he just doesn’t want her to DH. Me, I have no feelings about her as I’ve had no relations with her at all, intimate or otherwise, and I don’t want her DHing either.
there’s a bit of a problem with these polls because how I feel about players as players can be very different from how I feel about them as Mariners. For example, I love Erik Bedard the player, but I only like Erik Bedard the Mariner (I don’t mean the last couple years, I mean now). Eric Byrnes I find amusing, so I like him as a player, but hate him as a Mariner. And so on.
Griffey is a special case, in that his status in the history of baseball, and the Mariners in particular, overshadows my current frustrations with him. I hate Griffdawg the starting DH. But it’s only one year, and it’s not like this is a championship team and he’s our one problem.
I don’t know that I can fairly vote on this one. I don’t hate the guy or dislike him necessarily, I just don’t think he has any place here right now.
The other ones have been easier.
…and grew up in Seattle when he was awesome. I was highly conflicted on this vote, I wish there was 2 categories: love when he was young and awesome, and dislike when he is clearly done and just has just hung on for too long.
However, I hate him as a part of the 2010 Mariners, and I hated him as a part of the 2009 Mariners. And the longer he holds out on the team without pulling a Mike Schmidt, I lose more and more respect for him as a person, and thus begin to like him less and less. For
this reason, I voted that I don’t like him.
Pre-Reds Griffey was my hero, but this Griffey is ruining that (already faint) memory.
I love the idea of Ken Griffey Jr.: The MLB star, future Hall of Famer, owner of many significant Mariner records, all around decent human.
I dislike Ken Griffey Jr.: 2010 Mariners starting DH.
I was at game 5. I was at his eighth consecutive home run game. I was at the game where he broke his wrist on the catch. In first grade I bought his candy bar every day on the walk home from elementary school
Ken Griffey Jr. is my hero. Hating him is something that will never be possible for me. Disliking him, even, is impossible for me. I will probably cry like a little girl at his last major league game.
When he re-signed this year, he said himself he would be fine taking a reduced role. I’m curious to know if people who say they hate him would still hate him if he were only a par-part-time DH and a late-game pinch hitter?
Griffey was my favorite player as a kid and 1995 made me a baseball fan,
And I still love him. But I voted hated because I hate seeing his name on our roster, in the lineup, at-bat, or anywhere else that means he’s hurting the team.
Short of winning a World Series it couldn't have ended any better for him.
The team had a dramatic turnaround, he was beloved by the media for being a big clubhouse presence, he got a hit in his final AB and walked off the field with the crowd giving him a standing ovation.
but I still can’t compartmentalize the two. He’s still Griffey, and as much as I’d like him to take on Buhner’s role with the team I can’t altogether hate the old man.
I love Ken Griffey Jr more than I love at least one of my parents
and I sincerely wish that he hadn’t come back this year. I can’t hate him, but I am perpetually annoyed at the fact that he can’t see that he should just let it go at this point.
I am, however, glad that he has built and maintained enough goodwill among the oft-dismissed “casual fan” that he isn’t getting booed every time he doesn’t get a hit or drive in a run. I don’t think I could deal with Griffey getting booed on a regular basis
Clearly, you have a very strong opinion. Two, actually. If you have a love/hate relationship towards someone, it by no means ‘balances out’ and you are merely indifferent towards them.
This is the most interesting one because it's not saying "How do you feel about him on the team, right now?"
Jr. isn’t my favorite player and never has been, but I genuinely like the guy and think he’s been great for baseball in Seattle. But holy shit keep him away from the bat. And the field.
I guess I have to vote no opinion, because while I hate his play today, I can never hate Junior the person.
No matter how immature he was, or how he hamstrung the team in trade negotiations, he’s the reason why I’m a baseball fan. So I love the guy…but I also hate what he’s doing in 2010. I guess I gotta go with no opinion…it’s the closest to balancing out both thoughts….
Saw the whole ‘Ken Grumpey Jr.’ stage and his ensuing shipment out of town, saw injuries wreck his career in Cincinnati and now back here. No emotional ties to him whatsoever, wasn’t here for any of the good. Needless to say, definitely in the minority of people who despise Griffey.
….but that was 20 years ago (wow! ? !). Yes, there is some loyalty to the myth of Jr, but not now. We have seen how many quality pitching performances squandered this year by not having flexibility on the bench or in the field?
It “felt” great having Griff around last year, but like so many aging stars…..he just needs to hang it up.
Do i hear a hamstring snapping while trying to stretch that single into a double anyone?
I still love Junior for what he meant to my childhood
I was happy to see him come back, LAST YEAR. It made sense at the time, but definitely doesn’t now that we actually have a shot at contending. He’s really getting on my nerves this season, and I don’t want to start disliking him as a person, but if this continues I will start losing respect for him. At this point, he should be riding the pine and pinch hitting late in not-close games.
He was my favorite Mariner when I was growing up, but he has not taken one ounce of crap (unless I’ve missed something glaring) for his ridiculous trade me to Cincinnati nonsense.
He was my favorite Mariner for a long time (up until I truly started to appreciate Edgar). But he’s costing this team right now, so I had to vote that I don’t like him. I guess it’s more of a vote for the situation. Eh, whatever.
Overall, I love Junior. He was Seattle baseball while I was growing up.
Yes, he sucks right now, and I hate that he is ruining the memories of his picture perfect swing every time he goes up and feebly whiffs at another 94 mph fastball. But I still love him no matter what. It’s kind of like a parent with a child who acts up. You hate the moments when “the Kid” acts up, but you still love him no matter what.
I voted "don't like" for how he's doing this season
I still love him as a person and for what he did before he left to the Reds (and he wasn’t terrible last year either). It’s just a shame to have to watch him try to keep playing when he obviously doesn’t have it anymore.
I know it's not the popular opinion among the community, but I voted love.
September and October of 1995 played a huge part in my fandom growing to where it is now. Of course I don’t want Junior playing now, but as frustrating as it has been for the past year and a half to watch him flounder, it’s not going to do anything to how I will remember him when he goes into the Hall of Fame. As a 7- to 12-year-old he was why I loved watching baseball.
