Why Mariners likely missed out on Griffey

TAMPA, Fla. — Seattle's golden past improbably converged in Central Florida on Tuesday, when a tarnished Alex Rodriguez bared his soul yet again at almost the precise moment that news leaked of Ken Griffey Jr. apparently spurning the Mariners again.

For just a split second, one could reminisce about those halcyon days in the 1990s when the Mariners possessed two of the greatest players in the game's history — three, if you count Randy Johnson.

But it ended ugly in Seattle for all of them. Now it's downright hopeless for A-Rod, who will never restore his good name no matter how many mea-culpa news conferences he holds.

Griffey, meanwhile, could have won back the hearts of Seattle fans merely by saying yes to the Mariners' belated run for his services. But by all indications, he has chosen the Atlanta Braves, opting once again for familial bliss over familiarity and the chance to be bathed with retro love.

Nostalgia, it seems, ain't what it used to be these days.

In the end, if Griffey goes to Atlanta, as it appears, it will be because the Mariners didn't act fast enough. And that is largely because general manager Jack Zduriencik — as he should have — viewed this as a pure baseball decision, devoid of the heart-tugs and emotional attachments that informed all those who still remember Junior as Junior.

All indications are that Griffey has been motivated all winter to return to the Mariners, but the M's weren't ready to act until last week. And even though the two sides were at one point on the verge of a deal, that hesitation gave time for the Braves to jump into the fray.

And once that happened, the relentless force of family proximity proved too great. Especially when coupled with the fact that the Griffeys, Junior and Senior, have a warm spot for Braves manager Bobby Cox. And Griffey, perhaps unwisely, still likes the idea of playing in the field, which might not be the best thing for his surgically repaired knee.

In the end, despite the jilted anger, redux, of some Griffey die-hards (and the jubilation from the segment that argued all along his signing was not prudent from a baseball standpoint), this is largely a no-fault verdict.

The Mariners can't be blamed for exhausting all other avenues of improvement before going full force for Griffey. And Griffey, having been kept waiting for months for a Mariners decision, can hardly be faulted for pursuing another avenue at the 11th hour.

If nothing else, this turn of events drives home the autonomy of Zduriencik, because it's not hard to imagine that if CEO Howard Lincoln or team president Chuck Armstrong were calling the shots, Griffey probably would have been signed long ago.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, surely must in his private moments wish he'd never left Seattle, where he could easily have reached the same beloved status as Griffey. And avoided all the heartbreak that has punctured his career.

But he had visions of grandeur — delusions is a better word, in retrospect — and found that neither the grass nor the steroids are greener on the other side.

I came to the Yankees complex here to judge A-Rod for myself, and I thought he bared some real emotion Tuesday, not the phony, insincere version that usually emanates from him. And he didn't try to pass the blame, though his credibility at this point is so bankrupt it's hard to believe that this version of the story is his final answer.

So there they are, Junior and A-Rod, the twin titans of Mariners baseball. What a magnificent swath of history they could have forged in Seattle, had not family (in Griffey's case) and money-lust (in Rodriguez's) intervened.

Now they will remain only as memories, despite Griffey's tantalizing tease.

Oh well, there's always the trade deadline.

Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com