09 ~ the year he came home....

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AP

And so it begins....
The season that will be forever known as "the year that Griffey came back".
Well, absent of miracle occurrence surmounting the fact ;)

In case you missed it, here's a rerun of the post that birthed this blog.


And, here are some other links to recent writings re: Junior's return...


KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES


Ken Griffey Jr. returns to Seattle a grown man | Larry Stone

Griffey's firm belief is that horseplay and ribbing in spring fosters meaningful dialogue when issues inevitably crop up.

"It's all about getting together, making good friendships, and carrying that onto the field," he said. "It's trust — like, hey, if he can get on me, and I can get on him, we can talk later if there's something I need to bring up. Instead of not talking to somebody, and all of a sudden you need to confront him on something. If you don't have that friendship, they'll look at you like you're crazy.

"It's a little different with me, because I have 20 years. People look at it a little differently than someone with four or five. But I'm not going to be the guy to embarrass somebody. I've never done that. If I have something to say, I'll pull them aside. Because that's the way I'd want someone to do it to me.

"We can agree to disagree, or come to some sort of understanding. But there's not 15 guys trying to take sides. It's just two guys. No one wants to be backed into a corner. First thing they do is come out swinging."

After one game this spring, a weary looking Russ Branyan entered the clubhouse.

"Where do you find the energy to lift after these games," he asked Griffey.

"You just got to dig deep. Dig deep," Griffey responded.

LISA BLUMENFELD / GETTY IMAGES

Age 39 in baseball - is it good or bad? | Larry Stone
Favorite memories about Ken Griffey, Jr. | The Seattle Times
Ken Griffey, Jr. trivia | The Seattle Times
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