Looking back on it, I wasn’t truly a Mariners fan back then; I was a Griffey fan. I never appreciated A-Rod or Randy enough when he was here (I got mad when someone had the opinion that either were better than Junior; no one could be better than him), I didn’t appreciate Edgar until after Junior left the team, and I was so blind from Junior leaving that I so blatantly unappreciated Mike Cameron to the point that I agreed with Bavasi that non-tendering him to make room for Raul Ibanez was the right move (We have enough defense! We need more offense!). Sick, I know.
I suppose those could be seen as even more reasons to dislike Junior. The way he left town was despicable (although it took me until years after to come to terms with this) and I wish I could take most of that back. But for all the valid reasons to be null to his presence on the team now, or even hate him, I just can’t do it. I’ll never be able to. It’s not rational, but he’s going to have to pull a Benoit to make me turn on him.
He’s not my favorite player now, but I can’t imagine that he won’t be my favorite player of all time. I still have all my Griffey posters I used to hang on my walls in a box somewhere, and I plan on having a private study where I can hang them again. I was at the game last year when he hit that walk-off home run at Safeco, and I felt like a kid again. I’m looking forward to feeling that again when I go to his last game this season for his goodbye ceremony.*
*But he has to do the sensible thing and call it quits, first.
I wasn't really a Mariners fan until after he left, so my attachment to him isn't as great as maybe it should be
I still love and have deep amounts of respect for him, but not like those who were actually there during his glory years. I can’t hate him- I just can’t. But I’m not very fond of him right now. I’ll like him more once he retires.
He sucks big donkey dong as a player right now, but he was a big part of some of my all-time favorite sports memories. He was a trancsendent talent! I wouldn’t vote for him to continue to occupy a roster spot, but I will vote without hesitation that I love him.
When he left, I would’ve voted hate him, but his own demise and the Mariners success helped change that. Also, I think the biggest factor for my change in feelings towards him after the demanded trade stem from his motivations for leaving.
He didn’t leave for money. He left because he is emotionally screwy. I think he was depressed and made bad decisions to try and alleviate that. For me, this is far more excusable than leaving for greed.
I have never been one to jump on a player for hanging on too long. I jump on players who can play professionally, but don’t seem to care. I am not going to bash someone that continues to play for nothing but the love of the game.
That being said…just hit a fucking homerun and then retire already.
I wonder what Griffey thinks he's accomplishing by continuing playing
Is he delusional? Does he actually think he’s helping? That’s what really frustrates me. What goes through his head after each groundout to second? “Man I’m getting unlucky”? I just can’t fathom how Griffey could believe he’s an asset to the team when it comes to winning ballgames.
He knows he’s worse, but he doesn’t know the degree. Griffey was a one in one hundred million baseball talent who grew up in MLB clubhouses. He doesn’t know what it feels like to feel out of place in one. At least that’s my theory.
This is and has always been about his ego. He plays the media like Yo-Yo Ma, leverages the front office like Machiavelli, and hits like Pee Wee Herman.
It’s his world…we just get to suffer in it.
Of course, I had no real affinity for the Mariners in the 1990s, having abandoned baseball after the strike ruined the Expos. I only returned in 2001 when I heard about Ichiro coming to America (man, what a great season to start with), and suddenly I was a Mariners fan.
So any affection I have for Griffey stems from how much Ichiro likes Griffey, but Griffey also makes Ichiro lose, which makes me sad.
I’ll only be able to make 1, maybe 2 trips to Safeco this year. When it gets closer to the time to plan the 6 hour drive, my main criteria for which games I get tickets for will be that Griffey is in the lineup. Planning a week or more ahead, usually that just means looking at the opposing teams rotation schedule and going to a game where they are starting a righty, then hope for the best.
The reason I’m doing that is not because I expect to be wowed by Ken Griffey Jr hitting a game winning home run into the upper decks. The reason is, I want to savor having the opportunity to watch a true living legend. 30 years from now, we’ll still be talking about seeing Ken Griffey Jr play the game.
Every time you gripe about one of his weak grounders to 2B, just remember that you are lucky to be watching one of the all time greats. I take pleasure watching Griffey step into the batters box wearing a Mariners uniform, regardless of the result.
For most players, nostalgia wears off pretty quick if the results are no longer there. For me, Griffey is the exception to that rule. As mentioned by others here, I think if we were “one solid DH away” from a legitimate World Series run, maybe my patience would have run out by now.
Every time you gripe about one of his weak grounders to 2B, just remember that you are lucky to be watching one of the all time greats.
I watched him in the 90s. I also watched him last year. I’ve seen Griffey bat a great number of times. I’m glad I was able to see him in his prime, and I recognize that he was, at least when healthy, a rare talent. Seeing him fail up at the plate time and again is not a necessary part of his legacy for me to experience. I don’t consider myself lucky to see a former great as a shadow of what he once was.
I can understand that you care more about the man than the results. I simply ask that you understand that we don’t all feel it’s a privilege to watch Griffey at this point in time.
I should have mentioned as well that I lived even further away from Seattle during Griffeys first stint, so I didn’t get to see him in his prime – the 2010 version is all I’ve got.
I also wasn’t nearly as hard core of a fan back then as I am now, so maybe I didn’t fully appreciate how great he was at the time and now I’m thankful I can at least see his corpse come to the plate.
I guess part of the whole thing for me is that major league baseball is merely entertainment
for me and nothing else. I enjoy players, but I have met too many over the years to say I love them. Most of them are not the type of person I would hang out with. Plus, the reason I go to games is too see players at the highest level of competition. Griffey would get cut from and independent league team right now.
So I guess I am saying I never loved Griffey. I appreciated his talents because more than once he did something to make the price of the ticket worth paying. Now he is wasting my money and time and I dislike anyone who does that.
He kinda looks the same, the swing kinda looks the same, but the results...
are just depressing. There’s no more drive on the ball. I think we just need to see him hit 1 walk-off homer very soon and then walk-off into the sunset and it would be the perfect ending.
Hopefully the perfect ending to the Rays series. Then lets get a real DH.
If he'd have even made an attempt to show up in shape for ST it would temper things a tiny bit.
