Goodbye Griffey

Wednesday Seattle closed the chapter on the greatest athlete the city has ever known, Ken Griffey Jr. It goes without saying the Mariners will miss the "Kid" that put them on the map. In the early 90's Ken dominated baseball and earned a spot on the all century team. The love affair was fantastic until it abruptly ended in 2000. Griffey had grown tired of the fishbowl effect and decided the grass would be greener in Cincinnati, the town he was raised in and his dad became famous. The relationship got off to a rocky start when Ken asked to wear #24 even though it had been retired by the Reds. It was further strained when Griffey's skills began to decline due to injury. It was a perfect example of unfulfilled expectation. Cincinnati wanted their franchise player to put up "Griffey" like numbers and Ken wanted them to love him unconditionally as if it were Seattle. Thanks to inter league play Jr. got a chance to come back in 2007. The city gushed over him with ovations, video tributes, and an outpouring of fan support. It was then he realized how much he missed Seattle and how much Seattle missed him. In 2009 the two were reunited. As I pointed out in my May 4th blog the city knew Ken's skills were diminished but would rather have him around with diminished skills than no Ken at all. The production went from bad to worse in 2010 however and the once loyal fans began to whisper about the end. There is nothing more difficult in sports than dealing with an aging superstar. Your fond memories will betray you into thinking there's still something left in the tank and facing the reality of the moment will make you look callous and cold. Ken did the right thing by pulling the plug before the whispers turned into roars. Thank you Ken for saving everyone from that uncomfortable ugly scene. We wish you the best. You'll always be "The Kid" to us.