FanNation - The Republic of Sport

???It is a rare and difficult attainment to grow old gracefully and happily.??? ??? Arnold Palmer Some things, like baseball, are quintessentially American: Jazz. Comic books. Just about anything Ken Burns has produced a documentary on. Perhaps nothing is more American (except for baseball) than old Westerns. The kind of movies you loved (or hated) to watch with your Dad or Grandpa when you were growing up. Two fisted tales of gun-hands and pony punchers. Crooked land owners and down-on-their luck lawmen. Saloon girls and cattle rustlers. Throw in a couple of blazing shootouts and a pizza and you have yourself a great night???s entertainment. Take this particular concept for example: a young gunslinger arrives in a western town. He goes by the moniker ???The Kid???. He quickly makes a name for himself as the best in the business. Anyone who dares stand in front of him knows the danger he presents. As time passes his legend grows, and he takes his talents to the Midwest. It???s there where his fortunes turn for the worst. Advancing age and a series of bad incidents slow his greatness. In some circles he is no longer a legend; just a washed up old man who needs to hang ???em up, before it???s too late. You may think I was describing Clint Eastwood. I was shooting for Ken Griffey Jr. The White Sox have declined their $16 million option on Griffey. Griffey receives a $4 million buyout split between the White Sox and his former team, the Cincinnati Reds. This leaves the soon-to-be 39-year-old future Hall of Famer without a team for the first time in his storied career. And like that old gunfighter, he knows he has a few more bullets left in his six shooter, and all he needs is the opportunity to shoot away. Talk has already begun to surface about Griffey returning to Seattle to finish out his career where it began. As nostalgic and heartwarming as this talk is I believe Junior still has too much of a desire to play for a winner to simple go back to the Mariners. The best example of this ???desire??? was his willingness to wave his no-trade clause last year to allow Cincy to deal him to the ???contending??? White Sox. He wouldn???t have waved the clause for anything less than a playoff caliber team. The Mariners have no chance to contend in 2009, so Griffey returning to Seattle is highly unlikely. I see him returning to the Pacific Northwest only if there is absolutely no other interest in his services. Inevitably the Yankees will surface as an option. Possibly the Mets. Whenever a high price talent, regardless of age, becomes available, both of these franchises are always in the mix. I believe the Yankees will pass; they already have enough aged free agents of their own. Don???t be surprised if the Mets show a little interest. Remember, this is the team that signed Moises Alou to a one year free agent contract last year. They might try the same thing with Junior this year. It???s very unlikely, but hey, it???s the Mets, so you never know. When it is all said and done I believe Ken Griffey Jr. will end up in one of two places for the 2009 season. Place number one: the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs expect to contend once again in 2009. Their one year ???rental??? of former All Star and Gold Glover Jim Edmonds worked out amazingly well, and if the Cubs don???t attempt to resign Edmonds as their fourth outfielder, Griffey would make an excellent choice to step in and fill that void. Current Cubs skipper Lou Piniella was Griffey???s manager during his MVP caliber years in Seattle, and he and Griffey have a fantastic relationship. It all jells nicely if Junior doesn???t believe in curses. Place number two: the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays won???t be sneaking up on anyone in 2009. There is a good chance they will be the AL favorites coming out of spring training. With Rocco Baldelli opting for free agency, the Rays will need a fourth outfielder/designated hitter. Griffey would add a sorely needed veteran presence in the clubhouse and on the field. His influence could lead to the Rays repeating as AL Champs, and of course, a return to the Fall Classic. This is just the kind of contender I believe Griffey is dying to play for. He no longer has to be the focal point for a team to be great, just another piece of the puzzle. There is no set of numbers or formulas or statistical breakdowns that will tell you whether or not acquiring a 39 year old aging superstar for part time duty is a good bet or not for your team ??? contender or also-ran. At the end of 2008, the Phillies acquired 40-year-old Matt Stairs on a hunch, and got a huge home run out of him during the NLCS. This is why a team will sign Ken Griffey, Jr. for ??? a hunch. The belief that the old gun slinger has one more silver bullet left in his gun. They sign him with the hope he can pull that trigger one last time, and then ride off into the sunset.