Guess he couldn’t be bothered. Or he hasn’t come to grips with the idea that he physically cannot snap back into shape at a moments notice. It happens to everybody at some point in their 30’s and maybe he’s too stupid to acknowledge the fact or too stubborn, who knows who cares. Either way the hell with him. It’s not like he didn’t know what was expected of him.
and somewhat enjoyed his tenure last year, but I was mortified when he signed on for an extra year instead of hanging up the cleats. His awfulness this season is destroying my fond memories of him :(
I enjoyed him in the late 90s as a kid, but after the “trade me to Cinci” garbage, I lost any interest/desire to see him succeed. Yes, we did come out like bandits on the trade—but that was in spite of Griffey, not because of him.
Yes, I know that he was instrumental in keeping the M’s around in ‘95—but as with so many things, it’s the bad stuff that sticks in one’s memory.
He’s always been an arrogant toolbag…now he’s a washed-up creaky old arrogant toolbag that needs to pack it in and hobble his giant butt off the field. Which leads me to one final point—in what universe does a responsible professional athlete drink 10-12 sodas a day and claim with a straight face to be making a good effort to stay in shape/ contribute to the team?
I was actually indifferent during Griffey’s glory years. I suppose I just thought that he was overrated and struck out too often.* My favorite players during my first years of fandom (‘95-’99) were Jay Buhner and Randy Johnson. When Griffey came back, I was still indifferent and now I dislike him for his uselessness and the fact that he won’t allow the majority of the fanbase to just let ‘95 go and move on. If he continues his level of (non-) performance and doesn’t retire mid-season, I could easily hate him by the end of the season.
*Funny to think, but I also disliked him for a short time after I found out he attempted suicide in the minors. I don’t know what I was thinking as a 6-7 year old, but that just didn’t sit well with me.
However, at what point does it become the organizations fault for continuing this parade to sell bobbleheads/whatever. Griffey is just a single dude that is using his past accomplishments to keep him in baseball – which sure you don’t have to like. But really, and we have seen it before with other superstars, its the organizations responsibility to put Griffey out to pasture.
Sure, it’s the organization’s responsibility to know when to pull the plug—but it’s equally the player’s responsibility to admit when the’re done. And it’s not as if there’s any reasonable argument (that I know of) that suggests that Griffey isn’t done.
Sure, it’s the organization’s responsibility to put an end to this, but Griffey is also responsible for continuing this parade in the first place. If we were to have a thread about Jack Z, I would probably still vote “love”, but it’d be with full recognition that the keeping of Sweeney/Griffey are wearing down my euphoria to contentment.
I think a player should always believe they can perform.
They can always think they are just an adjustment or hot streak away from regaining some form. I am not going to bash someone for wanting to and believing they can play. Sometimes palyers need to be protected from themselves.
If presented this las year, I would have voted love.
Now I am voting like. At some point, 1995 Ken Griffey Jr is going to turn into 2010 Ken Griffey Jr in my mind. The more I see him, the closer it gets.
My girlfriend became a Mariner fan two years ago from the influence of me. All she has ever seen is shitty Griffey, that sucks. If you weren’t a Mariner fan during the Grifffey era, you have every right to hate him, and I blame absolutely no one for feeling that way. In fact, come September, I might begrudgingly jump on your bandwagon.
I'm a bit younger than a lot of people here, and as such I don't have many memories of Griffey's heyday with the M's.
The Mariners squads that still resonate the most with me are the 2000-2003 teams with Cameron, Boone, Olerud, Moyer, and of course Edgar. I still remember watching Kazu Sasaki pitch and trying to imitate his delivery, changing my batting stance when I had two strikes a la Boone, and reading about this supposed Japanese superstar hitter the team was bringing over. Franklin Gutierrez’s best catches still give me Cammy flashbacks, and I still hate Alfonso Soriano, Bernie Williams, Kenny Lofton, and Jolbert Cabrera with a burning passion. When my baseball fandom was at its childhood strongest, Griffey was just a sad story, a great player derailed by injuries and stuck on a Reds club that probably should have been rebuilding.
Despite the lack of a childhood connection it appears many people have, though, I still love Griffey. I love him because I love the Mariners, and I fully recognize that in all likelihood, the team would no longer exist if it weren’t for him. I love Griffey for helping to save the team I grew to love, and for all he has done for the franchise.
Having said that, I would love him a good deal more if he would grab himself a nice, comfy spot on the bench.
He brought joy to my early fanhood by being amazing and producing a couple of the best baseball games I remember playing. But he left on poor terms and has been bad or injured for almost a decade. How much he sucks now is clouding my judgment into how much I like him. If you asked in 2 years? i would probably still like him. But right now he is actively making the team worse. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr. as a whole for his entire Mariner career? Hell yes. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr the person, at least how he’s portrayed now? Hell yes. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr the inspiration for an N64 game? Yes sir. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr the black hole 40-year-old DH? Fuck no.
You mean when he told the team he wanted to leave and allowed himself to be traded for an All-Star centerfielder, a serviceable starting pitcher and others (ultimately inconsequential minor leaguers). Of the three no-brainer future Hall of Famers the team had in the late ’90s, I only consider one to have left the team on bad terms. The other two gave the team a chance to recoup some of their value.
But if the choice this season was between missing the playoffs with Griffey and missing the playoffs without him, I’d have always opted for another year with my childhood hero on the team (and I’m 24, since everyone seems to be giving their ages). Even if it was “lose in the ALDS without him, miss the playoffs with him” it wouldn’t have been a no-brainer for me. I probably wouldn’t even be a Mariners fan if not for ‘95 and The Double (I don’t go in for this “oh, they’re the local team” crap. Give me a reason to actually like you). Being a nine year old kid and going through that season, even while not fully appreciating the Mariners’ prior tradition of extreme futility, literally changed my life. So, yes, I’m looking through rose-colored glasses to vote love, but I can’t really see the man any other way.
I'll never be able to hate Junior, even if he is hurting the team.
We wouldn’t even have a team in Seattle anymore if it wasn’t for him, remember.
Coach Owens - May 3, 2010
You were an embryo in 1995.
Robert - May 3, 2010
Jr. is like a 40 year old kid who won't move out of his parents house.
