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Five teams have shown interest in future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., his longtime agent Brian Goldberg said. According to Goldberg, three American League teams and two NL teams have expressed some level of interest. The Mariners and Rays are known to be two of the AL teams eyeing Griffey, who'd like to play at least one more season.
Another friend of Griffey's said last year that the all-time great would love to play for Tampa Bay, which is less than two hours from his Orlando home. Griffey always has been a dedicated family man, so the convenience would appeal to him. The Rays are looking for one or two hitters, and while Griffey's on their list, a couple other younger players, such as Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, and perhaps Jason Giambi or Garrett Anderson may be higher on it. Adam Dunn is another big hitter in a free-agent market still stacked with sluggers.
Seattle would be a nostalgic destination for Griffey. While the Mariners are rebuilding, the Mariners could view Griffey as an aid to their young players, and a draw for fans.
Griffey's performance was compromised last season due to a knee injury he hid for most of the year. Griffey had his left knee drained three times, according to Goldberg, and it was finally repaired surgically three days after the season. He hit only three home runs in 41 games after going to the White Sox, but his power may have been affected by his knee issue.
Griffey suffered the injury early in the season with the Reds when he tripped over a misplaced foot locker in the Reds' clubhouse.
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Back in Time: July 3
Comments (50) Add A Comment
Griffey will come back as a full time DH and slam his 20-25 home runs.
Hopefully he can do that at Tropicana Field in front of his family in the area.
Japhei
Tampa , FL
Total Comments (1)
I might move back down to the Tampa Bay area if the Rays get him. lol
Dawgs and Braves
Winterville , GA
Total Comments (24)
Griffey should just go back to the MARINERS and ride off into the sunset where no matter what he does the fans will still love him and send him off in style. Going to the RAYS with their 1/2 full ballparks and their lukewarm fan reception will just make his decline that much more sad.
The RAYS "fans" are terrible bandwagon jumpers and some of the more ignorant baseball fans around...most probably don't even know what Jr. has done in his career.
What a sad end that would be...a sad cow-bell soaked end...
rabid_pro
East Longmeadow , MA
Total Comments (37)
rabid_pro, how about you just keep your mouth shut and we won't think about how retarded you are ever again. Deal?
easy rebel
Tampa , FL
Total Comments (66)
rabid-pro,
Sorry that we don't have the tradition yet that you do in MA, but we still beat that a## last year!
heelfan51
Total Comments (1)
If he could still run without a cane I might be excited
salvaje50
Total Comments (837)
I agree with rabid_pro, but only to a degree. I actually like the fans of Tampa. This is the first year they have had something to really cheer about. It's well deserved to be a band-wagon jumper, in that town. The fans proved to be incredibly intelligent when they realized their team was winning. And it grabbed the attention of a lot of kids in and around the area, that should propel their fandom far into the future.
However, with that being said, to me Griffey will always be a Mariner. He should end his career there. A nice full circle, where he probably should never have left.
I am a NY fan, and I remember loving to hate Griffey, when he played against the Yankees. He was a walking Yankee killer. But, as a baseball fan, I truly loved that rivarly.
Wherever he ends up, he is and always be, a class-act. A true ambassador to baseball...
bgdrew03
Briarcliff Manor , NY
Total Comments (1)
I am not a Rays fan, but I grew up in the TB area. The people of Tampa-St. Pete are just as knowledgeable as the people of NY or MA when it comes to sports. After all, almost everyone in Florida has roots in the North East. Rabid-Pro is just another New Englander who thinks he knows everything, and who thinks everything in the north is SOOO much better than the south. The Rays suffer from the same market economics as teams like KC, Florida, and San Diego - older ball parks in smaller markets that are dominated by larger, global teams like St. Louis, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
MacMucci
Sebastian , FL
Total Comments (13)
Wow. I'm sorry that the fans weren't immediately responsive to the Rays and their new culture of winning, but calling us ignorant and band-wagon fans is absolutely untrue. I've been a fan since 2000 when my uncle took me to my first baseball game when I was 11. I know plenty of friends who have been true fans for years now and we know plenty enough about baseball to know what Griffey has done. Tampa is no different than any other city, just without the fortune of having the great dispensable income or tradition that Boston and New York have.
