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Griffey shrugs at Mariners' plan to celebrate his return
Seattle plans a ceremony Friday to honor franchise's best player ever; Griffey says, 'It's just another series.'
Friday, June 15, 2007
Next weekend, Reds center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. will return to Safeco Field for the first time since parting ways with Seattle after the 1999 season. Prior to next Friday's series opener, the Mariners will trumpet his arrival with a regal pregame ceremony.
The red-carpet treatment is well-deserved, Reds manager Jerry Narron believes.
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"If it wasn't for him, that franchise might not be in Seattle right now," Narron said.
After the ceremony, Griffey will be handed the microphone and will address his once-worshipping fans. Those fans will have the chance to revisit the Griffey glory days — his toothy, poster-child grin, his otherworldly athleticism, and of course his 398 home runs during his 11-year tenure.
But those fans may have mixed sentiments about the 37-year-old they once deified as "The Kid." In 1999, Griffey parted ways with Seattle after becoming disenchanted with the franchise. So too did former Mariner Alex Rodriguez in 2000; and upon his return to Safeco, fans booed mercilessly and littered the field with fake dollar bills.
That isn't the reaction Griffey is expected to see, said Seattle-Post Intelligencer sports columnist Ted Miller.
"His departure was not nearly as acrimonious as (Rodriguez's)," Miller said. "When he left, there were some ill feelings. But because it's been seven years and he's not the same player he used to be, people are generally positive about him ... He's the best player in Mariner history."
But in his seven-year Reds tenure, Griffey has only hit 176 home runs and has added weight to his once-willowy physique. Ironically, that might soften criticisms in Seattle, said Seattle Times sports columnist Jerry Brewer.
"I think a part of the reason why he'll be well-received is because he is no longer the superstar that (Rodriguez) continues to be," Brewer said. "We feel that we got his best years."
To Seattle, the homecoming is "definitely a big deal," according to Miller.
But not to Griffey. When asked about the series, he said, "Why does everyone care so much about this? It's just another series. That's all."
Griffey is bringing along his wife, Melissa (a Washington native), and their three children. The children travel to Seattle once a year to visit family on their mother's side, Griffey said.
"It's not really a getaway for (my kids). They don't really care about (Seattle) too much," he said. "Kids just think about water parks and stuff like that."
The Mariners average 29,244 fans per game at Safeco Field this season, and they've already sold more than that for each of the three games.
Said Rebecca Hale, the Mariners director of public information, "We're expecting the three games to be close to sold out."