No matter how much you know he just needs to get out and move on with his life, nothing can ever make you stop loving him.
…I love you Jr.
MarinerManMatt - May 3, 2010
I love my mom too...
But I wouldn’t want her DHing either
FairWeatherFred - May 3, 2010
My thoughts exactly.
AgainstKyle - May 3, 2010
what do you have against fred's mom?
pdb - May 3, 2010
He said he loved her
he just doesn’t want her to DH. Me, I have no feelings about her as I’ve had no relations with her at all, intimate or otherwise, and I don’t want her DHing either.
Bearskin Rugburn - May 3, 2010
Hell of a lady. Just can't hit worth a damn.
This is me resisting the urge to make one of many inappropriate jokes.
AgainstKyle - May 3, 2010
Exactly
I wasn’t asked “Do you like the idea of Griffey as DH?” The answer to that would be “Hate it.”
I was asked about the guy, and he’s my favorite baseball player ever.
philosofool - May 3, 2010
I don't like him
If it weren’t for the Ichiro factor and occasional funny moment I would hate him sooooooo much.
Eyeball Kid - May 3, 2010
WHAT IS WRONG WITH MOST OF YOU
abender20 - May 3, 2010
Turns out it's not all about winning
there’s a bit of a problem with these polls because how I feel about players as players can be very different from how I feel about them as Mariners. For example, I love Erik Bedard the player, but I only like Erik Bedard the Mariner (I don’t mean the last couple years, I mean now). Eric Byrnes I find amusing, so I like him as a player, but hate him as a Mariner. And so on.
Griffey is a special case, in that his status in the history of baseball, and the Mariners in particular, overshadows my current frustrations with him. I hate Griffdawg the starting DH. But it’s only one year, and it’s not like this is a championship team and he’s our one problem.
Bearskin Rugburn - May 3, 2010
Yeah, agreed
I don’t know that I can fairly vote on this one. I don’t hate the guy or dislike him necessarily, I just don’t think he has any place here right now.
The other ones have been easier.
section331 - May 3, 2010
If anyone reading this is a Mariners fan age 20 or older
They 100% agree with everything you said.
dlukas - May 3, 2010
I'm 22 and dislike him a fair amount.
Eyeball Kid - May 3, 2010
I'm 21 and dislike him a fair amount.
BrianL - May 3, 2010
I hate him
Graham MacAree - May 3, 2010
I like pre-Reds Griffey. That guy is awesome.
Ken Griffey Jr. Sr. pisses me off.
abender20 - May 3, 2010
I'm 23 and dislike him a fair amount.
Plus another fair amount.
andrewgolfsalot - May 3, 2010
I'm 25
…and grew up in Seattle when he was awesome. I was highly conflicted on this vote, I wish there was 2 categories: love when he was young and awesome, and dislike when he is clearly done and just has just hung on for too long.
MissoulaMarinerFan - May 3, 2010
I love Griffey the historical character
But my criteria is judging the current Mariners team. Therefore, Griffey the current player blows lard ass and is clearly holding this team back.
cwel87 - May 3, 2010
I'm 24 and I dislike him an unfair amount
Snowman1025 - May 3, 2010
I'm 21 and I don't hate him as a person
However, I hate him as a part of the 2010 Mariners, and I hated him as a part of the 2009 Mariners. And the longer he holds out on the team without pulling a Mike Schmidt, I lose more and more respect for him as a person, and thus begin to like him less and less. For
this reason, I voted that I don’t like him.
Pre-Reds Griffey was my hero, but this Griffey is ruining that (already faint) memory.
Matt Erickson - May 3, 2010 via mobile
Way to speak for people you don't know.
Sec 108 - May 3, 2010
I'm 22 and dislike him.
Benne - May 3, 2010
I'm 30 something and hate him.
If he stops playing full-time, I will love him again, but until he stops hurting my/our team, he’s dead to me.
Ike Clanton - May 3, 2010
I'm 33
I love the idea of Ken Griffey Jr.: The MLB star, future Hall of Famer, owner of many significant Mariner records, all around decent human.
I dislike Ken Griffey Jr.: 2010 Mariners starting DH.
AnotherAaron - May 3, 2010
As a 22 year old, I hate him. When he finally retires, I'll probably go back to liking him, but right now I fucking hate him.
joof - May 3, 2010
I'm 27
I was at game 5. I was at his eighth consecutive home run game. I was at the game where he broke his wrist on the catch. In first grade I bought his candy bar every day on the walk home from elementary school
Ken Griffey Jr. is my hero. Hating him is something that will never be possible for me. Disliking him, even, is impossible for me. I will probably cry like a little girl at his last major league game.
When he re-signed this year, he said himself he would be fine taking a reduced role. I’m curious to know if people who say they hate him would still hate him if he were only a par-part-time DH and a late-game pinch hitter?
Andersean - May 3, 2010
.
Probably not, but he isn’t so I do.
Eyeball Kid - May 3, 2010
What the professor said.
Ike Clanton - May 3, 2010
I'll still dislike him because there are better ways to use that roster spot.
BrianL - May 3, 2010
I'm starting to think LL doesn't like absolute statements...
Maybe it change it to “I’ll bet plenty of people agree with what you just said”.
MT Olson - May 3, 2010
LL doesn't like it when people assume they know the motivations or likes/dislikes of others.
pdb - May 3, 2010
I don't think anybody really likes that
Although I disagree with LL’s way of piling on. I’m sure he gets the message.
MT Olson - May 3, 2010
I'm 23 and I will always love Ken Griffey Jr. unconditionally
For everything.
BigWillyStyle - May 3, 2010
Griffey was my favorite player as a kid and 1995 made me a baseball fan,
And I still love him. But I voted hated because I hate seeing his name on our roster, in the lineup, at-bat, or anywhere else that means he’s hurting the team.
Decatur - May 4, 2010
This is year two of Griffey 2.0 actually
had it ended after Year 1 it would have been perfect.
pdb - May 3, 2010
Short of winning a World Series it couldn't have ended any better for him.
The team had a dramatic turnaround, he was beloved by the media for being a big clubhouse presence, he got a hit in his final AB and walked off the field with the crowd giving him a standing ovation.
