Realsports Baseball
Entry posted by Nathan Strum
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I'm not that much of a sports fan. But I still watch Seattle teams when they're on TV (especially if I'm up there on vacation), since that's where I'm from originally, and it's my hometown.
Although I couldn't care less about basketball. Never liked it.
But that's okay, since the Sonics left last year anyway. Now, even though I consider that a plus, a lot of people thought losing the Sonics was a "bad thing".
2008 was a year of "bad things" in Seattle sports.
The Seahawks were plagued with injuries (excuses, excuses...) and had a miserable season. To top it off, their coach retired at the end of the year, and he was about the only bright spot remaining on the team.
The Huskies went 0 - 12 for the first time ever. They've got a new coaching staff now, too.
The Mariners also imploded, losing over 100 games. They went through a bunch of managers, and players were coming and going through the organization so fast you couldn't tell who was who at the end of the season.
I tend to watch baseball more than the other sports, because well... they play more games. Pretty simple mathematics there. Plus I like baseball more.
So it's been interesting to watch the off-season changes happening with the M's. New general manager, new manager, new coaching staff, new players, some players are coming off injury rehabilitation... there's a lot of unknown factors. But from what I've been reading, the attitude that the new management is bringing in is a considerable improvement over the lackluster, unfocused, uncommunicative, dysfunctional attitude that permeated the team last year (and likely before that). Things are looking up, and while I don't think anyone expects Seattle to contend for anything this year, at least it doesn't seem to be the hopelessly screwed-up mess that it was before. Maybe they can really start rebuilding, and have a respectable season this year.
Then, earlier today, it was announced the Mariners are signing Ken Griffey, Jr. to come back.
Griffey was a Seattle sports hero when he was there originally. He was the face of the Mariners, and one of the key players on the team. They call Safeco Field "The House That Griffey Built" and credit him with helping to save baseball in Seattle. Then he moved away - asking to be traded in order to be closer to his family (and turning down a huge contract in the process). In the years since he left, he's been plagued by injuries, and never really lived up to the potential he showed in Seattle. He's been on the disabled list so often, it usually came as more of a surprise when he wasn't on it.
Now he's 39 years old, doesn't have the speed (or the bat) that he did in his prime, he's injury prone, coming off of surgery last year, and the M's signed him on during a year when they're trying to re-build the team from the ground-up with new management, new talent and a new attitude. Are they nuts?
Actually, no. Griffey is exactly what the Seattle Mariners need right now. If they're smart about how they use him.
First, Griffey will draw in a lot of fans again. After last year, they need people to fill the seats. The Mariners need a player fans can get behind. Even though Ichiro is a phenomenal player, he's never been as personable as someone like Griffey (or Edgar Martinez, Jay Buhner, or some of the other fan-favorites). This will bridge the gap until some of the new talent coming up through the team has a chance to make their mark on the Seattle fan-base.
Second, he's a veteran player now. The clubhouse needs someone to step in as the team leader. Desperately. They haven't really had any player step into that role for several years, since most of the other veteran players retired or were traded away. Especially with a team as new as the Mariners are, he'd be very good in that capacity. Maybe "role model" sounds a bit contrived, but in fact, that's what's needed.
Third, they need someone who can hit home runs. Griffey still has some power, and Safeco field was built for his swing. What they can't afford to do, however, is let him play outfield. He'll end up hurting something again. For that matter, he may end up hurting something running the bases. But the outfield is just too big a risk for a player that's been hurt that often, and who plays as hard as he does. If he can keep healthy, there's no reason he couldn't hit 30 home runs in a year. He did that much in 2007.
Which brings up an interesting prospect. They've signed him on for one year. Certainly part of that is to see if he can still contribute, and part of it is likely on his part to see how long he may want to play before retiring (he has stated he wants to end his career in Seattle). But if it works out this year, I would expect the M's to sign him on for another couple of years after this. Maybe even beyond that. Why? Well, Griffey is about 150 home runs away from the all-time record. If he can hit 30 home runs a year for five years, he'll be 44 (a reasonable age for a designated hitter in good health) and have the all-time home run record. Griffey is pretty-much universally liked, and I think there are a lot of people who would like to see that title taken away from Barry Bonds. Certainly Seattle would love to have that record associated with the Mariners, and I'd bet Griffey has his eye on it, too.
Hopefully, it won't be a horrible catastrophe. Hopefully, he'll be healthy enough to belt a good number of home runs, and help the M's win more games than they would have without him. That, and the goodwill he'll bring back to Seattle should be worth it. At any rate, it will make Mariners baseball interesting to watch again this year. At least for a little while. Beyond that... we can only wait and see.
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