“The Griffey that a year ago helped build camaraderie in the Seattle clubhouse has taken a leave of absence this season. There have been times during games when he’s retired to the clubhouse, texted friends, watched the TV broadcast.”

The most telling charge Larue verified through Griffey’s teammates is that Jr. fell asleep during a game last week, which is why Griffey wasn’t used as a pinch hitter late in the game.

“He was asleep in the clubhouse,” one player said. “He’d gone back about the fifth inning to get a jacket and didn’t come back. I went back in about the seventh inning – and he was in his chair, sound asleep.”

Griffey is hitting .208 in 77 plate appearances this season.

 

 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/05/10/1181188/commentary-for-griffey-and-mariners.html

Been done for a while... happy retirement Jr. sorry things didn't work out.

One of my all time faves. I wish I could have retired at the same age.

I imagine it's very, very hard for a player to step away from a game that he loves so much. But Jr.'s time has passed and he needs to do so. I remember watching Willie Mays plays for the Mets at the end of his career and it was painful to watch.

Griffey is my all-time favorite baseball player. I may be biased, but without injuries I think he would have been the best overall player of all-time. I feel bad for him because he did things the right way (no PEDs) and suffered for it, while his peers used them to break records he should have had a shot at. I will always personally dislike Barry Bonds as an athlete because of how Griffey's career played out and the paths they picked.

:laugh: Seriously how old is he?

Griffey is my all-time favorite baseball player. I may be biased, but without injuries I think he would have been the best overall player of all-time. I feel bad for him because he did things the right way (no PEDs) and suffered for it, while his peers used them to break records he should have had a shot at. I will always personally dislike Barry Bonds as an athlete because of how Griffey's career played out and the paths they picked.

 

Even without PEDs I think if Griffey would have stayed healthy he would've broken the records fair and square. But that is just my opinion.

Griffey is my all-time favorite baseball player. I may be biased, but without injuries I think he would have been the best overall player of all-time.

 

He certainly had a chance to claim that title.

Griffey is my all-time favorite baseball player. I may be biased, but without injuries I think he would have been the best overall player of all-time. I feel bad for him because he did things the right way (no PEDs) and suffered for it, while his peers used them to break records he should have had a shot at. I will always personally dislike Barry Bonds as an athlete because of how Griffey's career played out and the paths they picked.

 

Certainly of his era. Willie Mays and Hank Aaron were also pretty special players. Griffey would have crushed the HR record had he used even half as much as Bonds/McGwire/Sosa/etc..

Griffey is my all-time favorite baseball player. I may be biased, but without injuries I think he would have been the best overall player of all-time. I feel bad for him because he did things the right way (no PEDs) and suffered for it, while his peers used them to break records he should have had a shot at. I will always personally dislike Barry Bonds as an athlete because of how Griffey's career played out and the paths they picked.

 

I agree. He was always my "sports icon" growing up, and will always be my favorite athlete. I can't agree on the Bonds part though. Also thought it may be interesting to some that Griffey and Bonds are pretty close.

I'm hoping that he sticks around long enough for when Seattle comes to town later in the summer (at least I thought I saw that on the schedule). I would definitely make an effort to go to that game.

I'm hoping that he sticks around long enough for when Seattle comes to town later in the summer (at least I thought I saw that on the schedule). I would definitely make an effort to go to that game.

 

 

The Reds go to Seattle.

Even without PEDs I think if Griffey would have stayed healthy he would've broken the records fair and square. But that is just my opinion.

 

I do too. There's no doubt in my mind. :thumb:

 

I agree. He was always my "sports icon" growing up, and will always be my favorite athlete. I can't agree on the Bonds part though. Also thought it may be interesting to some that Griffey and Bonds are pretty close.

 

I just hate that Bonds broke the records, because most agree that he's a cheater. The all-time HR record is something that Griffey would have gotten had he been healthy IMO, and it sucked for me as a Griffey fan to watch a player cheat and get there when Griffey had always played by the rules. I loved baseball until Griffey began to decline, and when he did I just didn't feel like wasting the time on a bunch of players who couldn't measure up or had to do things the wrong way to reach the success Griff could have gotten on his own.

The comments at the bottom of the story linked above are interesting, to say the least. Seems The Kid's a polarizing figure in Seattle as well.

Griffey was/is my favorite player, but he is no angel. He was a very polarizing figure and while I agree that had he stayed healthy he would have broken the record he didn't help himself in many ways. He has long been called out for not working very hard and coming to spring training out of shape. I wish he had called it quits a couple of years ago and I wish him well.