M’s Need to Grow a Pair of Balls & Discipline Griffey for ‘Sleep-Gate’

By Joe Pietaro
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Updated: May 10, 2010

The Seattle Mariners need to stop the bleeding. They expected to contend this season but find themselves in the basement of the American League West, not exactly a loaded division. They brought back Ken Griffey, Jr. for his swan song campaign and had visions of a feel-good story all summer long, but that move is blowing up in their faces.

“The Kid” is batting an anemic .208, zero home runs and only five RBI and pulled what can only be construed as total disregard on Saturday night. During the seventh inning when a lefthanded pinch hitter would have been the proper move, Griffey was nowhere to be found. Embattled manager Don Wakamatsu tiptoed around reporter’s questions in his post-game media session about the former slugger and why he was not used in that situation.

The Tacoma News Tribune then reported that two unnamed Mariners – young guys who look up to Griffey – said that the future Hall of Famer was fast asleep in the clubhouse when he should have been in the batter’s box. “He’d gone back about the fifth inning to get a jacket and didn’t come back,” one of the players said to the Tacoma News Tribune. “I went back in about the seventh inning and he was in his chair, fast asleep.”

The second player tried to sugar coat it a bit by adding, “He doesn’t sleep well at night. He’s away from his family, he’s comfortable in the clubhouse. They could have awakened him.”

Are you kidding me? Let’s all try that at work and see what happens to us. Not only did his manager show his weakness by enabling such behavior (basically covering for Griffey by not exposing the truth) but has still yet to hand out any discipline. Shit, Griffey even started the next day. That’s showing leadership!

Regardless of the icon status that Griffey may have in this town, the Mariners have to address this and act swiftly. If not, they will lose the respect of the fans, their own clubhouse and baseball in general. This is inexcusable conduct by a supposed leader of a team hoping to turn their fortunes around.

Another report came out of the Tacoma News Tribune that the team is going to try to convince Griffey, 40, to pack it in later this month. If he does not take the hint, they will release him. First they should come clean with his ‘coppin’ Z’s in the bush’ before doing anything else.