It was the perfect way to end.
BrianL - May 3, 2010
I agree
but I still can’t compartmentalize the two. He’s still Griffey, and as much as I’d like him to take on Buhner’s role with the team I can’t altogether hate the old man.
Bearskin Rugburn - May 3, 2010
I love Ken Griffey Jr more than I love at least one of my parents
and I sincerely wish that he hadn’t come back this year. I can’t hate him, but I am perpetually annoyed at the fact that he can’t see that he should just let it go at this point.
I am, however, glad that he has built and maintained enough goodwill among the oft-dismissed “casual fan” that he isn’t getting booed every time he doesn’t get a hit or drive in a run. I don’t think I could deal with Griffey getting booed on a regular basis
pdb - May 3, 2010
1995 me wanted to vote love, 2010 me wanted to vote hate
Thus I settled on no opinion.
ColeFitz88 - May 3, 2010
I don't understand this rationalization
Clearly, you have a very strong opinion. Two, actually. If you have a love/hate relationship towards someone, it by no means ‘balances out’ and you are merely indifferent towards them.
cwel87 - May 3, 2010
I really don't know how to answer this one.
waldo rojas - May 3, 2010
This is the most interesting one because it's not saying "How do you feel about him on the team, right now?"
Jr. isn’t my favorite player and never has been, but I genuinely like the guy and think he’s been great for baseball in Seattle. But holy shit keep him away from the bat. And the field.
Kirsten Schlewitz - May 3, 2010
I guess I have to vote no opinion, because while I hate his play today, I can never hate Junior the person.
No matter how immature he was, or how he hamstrung the team in trade negotiations, he’s the reason why I’m a baseball fan. So I love the guy…but I also hate what he’s doing in 2010. I guess I gotta go with no opinion…it’s the closest to balancing out both thoughts….
BrettJMiller - May 3, 2010
I love Ken Griffey Jr
I would also love him to retire right now.
njpozner - May 3, 2010
Yeppers.
thebyron - May 3, 2010
He's tarnishing my memories.
I guess that makes this version of him the equivalent of rust. He’s not even slightly attractive such as verdigris. Just plain old flaky rust.
Kermit. - May 3, 2010
Fuck you, Jr.
andrewgolfsalot - May 3, 2010
Nostalgia is a bitch.
melenious - May 3, 2010
Nostalgia is a wasting disease
pdb - May 3, 2010
Retire already, old man.
You are ruining your legacy everyday you are on the roster.
TrustBaseball - May 3, 2010
Moved out to Seattle in October of '99
Saw the whole ‘Ken Grumpey Jr.’ stage and his ensuing shipment out of town, saw injuries wreck his career in Cincinnati and now back here. No emotional ties to him whatsoever, wasn’t here for any of the good. Needless to say, definitely in the minority of people who despise Griffey.
hova9 - May 3, 2010
Saw most of Jr's early years in the dome
….but that was 20 years ago (wow! ? !). Yes, there is some loyalty to the myth of Jr, but not now. We have seen how many quality pitching performances squandered this year by not having flexibility on the bench or in the field?
It “felt” great having Griff around last year, but like so many aging stars…..he just needs to hang it up.
Do i hear a hamstring snapping while trying to stretch that single into a double anyone?
sliderinside - May 3, 2010
I still love Junior for what he meant to my childhood
I was happy to see him come back, LAST YEAR. It made sense at the time, but definitely doesn’t now that we actually have a shot at contending. He’s really getting on my nerves this season, and I don’t want to start disliking him as a person, but if this continues I will start losing respect for him. At this point, he should be riding the pine and pinch hitting late in not-close games.
Avery Bowron - May 3, 2010
yes
I feel you there, and totally agree with everything you just said.
MissoulaMarinerFan - May 3, 2010
You know it's funny.
My first vivid memories of Ken Griffey Jr involved him forcing a trade to Cincinnati. It’s been downhill from there.
BrianL - May 3, 2010
Yea, he doesn't take enough shit for this.
andrewgolfsalot - May 3, 2010
In people's defense, that's because they understand baseball in Seattle would very likely not exist any more if it weren't for him
Plus the thrills, the smile, the media, etc.
Personally, he was my favorite Mariner growing up, but now I look back with much more fondness on Martinez, Johnson, and even Buhner.
cwel87 - May 3, 2010
And that's partially because he's in the process of tarnishing his legacy
cwel87 - May 3, 2010
How is he "tarnishing" his legacy?
Boz86 - May 3, 2010
Have you *watched* a game this year?
appleshampoo - May 4, 2010
I agree with a lot of what you said.
He was my favorite Mariner when I was growing up, but he has not taken one ounce of crap (unless I’ve missed something glaring) for his ridiculous trade me to Cincinnati nonsense.
Mike Cameron was great and all, but fuck you, Jr.
andrewgolfsalot - May 3, 2010
That's actually a big reason why I personally don't give him shit
Because, name branding aside, we kind of raped Cincinnati in that trade.
If some moron would have fucking offered arbitration to a certain someone else, it would have been a mutilation
cwel87 - May 3, 2010
Some days I wonder if the Mariners leaving town wouldn't have been better for me.
Sec 108 - May 3, 2010
Like these last three
cwel87 - May 3, 2010
Samsies!
Robert - May 3, 2010
I love Junior.
He was my favorite Mariner for a long time (up until I truly started to appreciate Edgar). But he’s costing this team right now, so I had to vote that I don’t like him. I guess it’s more of a vote for the situation. Eh, whatever.
JLProck - May 3, 2010
Overall, I love Junior. He was Seattle baseball while I was growing up.
Yes, he sucks right now, and I hate that he is ruining the memories of his picture perfect swing every time he goes up and feebly whiffs at another 94 mph fastball. But I still love him no matter what. It’s kind of like a parent with a child who acts up. You hate the moments when “the Kid” acts up, but you still love him no matter what.
seattle_since_81 - May 3, 2010
I voted "don't like" for how he's doing this season
I still love him as a person and for what he did before he left to the Reds (and he wasn’t terrible last year either). It’s just a shame to have to watch him try to keep playing when he obviously doesn’t have it anymore.
