[Stardust]

SEATTLE – Ken Griffey Jr. likes the offseason moves made by the Seattle Mariners so far – to the point he’s optimistically clearing his calendar into November.

The Moeller High graduate was back in Seattle on Sunday to raise the “12th Man Flag” before the Seattle Seahawks’ season finale against the Tennessee Titans.

Griffey signed a one-year contract with the Mariners in November to play his 22nd, and likely final, major league season in 2010.

After raising the flag to a huge ovation, the slugger who is fifth on baseball’s all-time home run list said Mariners fans should be excited after the team traded for former AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee and signed free agent Chone Figgins away from the rival Los Angeles Angels.

In November, Griffey agreed to a one-year deal to return to Seattle in 2010 for his 22nd major league season.

“This is going to be fun to watch,” Griffey said, his first comments to local media since he re-signing was announced on Nov. 11. “The people of Seattle should be really excited about what’s going on.”

After spending his first 11 seasons with Seattle and becoming a star, he played nine more with Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox. Griffey returned to the Mariners in 2009 and almost single-handedly transformed what had been a fractured, bickering clubhouse with his leadership, energy and constant pranks.

The deal Griffey signed to return as a 40-year-old calls for a $2.35 million base salary. Baseball’s active home run leader would earn $3.9 million if he again has at least 400 plate appearances, Seattle’s attendance tops 2.5 million and Griffey again does not go on the disabled list while remaining on the roster for the entire season.

A 10-time All-Star and the 1997 AL MVP for the Mariners, Griffey hit .214 last season with 19 homers as a part-time DH. He was limited by a swollen left knee that required a second operation in as many offseasons.

He’ll be an interested observer this upcoming week when the 2010 Baseball Hall of Fame inductees are announced. Former Seattle teammate Edgar Martinez is on the ballot and his result could go be an indicator if a player that was mostly a designated hitter will ever get into Cooperstown.

“He should go. There is no doubt in my mind. He is the dominant DH,” Griffey said. “He’s a baseball player. It doesn’t matter that he’s a DH, you still have to go out and do your job and he did it at the highest level than anybody for 10, 15 years.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...tegory=SPT

[Westside]

Griffey held his own against the steroid freaks.

[LWC]

SEATTLE –

The deal Griffey signed to return as a 40-year-old calls for a $2.35 million base salary. Baseball’s active home run leader would earn $3.9 million if he again has at least 400 plate appearances, Seattle’s attendance tops 2.5 million and Griffey again does not go on the disabled list while remaining on the roster for the entire season.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...tegory=SPT

I know that he is a major draw, but how can he control how many people some to the games?

[LWC]

Griffey held his own against the steroid freaks.

True.

I always thought about how many times he was tempted to take steroids or
HGH with all the injuries he has had. Isn't HGH supposed to make you recover faster as well as bulk you up?

[LClion4life]

I seen something on ESPN a year so back that said he would have over 800 HR's if it weren't for injuries.

[Stardust]

Griffey held his own against the steroid freaks.

There is a faction out there that said Jr. stopped taking steroids after he left Seattle for the Reds, which explains why he could not stay healthy once he got to Cincinnati.

I sure hope that is not true.

[LWC]

There is a faction out there that said Jr. stopped taking steroids after he left Seattle for the Reds, which explains why he could not stay healthy once he got to Cincinnati.

I sure hope that is not true.

I see yours/their point so I crunched some numbers.

If you cut his Seattle acheivements in half he would still have 209 HR, 5 All-Star appearances, 3.5 Silver Slugger awards and 5 Gold Gloves!

Add those numbers to his post-Seattle prime and you get 422 HR, 1225 RBI, 8All-Star appearances, 3.5 Silver Slugger awards, 5 Gold Gloves. He played 110 games or more in only 5 seasons of those 10 years!

When you think that way, he is still ALMOST a Hall-Of-Famer.

I believe that Palmero, Clemens, Bonds and Griffey Jr. are players that never NEEDED steroids or HGH to be Hall-of-Famers. Both had and have the numbers to make it before the steroid use. Others like McGuire, Canseco, Tejada, and Sosa probably needed steroids to even be CONSIDERED.