not the way I imagined

So as Spring Training is just getting underway, the Major League baseball trade rumor's have spit out an intriguing little piece of gossip.

Apparently as they are scrambling to fill a hole in both left field and in the middle of their lineup, the Atlanta Braves are kicking the tires on Ken Griffey Jr. Now I would consider him to be fairly well past his best baseball days, but that doesn't mean that he wouldn't be an improvement over whose been attempting (see also failing) to produce runs from left field.

Apparently Chipper Jones seems to think this potential acquistion is a good idea. He's willing to bat fourth behind Junior if need be, and apparently Junior is willing to platoon w/ Matt Diaz. But that type of a role may be perfect for Griffey's declining skill set.

I've been a fan of Ken Griffey Jr. forever. When pressed to pick an American League team to root for, I would choose the Marniers soley based on their star centerfielder. I've long wished that my favorite player would find a place on my favorte team, and its strange to think that this could happen, and it still won't be the way I had hoped it would be. The version of Griffey that exists today is not one that I idolized.

So if they Braves do sign him, would I say I've gotten what I wished for? Not really. He's a shadow of his former self. Its kind of akin to blinding yourself down in a tournament to the point where you only have 3 big blinds left. You finally look down at Aces, they hold up, and you've doubled up...but because you waited so long, you're still short-stacked and have lots of work to do.

While it seems like its too little too late, I hold out slim hope that he will be the answer.

and I'm fairly certain I'm going to want one of his Braves jersey's

EDIT: apparently this was not to be...while the flip-flopping on this rumor is similar to the Furcal snafu...its actually totally different. He had decided on Atlanta, but had not agreed to any terms. Apparently a hail-mary phone call from Willie Mays convinced him to protect his legacy in Seattle by returning to the M's. Cest la vie. I think its fine. Lets see who Wren goes after now.