Opening Day, it’s here…

Forgive me if I’m one of those people that waxes poetic about baseball, but I do love the game. It’s a part of me, has always been will always be. One of the few things I like about Japan is that they have baseball here. M can feel free to argue the quality of the game, but I don’t care, it’s all good to me.

Ok, so where am I going with this?

Well it’s possible that while one former Mariner superstar Alex Rodriguez finds himself in hot water, another has decided to come home after a long journey with one last chance to redeem himself, a franchise, a game, and a city in need of some good news.

Ken Griffey Jr. to me was the epitome of what a baseball player should be as I reached the critical age between kindergarten and girls. The age when you didn’t so much read the box score, but digested every tidbit your brain could cram inside it. Eventhough I grew up on the East Coast, I watched Griffey with a keen eye while I collected all of his cards, tacked his poster to my wall, and wore my hat backwards any chance I could. When he left Seattle nearly a decade later, it made sense to me in him wanting to go home for I had just returned home following four years away at college. Being a Mets fan I also figured I could see him play a few more times at Shea, but in time the romance of this idea faded for both of us. Ironically Junior left Seattle to “go home” to Cincinnati, but ultimately learned the hard way that his home was really in the Pacific Northwest.

So when Junior and the M’s decided to kiss and make up, my heart which had grown cold over the years warmed at the nostalgic potential of Junior returning.

Yes, we as fans are guaranteed very little given Junior’s recent struggles staying healthy. But for a moment it might just be nice for everyone including Junior, the Mariners, Major League Baseball, and the city of Seattle to get something back that should never have been lost.

Fingers crossed for a great season!