It's too good to be true...isn't it?

There are a lot of Seattle Mariner fans who spent a fair amount of time at their respective desks today feeling a little uncomfortable. And there's a very good reason for it. Any Mariners fan randomly scanning the daily sports headlines while they're supposed to be working on spreadsheets would have stumbled upon this next golden nugget of goodness. Word on the street is the Seattle Mariners are mere days away from bringing him back...yes, him...the greatest Seattle Mariner of all time. Albeit a decade older and probably 75% of the player he was when he left, but still, any true Mariner fan with any weakness in their bladder at all, most likely peed just a little bit when they read the following

Ken Griffey Jr is coming back. The latest reports have him joining the Mariners as early as next Wednesday. And for a city so downtrodden by the lack of success of their local sports teams - no Husky basketball, I didn't forget about you, it's just early - this is the type of news that will make you believe that maybe Obama will fix everything. As of yesterday, Mariners fans had little to cling to, you can read my installment entitled Yes He Can for proof. However, the return of Seattle's all time favorite son could prove the be the proverbial rope being tossed into a sea of dog-paddling Mariner fans.

When Griffey returned to Seattle last year as a member of the Cincinnati Reds for a weekend series, the city celebrated the entire weekend. Not just for 10 minutes before the Friday night game, but the entire weekend. I was fortunate enough to be in the stands at Safeco for the first game of the series. When they introduced Griffey before the game, the the roar of the crowd was deafening. The standing ovation lasted for what seemed like an hour. And he was playing for the other team. Imagine the reception he would get on Opening Day 2009 when he trots out between the lines in a Mariner uniform again.

The Mariners most powerful bat is currently Russell Branyan, and no, you're not supposed to know who that is. Which just drives home the point. Injecting Griffey into this lineup right now suddenly makes it credible, gives them a little better chance of dodging the cellar this year, and most certainly gives fans a reason to go to the ballpark. Suddenly, you have Ichiro leading off, Jose Lopez batting second, Adrian Beltre batting third, and Griffey hitting cleanup. If you're a Mariner fan and you're not smiling a little bit after reading that, take your right hand, extend your first two fingers, gently place them just to the right side of your esophagus, and see if you feel anything. I'm guessing you might not.

Ken Griffey Jr. can create a memory every time he steps into the box, and Seattleites know that more than anyone. At this point in his career, he may not hit 40 home runs or drive in 130, but it's a personal guarantee he'll pump some life back into Safeco. His personality is infectious, he's a terrific role model, he's a Hall of Famer, and most of all, he's the ultimate Seattle Mariner.

Jack Zduriencik, if you make this happen, I will find you. And when I do, I'm going to have a single rose in my hand. If you don't want me to kiss you directly on the mouth, I suggest you run the other way.