Crystal for DH - May 3, 2010
You should be our DH instead
appleshampoo - May 3, 2010
I have a .516 OBP in my adult league!
Crystal for DH - May 3, 2010
I know it's not the popular opinion among the community, but I voted love.
September and October of 1995 played a huge part in my fandom growing to where it is now. Of course I don’t want Junior playing now, but as frustrating as it has been for the past year and a half to watch him flounder, it’s not going to do anything to how I will remember him when he goes into the Hall of Fame. As a 7- to 12-year-old he was why I loved watching baseball.
Looking back on it, I wasn’t truly a Mariners fan back then; I was a Griffey fan. I never appreciated A-Rod or Randy enough when he was here (I got mad when someone had the opinion that either were better than Junior; no one could be better than him), I didn’t appreciate Edgar until after Junior left the team, and I was so blind from Junior leaving that I so blatantly unappreciated Mike Cameron to the point that I agreed with Bavasi that non-tendering him to make room for Raul Ibanez was the right move (We have enough defense! We need more offense!). Sick, I know.
I suppose those could be seen as even more reasons to dislike Junior. The way he left town was despicable (although it took me until years after to come to terms with this) and I wish I could take most of that back. But for all the valid reasons to be null to his presence on the team now, or even hate him, I just can’t do it. I’ll never be able to. It’s not rational, but he’s going to have to pull a Benoit to make me turn on him.
He’s not my favorite player now, but I can’t imagine that he won’t be my favorite player of all time. I still have all my Griffey posters I used to hang on my walls in a box somewhere, and I plan on having a private study where I can hang them again. I was at the game last year when he hit that walk-off home run at Safeco, and I felt like a kid again. I’m looking forward to feeling that again when I go to his last game this season for his goodbye ceremony.*
*But he has to do the sensible thing and call it quits, first.
Double06 - May 3, 2010
That is the popular opinion among the community
Jeff Sullivan - May 3, 2010
Apparently so.
And here I thought I was being original.
Double06 - May 3, 2010
He might suck now, but I still love Junior.
E-Lizz - May 3, 2010
Color me surprised
Poochie - May 3, 2010
I wasn't really a Mariners fan until after he left, so my attachment to him isn't as great as maybe it should be
I still love and have deep amounts of respect for him, but not like those who were actually there during his glory years. I can’t hate him- I just can’t. But I’m not very fond of him right now. I’ll like him more once he retires.
Corco - May 3, 2010
I love Griffey! I am not ashamed to admit it...
He sucks big donkey dong as a player right now, but he was a big part of some of my all-time favorite sports memories. He was a trancsendent talent! I wouldn’t vote for him to continue to occupy a roster spot, but I will vote without hesitation that I love him.
When he left, I would’ve voted hate him, but his own demise and the Mariners success helped change that. Also, I think the biggest factor for my change in feelings towards him after the demanded trade stem from his motivations for leaving.
He didn’t leave for money. He left because he is emotionally screwy. I think he was depressed and made bad decisions to try and alleviate that. For me, this is far more excusable than leaving for greed.
I have never been one to jump on a player for hanging on too long. I jump on players who can play professionally, but don’t seem to care. I am not going to bash someone that continues to play for nothing but the love of the game.
That being said…just hit a fucking homerun and then retire already.
Rich Langford - May 3, 2010
Agreed, players shouldn't be faulted for hanging on too long
They are doing what they love, and getting paid very well for it. They should keep doing it as long as humanly possible.
shuswapslugger - May 3, 2010
Well it appears to no longer be humanly possible.
Sec 108 - May 3, 2010
I wonder what Griffey thinks he's accomplishing by continuing playing
Is he delusional? Does he actually think he’s helping? That’s what really frustrates me. What goes through his head after each groundout to second? “Man I’m getting unlucky”? I just can’t fathom how Griffey could believe he’s an asset to the team when it comes to winning ballgames.
Dewey N - May 3, 2010
I am guessing he probably thinks he has a hot streak or two left in him.
I agree that his presence on the roster is not helping the M’s, but It’s not like his presence is keeping an Edgar type in the minors.
Maybe what he thinks he is accomplishing by still playing is doing something he loves.
Rich Langford - May 3, 2010
I don't think he understands how bad he is.
He knows he’s worse, but he doesn’t know the degree. Griffey was a one in one hundred million baseball talent who grew up in MLB clubhouses. He doesn’t know what it feels like to feel out of place in one. At least that’s my theory.
Manzanillos Cup - May 3, 2010
What if he just doesn't fucking care?
Because he’s getting paid. I believe in a “fuck you” kind of Griffey now. And that is alright with me, as long as he’s not DHing. Which he is. Shit………
baum - May 3, 2010
He could care less what we think.
This is and has always been about his ego. He plays the media like Yo-Yo Ma, leverages the front office like Machiavelli, and hits like Pee Wee Herman.
It’s his world…we just get to suffer in it.
diderot - May 3, 2010
*couldn't
Sorry. It’s annoying.
Mariner John - May 3, 2010
I love Griffey
I don’t see how anyone who was around for ‘95 can’t.
I also don’t like what he brings to the table (Read: Nothing) in 2010, and my vote reflects that.
Omerta - May 3, 2010
I love Ken Griffey and hate watching him play baseball
so I voted “No strong opinion” in spite of the fact that I have two strong opinions about him, but since they’re opposite, they cancel out
seattlebruin - May 3, 2010
I don't like Griffey.
Of course, I had no real affinity for the Mariners in the 1990s, having abandoned baseball after the strike ruined the Expos. I only returned in 2001 when I heard about Ichiro coming to America (man, what a great season to start with), and suddenly I was a Mariners fan.
So any affection I have for Griffey stems from how much Ichiro likes Griffey, but Griffey also makes Ichiro lose, which makes me sad.
Llewdor - May 3, 2010
Appreciate his place in history
I’ll only be able to make 1, maybe 2 trips to Safeco this year. When it gets closer to the time to plan the 6 hour drive, my main criteria for which games I get tickets for will be that Griffey is in the lineup. Planning a week or more ahead, usually that just means looking at the opposing teams rotation schedule and going to a game where they are starting a righty, then hope for the best.
