Did Seattle Ever Really Have a Chance to Sign Ken Griffey Jr.?

It appears that The Kid has decided to play for the Atlanta Braves.

And while I am part of the Seattle community that mourns his decision, I'm hardly surprised. 

When Griffey came back to Seattle and the fans gave him a long ovation that brought tears to his eyes and many others, he made the statement that he wanted to retire as a Mariner.  But in reality, I think it was nothing more than buyer's remorse. 

Many Mariner fans saw that statement as a lock that he would come back in his final days and yes, retire as a Seattle Mariner.  But, one thing that has remained elusive for Griffey is a chance to play and win a World Series. 

You look at a team that lost 101 games last year, had the worst record in the Major Leagues, and is in a rebuilding stage, as opposed to a team that went 72-90 in 2008 but has been a perennial playoff team for 14 of the last 17 years. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what team has a better shot.

And then there is the family factor.  I've always admired Griffey's feelings on family importance.  He wants to be a part of his kid's lives and is trying to minimize his job requirements to maximize the amount of time that he spends with them.

But, there is the family that he may love but must sacrifice, the City of Seattle, the place where we all saw him grow up. 

Tell me one person that didn't feel the joy that Griffey showed when he scored all the way from first on the Edgar Martinez double in the 1995 playoff game against the dreaded Yankees, or the emotion both he and his father felt when they hit back-to-back home runs to become the first father and son to do so in the Major Leagues.

I am originally from Detroit and had the luck to see my beloved Tigers win the World Series in 1968 and again in 1984.  But that 1995 Mariner season was something magical—a playoff run that gripped everyone in the city and put Seattle on the baseball map.

Griffey has delayed his decision one more day...I'm sure the struggle within in picking Seattle or Atlanta is a tough one...because it's about a choice between which family he will spend the most time with.

Ken, I see you have a year left, maybe two.  Give it to us, your adopted family and then spend the rest of your life with your lovely wife and kids.

You will do more for the City of Seattle's mood than you will for Atlanta.  Seattle is the place where you started, built a connection that has never been broken, and have fan support that's never wavered.

Yeah, we lost 100 games last year...but we need you to come home and help us out.