TBfan
Naples , FL
Total Comments (19)
im not quite sure that St. Louis is large, the Tampa Bay area actually has a larger population than the Gateway City, and Atlanta isnt a global team anymore than anyone else. the only "global teams", are the Yankees, Mariners (because of ties to China, Japan, and the rest of Asia), Dodgers, and maybe the Red Sox. Thats it, unless u try to be smart and say that the Blue Jays are global because they are in a different country. However, the rest of your comment hit the nail right on the head.
undecided
Harrison , OH
Total Comments (37)
Jr. should go back to the Mariners to end his career where he started. He is the best all-around player, in terms of skills and attitude, that I have seen within the last 35 years. Sure he has spent considerable amount of time in the disabled list throughout his career but this is due to his hard play, crashing into walls and diving for balls. You don't get that kind of effort from Alex Rodriguez, never will.
sports_nut
Total Comments (1)
That's just mean!!!
Griffey is a very good player, who probably wishes he had never gone to Cincy. He deserves a run at a championship in a limited role. It will depend on if he wants to pad his stats or win a ring.
TB could be VERY attractive, but they need to do it again.
Candid Opinion
Total Comments (38)
Griffey's on the phone - He wants the Braves to fax his an offer sheet.
We will get back to you......
Candid Opinion
Total Comments (38)
Part of the problem that many people outside of Central Florida don't understand is that even though there are alot of people in the "Tampa Bay Area," it is still VERY spread out. The University of South Florida is in North Tampa and it takes about 40 minutes to get from there to the Trop. That also doesn't include what happens when I-4 is backed up and holding up traffic on 275--tack on at least another 15 minutes on a good day if that is the case. The problem isn't people. The problem is that it is well over an hour drive from most suburbs of Tampa to Tropicana Field and then it takes 20 minutes to park. Most people also don't realize that the Trop is in St. Petersburg, not Tampa. That involves crossing long bridges with bad traffic if you're headed to the game from Tampa or for Bradenton/Sarasota. It is a complex problem that doesn't have any real solution yet. It just isn't easy to make it through traffic for a game because you also have to leave work early and we don't have the benefit of a train or subway system here in Florida. People in the Bay Area are proud of their teams, it just isn't always easy to get people inside the stadium.
The Hurricane
Spring Hill, FL
Total Comments (2)
And my point about USF is that it is one of the Northermost points in Tampa and is still pretty far away. Too far for alot of people to be able to stomach the drive in rush hour traffic to make the game--especially multiple times per week.
The Hurricane
Spring Hill, FL
Total Comments (2)
Griffey needs to finish his career as a Mariner!
KC guy
Total Comments (281)
Griffey needs to go to wherever he thinks he can win a World Series
Daniel Folsom
Arlington , VA
Total Comments (9)
"I am not a Rays fan, but I grew up in the TB area. The people of Tampa-St. Pete are just as knowledgeable as the people of NY or MA when it comes to sports. After all, almost everyone in Florida has roots in the North East. Rabid-Pro is just another New Englander who thinks he knows everything, and who thinks everything in the north is SOOO much better than the south. The Rays suffer from the same market economics as teams like KC, Florida, and San Diego - older ball parks in smaller markets that are dominated by larger, global teams like St. Louis, Atlanta and Los Angeles."
MacMucci, just an FYI.. San Diego is the 5th largest city in the US and has a brand new ballpark, which is beautiful I might add.. if your'e gonna defend how educated you guys are about baseball, please get your facts straight!
BMG
Sacramento , CA
Total Comments (5)
Yeah you guys got jacked up
Mushroom Stamper
Total Comments (162)
The fact that Rays' fans want a broken down Griffey shows how ignorant they are about the game.
Redrum45
Seattle , WA
Total Comments (2)
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