time the Mariners have tried this type of thing. It hasn't worked in the past, and it won't work now.
As a little kid, in 1981, I remember the Mariners bringing in free agent outfielder Richie Zisk. This guy was going to help push the Mariners to respectability. They brought in 43-year-old Perry at the same time. You know, the veteran leadership a young team needed.
Zisk didn't drive in more than 62 runs in any of his three stellar seasons as a Mariner. Perry, a five-time 20-game winner, won all of 10 games as a Mariner.
Gorman Thomas, in 1984, was another brilliant pickup. He had driven in over 100 runs in five previous seasons. He drove in 100 runs for the Mariners, too - over the course of his three seasons in Seattle.
This franchise was owned by the same guy who owned Nintendo for a long time. Why would he not spend the necessary money to field a winner in Seattle?
Instead, they let guys like Junior (when he was actually in his prime) and Alex Rodriguez go in favor of younger, cheaper players.
They hailed Junior as the guy who is the "perfect fit." Bloggers in Seattle were triumphing that the Mariners were relevant again.
I don't think so. Not even a little bit.
Bringing back an old outfielder who is more than a half-decade past his prime for one year to attempt to sell tickets isn't the move of a franchise trying to put a winner on the field. It was a move to try to put butts in Safeco Field's seats.
This is a franchise with a few playoff appearances - all in the late 1990s or early part of this decade. They haven't been relevant in about six years, or the number of years Junior is past his prime.
This Griffey signing is nothing but nicely designed frosting on a really bad cake.
Was Gaylord Perry not available?
The thing to remember is that this is not the first time the Mariners have tried this type of thing. It hasn't worked in the past, and it won't work now.
As a little kid, in 1981, I remember the Mariners bringing in free agent outfielder Richie Zisk. This guy was going to help push the Mariners to respectability. They brought in 43-year-old Perry at the same time. You know, the veteran leadership a young team needed.
Zisk didn't drive in more than 62 runs in any of his three stellar seasons as a Mariner. Perry, a five-time 20-game winner, won all of 10 games as a Mariner.
Gorman Thomas, in 1984, was another brilliant pickup. He had driven in over 100 runs in five previous seasons. He drove in 100 runs for the Mariners, too - over the course of his three seasons in Seattle.
This franchise was owned by the same guy who owned Nintendo for a long time. Why would he not spend the necessary money to field a winner in Seattle?
Instead, they let guys like Junior (when he was actually in his prime) and Alex Rodriguez go in favor of younger, cheaper players.
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