After a successful homecoming last season, the Seattle Mariners and Ken Griffey Jr. have agreed to extend the relationship another year. Griffey will be paid a base salary of around $2 million, with a number of incentives built into the contract.
Griffey began his career in Seattle in 1989. He was the Mariners center fielder until 1999 when he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. After eight and a half years with the Reds, Griffey went back to Seattle for the 2009 campaign.
In his return, Griffey hit .214 with 19 homers, 57 RBIs and 44 runs. He also drew 63 walks …read more

After weeks of indecision, Ken Griffey Jr. finally put the ink to the dotted line. Although the Griffey to the Atlanta Braves rumors were hot over the last few days, he decided to sign with the Mariners. We mentioned Griffey to the Mariners as a possibility earlier in the month.
Griffey signing with the Mariners reunites Seattle with one of the best athletes in the history of the city. In his prime, Griffey was arguably the best player in baseball. Although at 39 he won’t be able to do what he once was able to do, there’s no doubt that the …read more

A couple days ago, it appeared as if Ken Griffey Jr. and the Seattle Mariners were close to a deal. However, the latest rumor has Griffey more interested in joining the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are reportedly offering a one-year deal for approximately $5 million.
In Atlanta, Griffey would likely hit either third or fourth in the lineup and play left field in a platoon situation. Griffey would get the at bats against right handed pitching, while Matt Diaz will take on the left handers.
Chipper Jones, arguably the best player on the Braves, is pushing hard to get Griffey in Atlanta. …read more

The 2008 baseball trade deadline saw a flurry of trades involving some of the biggest names in the game. Players who were traded include future Hall of Famers Manny Ramirez, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Pudge Rodriguez.
Here is a breakdown of who got traded and to where.

Manny Ramirez traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers
Ken Griffey, Jr. traded to the Chicago White Sox
Ivan Rodriguez traded to the New York Yankees
Jason Bay traded to the Boston Red Sox
Kyle Farnsworth traded to the Detroit Tigers
Arthur Rhodes traded to the Florida Marlins

Manny Ramirez and his bat are headed to the Dodgers.
Photo: Newscom

Check out this video of Ken Griffey, Jr. giving Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley a throat slash gesture. The video of the incident is at the end of this entry.
The story behind the throat slash by Griffey is in regards to comments Brantley allegedly made recently. According to reports, Brantley said that Griffey is pouting because the Reds haven’t picked up Griffey’s multi-million dollar option. Griffey obviously wasn’t too happy with those comments and showed it after hitting a homer.
Check out the Ken Griffey, Jr. throat slash video:

On Monday, Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 600th homer to become just the sixth player to reach that number. With 600 homers, Griffey now trails only Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa. If Griffey can hit ten more homers this season, he will pass Sosa and move into fifth place.
Griffey’s long ball came off of Mark Hendrickson in the first inning. The Cincinnati Reds went on to beat the Florida Marlins 9-4. On the season, Griffey is now batting .260 with seven homers and 29 RBI.
Here is a video of Griffey’s …read more

More games? Okay, if you insist:

Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 p.m. PT — Hiroki Kuroda looked outstanding in his North American debut. I expected the funky delivery that is characteristic of pitchers who come over from Japan, but the velocity caught me by surprise. He was pumping 93-mph fastballs against the Padres. Micah Owings gets the call for Arizona. He dominated the Rockies in his first start of ‘08 (although he only went 1-for-4 at the plate, LOL). Wasn’t there talk that the Snakes might stick Owings in the field at some point? I think that’s crazy, but it would be …read more