The reason I’m doing that is not because I expect to be wowed by Ken Griffey Jr hitting a game winning home run into the upper decks. The reason is, I want to savor having the opportunity to watch a true living legend. 30 years from now, we’ll still be talking about seeing Ken Griffey Jr play the game.
Every time you gripe about one of his weak grounders to 2B, just remember that you are lucky to be watching one of the all time greats. I take pleasure watching Griffey step into the batters box wearing a Mariners uniform, regardless of the result.
For most players, nostalgia wears off pretty quick if the results are no longer there. For me, Griffey is the exception to that rule. As mentioned by others here, I think if we were “one solid DH away” from a legitimate World Series run, maybe my patience would have run out by now.
shuswapslugger - May 3, 2010
I think we are one solid DH away from a legitimate WS run
Jeff Sullivan - May 3, 2010
Boy if we can crack the postseason we can really take advantage of the stupid scheduling.
BrianL - May 3, 2010
I love that this is entirely true
I’d have no problem using RR-S as a LOOGY if we’re gonna have virtually every game started by Felix, Lee or Bedard
seattlebruin - May 3, 2010
Barry Bonds
Graham MacAree - May 3, 2010
Now THERE'S an idea!
Matt Erickson - May 3, 2010
We should bring Edgar back too, he'd be about as effective, and we could appreciate an all time great.
Poochie - May 3, 2010
Hey what's Cal Ripken doing these days?
Poochie - May 3, 2010
Hank Aaron's still alive, right?
Eyeball Kid - May 3, 2010
I heard from Eff the yankees that he wanted to come back.
seattle_since_81 - May 3, 2010
Yes, but...
I watched him in the 90s. I also watched him last year. I’ve seen Griffey bat a great number of times. I’m glad I was able to see him in his prime, and I recognize that he was, at least when healthy, a rare talent. Seeing him fail up at the plate time and again is not a necessary part of his legacy for me to experience. I don’t consider myself lucky to see a former great as a shadow of what he once was.
I can understand that you care more about the man than the results. I simply ask that you understand that we don’t all feel it’s a privilege to watch Griffey at this point in time.
Christoph - May 3, 2010
Understood
I should have mentioned as well that I lived even further away from Seattle during Griffeys first stint, so I didn’t get to see him in his prime – the 2010 version is all I’ve got.
I also wasn’t nearly as hard core of a fan back then as I am now, so maybe I didn’t fully appreciate how great he was at the time and now I’m thankful I can at least see his corpse come to the plate.
shuswapslugger - May 3, 2010
I like Griffey
But even Old Yeller had to be put down involuntarily
Gihyou - May 3, 2010
Man, I really wish I would make gif's now.
joof - May 3, 2010
could.
joof - May 3, 2010
It isn't that hard
Jeff Sullivan - May 3, 2010
The sound of the gunshot is ringing in my ears
Kermit. - May 3, 2010
Loved him in the past, dislike him now.
TWownsU - May 3, 2010
I guess part of the whole thing for me is that major league baseball is merely entertainment
for me and nothing else. I enjoy players, but I have met too many over the years to say I love them. Most of them are not the type of person I would hang out with. Plus, the reason I go to games is too see players at the highest level of competition. Griffey would get cut from and independent league team right now.
So I guess I am saying I never loved Griffey. I appreciated his talents because more than once he did something to make the price of the ticket worth paying. Now he is wasting my money and time and I dislike anyone who does that.
Sec 108 - May 3, 2010
Wasn't an Ms fan until 2006
No memories. Can appreciate his legacy, but all I’ve seen is the shell. Dislike.
appleshampoo - May 3, 2010
How in God's name did you become a fn in 2006?
Beltre?
Ike Clanton - May 3, 2010
I believe he moved here then or something to that effect.
Mariner John - May 3, 2010
Correct
appleshampoo - May 3, 2010
By the end of last year I had finally grown to like Griffey now I simply don't have an opinion
Notice how this is trending and take the fucking bullet.
Robert - May 3, 2010
I voted indifference... Growing up my favorite players were RJ, A-Rod, and Edgar; then Cameron.
I was never a huge Griffey fan but I’m not holding the fact that he’s fucking up the M’s now against him.
lailaihei - May 3, 2010
He kinda looks the same, the swing kinda looks the same, but the results...
are just depressing. There’s no more drive on the ball. I think we just need to see him hit 1 walk-off homer very soon and then walk-off into the sunset and it would be the perfect ending.
Hopefully the perfect ending to the Rays series. Then lets get a real DH.
Kenny Knows Sports - May 3, 2010
He already had his perfect ending, now he's just being selfish.
Eyeball Kid - May 3, 2010
Yeah, this is how I see it.
ignacio - May 3, 2010
If he'd have even made an attempt to show up in shape for ST it would temper things a tiny bit.
Guess he couldn’t be bothered. Or he hasn’t come to grips with the idea that he physically cannot snap back into shape at a moments notice. It happens to everybody at some point in their 30’s and maybe he’s too stupid to acknowledge the fact or too stubborn, who knows who cares. Either way the hell with him. It’s not like he didn’t know what was expected of him.
Kermit. - May 3, 2010
I love Griffey and all,
and somewhat enjoyed his tenure last year, but I was mortified when he signed on for an extra year instead of hanging up the cleats. His awfulness this season is destroying my fond memories of him :(
Fearless Frog - May 3, 2010
Dislike.
I enjoyed him in the late 90s as a kid, but after the “trade me to Cinci” garbage, I lost any interest/desire to see him succeed. Yes, we did come out like bandits on the trade—but that was in spite of Griffey, not because of him.
Yes, I know that he was instrumental in keeping the M’s around in ‘95—but as with so many things, it’s the bad stuff that sticks in one’s memory.
He’s always been an arrogant toolbag…now he’s a washed-up creaky old arrogant toolbag that needs to pack it in and hobble his giant butt off the field. Which leads me to one final point—in what universe does a responsible professional athlete drink 10-12 sodas a day and claim with a straight face to be making a good effort to stay in shape/ contribute to the team?
Rachmaninoff - May 3, 2010
Dislike also.
