Yesterday “Napgate” took an interesting turn with Ken Griffey Jr.‘s agent Brian Goldberg throwing a lifeline to Larry LaRue and the staff of the Tacoma News Tribune. However, the T.N.T. staff wants to stand up and puff out their chests, a la Mike Sweeney. Darrine Beene, T.N.T. sports team leader denied the Goldberg report yesterday. John McGrath is in on the “deny, deny, deny” tactic now as well, with this headline: “Griffey has clairvoyant for agent”. From that, here is McGrath’s best impersonation of Sweeney:
The cat-fight between the Griffey's agent and the TNT isn't nearly as damn sexy, now, is it?
“Personally? By Thursday morning, I wanted to let this tropical storm take its natural course and dissipate into the yonder. I wanted the focus to return to the game on the field, and the ways (if any) the Mariners can prevent their descent into baseball-standings oblivion.”–John McGrath
I’d also like the opportunity to suggest Jeff’s Mariners blog: http://jeffsmariners.com
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- Seattle’s call for stupid boycott earns M’s another F (cbssports.com)
- Larry LaRue of The Tacoma News Tribune (ballhype.com)
- Mariners players shun reporter after report critical of Griffey (sportingnews.com)
Griffey’s agent speaks up about LaRue, Napgate
The sweet swing of Ken Griffey Jr.
Brian Goldberg, agent to Ken Griffey Jr. spoke up today for a Bill Swartz story on mynorthwest.com. Goldberg went on the record saying that LaRue published the story on accident… oops! I applaud Ken Griffey Jr. and Brian Goldberg who have stepped up and been the bigger men in this “Napgate” fiasco, while there is still nothing out of the LaRue camp.
Larry, Brian Goldberg threw you a lifeline and you don’t want to take it? You can’t own up to poor judgement? Bad reporting? Name your sources? Can you make a statement of your own?
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MyNorthwest.com story
97.3 KIRO-FM
MyNorthwest.com has been giving the Facebook Page “Call for Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune to Resign” some love. Two articles appeared on their website today, this one by Stephanie Klein mentioning the page. The News Chick, Linda Thomas of KIRO 97.3 FM featured the page as part of a story “Facebook group upset with the “Griffey naps” reporter.”
“The News Chick” Linda Thomas
LaRue has been the subject of outrage since the story broke into a national story after his report on his blog Monday on the Tacoma News Tribune’s “Mariners Insider” For Griffey & the Mariners, the end is near. Not everyone is against LaRue however. He has received the support from Seattle radio personalities Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710 and Dori Monson of 97.3 KIRO FM.
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Larry LaRue Facebook page Update
Up over 100 fans! Join here and contact the Tacoma News Tribune management and let them know that LaRue’s column was done in poor taste. Keep it up and flood LaRue’s e-mail. Contact info for the Tacoma News Tribune is on the Facebook page.
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Larry LaRue: Mariners, Griffey soon to part ways?
- Image by Getty Images via @daylife
This story has no juice to it. Ken Griffey Jr. will most likely finish out the season with the Seattle Mariners and call it a career at the end of the year. Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune said in his blog Mariners Insider that the team will ask Griffey to retire in the next few weeks or he will be released.
It is an unwritten rule in baseball that you don’t talk behind a players back through the media. Two unnamed Mariners players told LaRue they saw Griffey napping in the Mariners clubhouse. They did not try to wake him up. Current and former teammates have said Junior has done this on his off-days for a long time because of a sleeping disorder.
LaRue should have exercised better professional judgement than to run a story of that nature. Follow the Facebook page Call for Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune to Resign.
I would respect LaRue more, if he were to come out and say that because Griffey is struggling, the Mariners should think of asking him to retire or release him. He would not be popular for saying that, so instead he decided to quote two young, unnamed Mariners players who said that they found him napping in the clubhouse, a well established fact, but never an issue in the past. I guess his thinking is that then the fans would be all for it? It seems to be working well. The majority of comments on the blog and other Seattle media outlets seem to favor the release of Junior.
You deserved much better Junior. Thanks for the memories!
