May 8, 2008...2:46 pm
Bullpen Session
After reading this USA Today article on Ken Griffey Jr., it appears Junior is open to a return to Seattle.
I’ve been saying for more than a year that I wish the Reds would deal Griffey back to the Mariners. Junior needs the DH and the Reds need better pitching in return.
Besides, for Griffey, it’s all about winning a championship ring. Unfortunately, Junior’s chances of winning a ring in Seattle are only slightly better than his chance to do so in Cincy. However, the timing for a Griffey trade has never been better.
Outside a return to Seattle, the only A.L. options left for the 38-year-old slugger are the Angels, Red Soxs, Tigers and the White Soxs; all of which are well equipped in the DH role: Vlad, Papi, Ordonez and Thome.
The Mariners, who are currently batting youngster Jeff Clement’s .176 average in the DH spot, appears to be the best fit.
In all, Clement has less than 50 major league at bats and two career home runs. Obviously, Junior would be a serious upgrade to the line-up.
Baker and the Reds may push Jr. out of Cincy before July
Perhaps, it would be a better story if the Reds traded Griffey to Seattle before he knocks career home run 600 out of the ballpark, but I still like the idea of Junior reaching 600 as a Cincinnati Red.
If anything, Junior’s milestone moment would serve as a final farewell in the Queen City.
My prediction: Junior is dealt in early July to a contender - probably not Seattle - and signs with the M’s in the off-season.
- Oddly, another player I wish could have gone out on top was Bo Jackson, who, along with Griffey, is still one of my all-time favorite athletes.
I can’t say that I ever wished Jackson would have concentrated solely on his baseball career, after all, he’s the only player ever to appeared in both the NFL’s Pro Bowl and MLB’s All Star game.
Still, I often wonder, like with Junior’s injuries, what might have been had Jackson focused entirely on baseball.
Could Jackson have hit 500 home runs (he hit 141 in eight years)? Would he have set the all-time strike out record (Bo whiffed 841 times)? And, would Bo have also returned closer to his childhood home and played for the Braves, or perhaps made a return to the Royals? Obviously, we’ll never know.
My first Bo Jackson baseball card
Bullpen Note: Jackson averaged 33 home runs per year over eight seasons. At this rate, Bo would have amassed 405 home runs having played another eight seasons in the bigs (2002).
I can still picture Jackson’s first home run after hip replacement surgery - the result of a football injury while playing for the Raiders in a 1991 playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals - Soxs Park, April 9, 1993, a blast to right field. Bo knows comebacks.
- One ballplayer I couldn’t be happier for is Sean Casey, now playing in Boston. Sure, he’s nowhere near the talent level of a Griffey or Bo Jackson, but Casey is equal to both with his off-the-field contributions to the game of baseball.
That being said, I take nothing away from the Mayor’s career .302 average, 130 home runs and 726 RBIs.
Casey is batting .346 with a .424 OBP and .462 SLG for Boston
Plus, the thing about Sean is it’s easy to relate to his passion for the game when you watch him play, his feverous pacing around the first base bag and his lengthy batting box stretches. Casey often appears so excited to play that he’ll pee his pants any second.
Of course, it was a sad moment for me when Casey was traded by Cincinnati to lowly Pittsburgh, of all teams. And so what if Casey said he enjoyed playing for his hometown Buccos, he deserved better in his career, specifically, the good guy deserved a chance to win a ring too.
So when Sean finally wound up playing for a contended, the 2006 Tigers, it seemed the left-handed batter would get his championship ring. Then, the Cardinals nixed that deal in five games.
Sure, I was disappointed in the World Series outcome, although, I was mainly watching to see how Casey would fare. Thankfully, he rose to the occasion batting .529 with two home runs and five RBIs during the series.
Still, it’s just awesome that Sean found a home in Boston to finish his career. Just like Casey, Beantown is all about baseball, and the dedicated Soxs’ fans will love him in no time.
- Also, it looks as if the San. Fran. Giants are seeing things my way, at least when it comes to Barry Zito returning to the rotation.
- Here’s the secret to the Rays’ early success this season. And, if its bullpen stays the course - and avoids being tased - so will Tampa Bay. That would be pretty cool too.
- What’s not cool is the latest news on Rays’ outfielder Rocco Baldelli. For years the Rays expected Baldelli – the sixth overall pick in the 2000 Draft - to blossom into the star many scouts predicted he would be. Unfortunately, the kid could never stay healthy.
Through five major league seasons Rocco has roughly missed playing in 391 games while averaging a meek 83 games played per season. Truly, unbelievable.
Now, both Baldelli and the Rays have an idea why the centerfielder physically breaks down so often, and it it’s far worse than just playing on Astroturf.
- Ozzie Guillen wears on my nerves for a multitude of reasons. And, not only is “Ozzie Ball” a bunch of bologna, but so is the manager’s hard-ass attitude.
Bullpen Note: No, I do not hate the White Sox.
Still, Guillen has pushed the limits on profanity laced rants about his poor White Sox players and fans.
There’s nothing hard-ass about shooting your mouth off every time the club hits a rough patch. It’s called whining, plain and simple.
- Speaking of Windy City hissy fits, why hasn’t Moises Alou spoken out about the Bartman incident until now?
Ya’ll may find Alou’s recent comments funny; however, I think he’s an ass for waiting around to help clear Steve Bartman’s name of any wrong doing during the 2003 NLCS.
Seriously Moises, five years, are you kidding me. Plus, you can’t convince me Alou didn’t understand the magnitude in which that particular play changed the life of Steve Bartman, forever.
There’s no excuse for Alou to withhold his feelings this long about the Bartman Game. Besides, what a copout by Alou; his team blows a chance at the World Series and then he contributes in blaming the losses on a 26-year-old kid by not saying anything at all.
Gee, what a nice guy.
- Fox’s Ken Rosenthal weighs in on Alfonso Soriano batting lead-off, and the Cubs recent struggles scoring runs.
- Yahoo columnist Jeff Passan hits a home run with this article on the Washington Nationals.
I’ll add that the outrageously priced seats behind home plate at the new park are utterly ridiculous considering the team’s losing history: since relocating to the Capital in 2005 the Nats are collectively 36 games below .500.
Not to mention, because these particular seats are never sold out (and by sold out I mean actual butts sitting in the seats) it always appears on television that no one is at the game watching. That’s never good for business.
- Okay, you asked for it, so here’s some more Erin Andrews.
- What a fun job, photographing players for baseball cards.
Check out this rendition of Kirk Gibson’s World Series home run told through baseball cards.
If Jimmy Kimmel’s show was this funny every night, I would probably watch more often.
If you have not seen ESPN’s E:60 interview with Miguel Tejada click here first.
The best NBA add for this year’s post season. Kobe vs. Shaq
It’s time for some Super Mario Brothers.
1 Comment
May 8, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I agree, it would be cool to see Griffey back in Seattle to finish his career.
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