Griffey Jr Traded to the White Sox

[vaticanplum]

That makes absolutely no sense.

Rem

Barry Bonds has absolutely no reason to continue to take the abuse he would no doubt have faced at every single park except AT&T. He has no records left to chase. Unless he's stupider than anyone can possibly imagine, he'd have to lay off performance enhancers completely because getting caught would just seal the already-nailed coffin. He has squillions of dollars and, I would imagine, a pretty comfortable life away from baseball.

So if came back making $2 million for any reason whatsoever, yes, I'd have a very small bit of respect for him. Sorry that doesn't make sense to you.

Look, I have great respect for people who continue to pursue what they love or what they're good at even after their original goals have been either surpassed or buried. I think augmenting your goals is a sign of maturity and love for what you do. At some point we all face the reality that we will never be physically what we were at 20, that we don't fulfill society's expectations of beauty past 25, that our best and sharpest work may be done at 30 or 40 or 50. It is the good ones who step back and say, well, I'm going to do my own thing now, and it may not make sense by standards of records or money, but it's good for me. If Ken Griffey Jr. really had called it quits when his best years were over, he would have stopped playing after 2000. He's already made it clear that being the best isn't the most important thing anymore, and so his wanting to play more is in no way inconsistent with what we've witnessed for the past eight years.

[gm]

I wonder if Junior would play for the minimum (or something like 1-2 mil) to join the TB Rays? I'm still thinking he won't travel to AZ for spring training, so that leaves out the majority of AL teams

3 more years? Yeah, surrre

[Wheelhouse]

How can he expect to play another three years (according to him in the papers)? Out of some teams "respect" for him, a la Dusty? I worry that such a great player is going to be facing the humiliation of no one taking him. I hope that doesn't happen.

[paulrichjr]

Someone will sign him for next season...Seattle??

[redsfan30]

Awfully hard to single out Junior when nobody on the entire team outside of maybe Dewayne Wise did anything.

Junior did have a few hits and scored a run at least.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Wasn't Griffey pretty much a non-factor during the entire time he played for the White Sox this year? I mean, I know he made a nice throw in their one-game playoff and probably had a total of 3 HRs during his time with the team, but overall he was pretty bad I think. Which is about as shocking as the Bengals having another bad year.

[Wheelhouse]

Awfully hard to single out Junior when nobody on the entire team outside of maybe Dewayne Wise did anything.

Junior did have a few hits and scored a run at least.

Hey, I'm not bashing Junior, but it's become clear to me that a good fastball beats Junior nowadays, and he has been sitting on breaking stuff. That means his strikeouts are going to take a big jump and his slugging will plummet in the coming few years. I don't see how he can be having fun when he simply can't play the game that made him famous in the field and at the plate. A good deal of the focus he has in a game is monitoring himself, so he doesn't do things where he risks injury. He's half playing the game, not out of laziness, but because it is simply all he can do. It is sad to me.

[Krusty]

Its a darn shame to see his baseball skills erode so quickly.

[cumberlandreds]

I hate to say this but I think it's true. Griffey is very close to being what Willie Mays became in 1973. I'm afraid if he comes back for another season it will be that way.

[RichRed]

nobody on the entire team outside of maybe Dewayne Wise did anything.

What is...something I never imagined I'd be reading, Alex?

[Unassisted]

At least he got to appear in the playoffs. If he had gotten his wish with a spot on Tampa Bay's roster, he might have gotten a ring.

[Sea Ray]

Here's the thing with Griffey. We have to assume if he continues playing it'll be with a good team so he has a chance at a championship. The problem is with a good team, he's not a starter. In the AL they rarely use their bench players. So does he want to come back and sit the bench for some team and only get 150-200 ABs? Envision that and then comment...

[OnBaseMachine]

Junior's return?

There's no thought of retirement in Ken Griffey Jr.'s mind, and no telling if he might in fact come back to the Sox next season.

''I'm not retiring. I have things to do,'' Griffey said, already at 611 home runs and turning 39 next month.

But coming back to the Sox, his team of only two months?

''I'd like to come back,'' he said. ''It was a great ride. A lot of fun. I've had more ups than downs. The city, the fans, it's been great for me. This team fought all year. They were fun to be around. We'll see what happens.''

There might not be roster room for Griffey, but he has long been a favorite of Williams, who first tried to acquire him three years ago before making the deal this summer.

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseb...oxnt07.article

[KoryMac5]

I think JR will swallow some pride to get a shot at a ring. He is no longer a viable full time option, but he could be useful as a part time player. I can see some team offering a one year contract with an option. I think his time with the Reds makes him want to come back for another year. The injuries and not being able to bring a trophy home has left a sour taste. If he wins a ring he can put the past behind him and leave baseball on top.

[princeton]

I think JR will swallow some pride to get a shot at a ring. He is no longer a viable full time option, but he could be useful as a part time player. I can see some team offering a one year contract with an option. I think his time with the Reds makes him want to come back for another year. The injuries and not being able to bring a trophy home has left a sour taste. If he wins a ring he can put the past behind him and leave baseball on top.