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Griffey’s lucky he’s not in Boston
Junior is off to a slow start in Seattle, yet is as popular as ever
The Red Sox Nation is calling for David Ortiz’s head on a golden platter after a .111 (2 for 18) start. Meanwhile, in “Coffee” Bean Town on the other coast, Ken Griffey Jr. is hitting .211 (4 for 19) for the Seattle Mariners. Neither fading star has hit a homerun yet and each have an RBI a piece.
Meanwhile, on the other coast, Big Papi is off to an equally slow start that has the fans in Beantown donating to but Ortiz a one-way ticket out of Boston
Dan Shaughnessy of Sports Illustrated wrote an article Boston’s big problem: Big Papi past his prime, no longer everyday DH, in which he states the Red Sox faithful have all but publicly given up on him.
Griffey, on the other hand, is lucky to be in Seattle, where the fans go to Safeco to network behind home plate, sipping an extra foamy latte and eating their garlic fries. Every time the P.A. announcer introduces number 24, the crowd gets manic.
He was once revered as the man who put Seattle baseball on the map, then saved Seattle from it’s second baseball exodus. That was before an ugly, public divorce. The fans and the media in Seattle that once loved him, ran him out of town.
Fast forward to June 2007. Griffey was making his first appearance at the Safe’ since his 2000 trade to the Cincinnati Reds. Junior was given a hero’s welcome, as the city, the team, the media and the fans rolled out the red carpet for him. After that series Griffey said that he owed it to the fans and the city of Seattle to end his career as a Seattle Mariner.
After having his 2009 club opption declined by the Chicago White Sox following a disappointing season split between the Reds and White Sox, Griffey became a free agent. The Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners both made serious offers to the future Hall of Famer. On February 18, 2009, Griffey made his Seattle return official. The club announced a one-year deal and Griffey became the Mariners designated hitter. He hit 19 homeruns in 2009, but hit only .214.
Griffey is more fortunate than David Ortiz. He plays in a city that adores him, and where he can do no wrong. The city and Junior’s parting was mutually painful, but the reunion, so sweet. Even if he isn’t the Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle fell in love with 22 years ago. David Ortiz has always been a hired bat in a place that disposes of athletes that don’t perform and calls for the resignation of management that refuses to bench a struggling, fading star.
The divorce is painful and for Ortiz, there will be no reunion; just a one-way ticket out of town.
Milton Bradley-Flippin’ the bird
Milton Bradley of the Seattle Mariners is already in mid-season form. In one week Bradley has shattered a bat after striking out and flipped off fans in Texas. Bradley’s love affair with the city of Seattle ended before it officially began; Seattle played their home opener at Safeco Field last night.
- Is that the Texas state bird you’re flying Milton?
MLB Player Buzz
So what player is getting the most buzz this year? Atlanta Braves 20-year-old outfielder Jason Heyward is near the top of the list, as Hank Aaron has publicly said that “Heyward can help what ails baseball”.
But the player who is likely the most buzz worthy right now is Washington Nationals minor-leaguer Stephen Strasburg.
Strasburg is set to make his first minor league start of the season for the Class AA Harrisburg Senators.
Strasburg already has a rock star following and will have his first start televised by ESPNews. Every time a young pitching prospect is ticketed for a great career it gives me pause. I can’t help but consider names such as Todd Van Poppel, Ryan Anderson who was dubbed as the “Little Unit” because he was, like Randy Johnson 6’10″ and threw a sizzling fastball.
With that, I beg the Washington front office to exercise some restraint when dealing with Strasburg. Let him mature. Give him two or three years, don’t pressure the kid, and please… don’t rush him along.
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Update: Erik Bedard
Jon Paul Morosi’s latest Twitter post: http://twitter.com/jonmorosi/status/8568669128
Erik(a) Bedard of the Mariners
This brings up a question that begs to be answered, is Erik Bedard done? Only time will tell. But he is a lefty who when healthy has some electric stuff, a low WHIP, and allows few BB’s. He would be a low risk/high reward type of player.
"Conehead" Bavasi
His health issues the past two years however, surely makes Bill “Conehead” Bavasi look worse than previously believed.
UPDATE: Erik Bedard and the Seattle Mariners agreed on a one-year incentive laden-deal. For more info visit http://www.seattlepi.com or http://www.seattlemariners.com