I was actually indifferent during Griffey’s glory years. I suppose I just thought that he was overrated and struck out too often.* My favorite players during my first years of fandom (‘95-’99) were Jay Buhner and Randy Johnson. When Griffey came back, I was still indifferent and now I dislike him for his uselessness and the fact that he won’t allow the majority of the fanbase to just let ‘95 go and move on. If he continues his level of (non-) performance and doesn’t retire mid-season, I could easily hate him by the end of the season.
*Funny to think, but I also disliked him for a short time after I found out he attempted suicide in the minors. I don’t know what I was thinking as a 6-7 year old, but that just didn’t sit well with me.
Big Seahawk Loser - May 3, 2010
I totally understand what you are saying.
However, at what point does it become the organizations fault for continuing this parade to sell bobbleheads/whatever. Griffey is just a single dude that is using his past accomplishments to keep him in baseball – which sure you don’t have to like. But really, and we have seen it before with other superstars, its the organizations responsibility to put Griffey out to pasture.
Ballard Erik - May 3, 2010
It's a joint issue.
Sure, it’s the organization’s responsibility to know when to pull the plug—but it’s equally the player’s responsibility to admit when the’re done. And it’s not as if there’s any reasonable argument (that I know of) that suggests that Griffey isn’t done.
Rachmaninoff - May 3, 2010
Agreed.
Sure, it’s the organization’s responsibility to put an end to this, but Griffey is also responsible for continuing this parade in the first place. If we were to have a thread about Jack Z, I would probably still vote “love”, but it’d be with full recognition that the keeping of Sweeney/Griffey are wearing down my euphoria to contentment.
Big Seahawk Loser - May 3, 2010
I think a player should always believe they can perform.
They can always think they are just an adjustment or hot streak away from regaining some form. I am not going to bash someone for wanting to and believing they can play. Sometimes palyers need to be protected from themselves.
Rich Langford - May 3, 2010
If presented this las year, I would have voted love.
Now I am voting like. At some point, 1995 Ken Griffey Jr is going to turn into 2010 Ken Griffey Jr in my mind. The more I see him, the closer it gets.
My girlfriend became a Mariner fan two years ago from the influence of me. All she has ever seen is shitty Griffey, that sucks. If you weren’t a Mariner fan during the Grifffey era, you have every right to hate him, and I blame absolutely no one for feeling that way. In fact, come September, I might begrudgingly jump on your bandwagon.
Ballard Erik - May 3, 2010
Of course I love him, but I wish he'd fuck off
Griffin Cooper - May 3, 2010
I'm a bit younger than a lot of people here, and as such I don't have many memories of Griffey's heyday with the M's.
The Mariners squads that still resonate the most with me are the 2000-2003 teams with Cameron, Boone, Olerud, Moyer, and of course Edgar. I still remember watching Kazu Sasaki pitch and trying to imitate his delivery, changing my batting stance when I had two strikes a la Boone, and reading about this supposed Japanese superstar hitter the team was bringing over. Franklin Gutierrez’s best catches still give me Cammy flashbacks, and I still hate Alfonso Soriano, Bernie Williams, Kenny Lofton, and Jolbert Cabrera with a burning passion. When my baseball fandom was at its childhood strongest, Griffey was just a sad story, a great player derailed by injuries and stuck on a Reds club that probably should have been rebuilding.
Despite the lack of a childhood connection it appears many people have, though, I still love Griffey. I love him because I love the Mariners, and I fully recognize that in all likelihood, the team would no longer exist if it weren’t for him. I love Griffey for helping to save the team I grew to love, and for all he has done for the franchise.
Having said that, I would love him a good deal more if he would grab himself a nice, comfy spot on the bench.
I Lick Squirrels - May 3, 2010
I voted dislike but I'm conflicted
He brought joy to my early fanhood by being amazing and producing a couple of the best baseball games I remember playing. But he left on poor terms and has been bad or injured for almost a decade. How much he sucks now is clouding my judgment into how much I like him. If you asked in 2 years? i would probably still like him. But right now he is actively making the team worse. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr. as a whole for his entire Mariner career? Hell yes. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr the person, at least how he’s portrayed now? Hell yes. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr the inspiration for an N64 game? Yes sir. Do I like Ken Griffey Jr the black hole 40-year-old DH? Fuck no.
Mariner John - May 3, 2010
These are valid points
but it’s truthfully kind of shocking to me that his attachment to a video game franchise plays so much into your opinion of him.
Then again, maybe I’m a bit old…
Andersean - May 3, 2010
It doesn't really. But I spent a good amount of my elementary school life playing that game.
It can’t hurt my opinion of him certainly.
Mariner John - May 3, 2010
He left on bad terms?
You mean when he told the team he wanted to leave and allowed himself to be traded for an All-Star centerfielder, a serviceable starting pitcher and others (ultimately inconsequential minor leaguers). Of the three no-brainer future Hall of Famers the team had in the late ’90s, I only consider one to have left the team on bad terms. The other two gave the team a chance to recoup some of their value.
Aly Edge - May 3, 2010
By saying he had to be traded and it had to be to Cincinnati, yes he left on bad terms.
While we may have gotten good players back, we didn’t really have much leverage in that situation.
Mariner John - May 3, 2010
That is your stance.
Griffey most definitely angered the team and fans on his way out of town.
Sec 108 - May 4, 2010
Makes me really sad to see how bad he is now
But if the choice this season was between missing the playoffs with Griffey and missing the playoffs without him, I’d have always opted for another year with my childhood hero on the team (and I’m 24, since everyone seems to be giving their ages). Even if it was “lose in the ALDS without him, miss the playoffs with him” it wouldn’t have been a no-brainer for me. I probably wouldn’t even be a Mariners fan if not for ‘95 and The Double (I don’t go in for this “oh, they’re the local team” crap. Give me a reason to actually like you). Being a nine year old kid and going through that season, even while not fully appreciating the Mariners’ prior tradition of extreme futility, literally changed my life. So, yes, I’m looking through rose-colored glasses to vote love, but I can’t really see the man any other way.
Aly Edge - May 3, 2010
Best Mariner Ever....Enough Said.
Will always be my favorite player.
captainfear88 - May 5, 2010
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Lookout Landing to post a comment.