THE FRONT ROW WITH MARK NELKE Aug. 22, 2013
Funny how a trip back into the past makes you forget a little bit about ... the past.
It was a emotional night at Safeco Field a week and a half ago, when the Seattle Mariners inducted Ken Griffey Jr. into their hall of fame, before the first sellout crowd of the season, prior to their game vs. the Milwaukee Brewers - the former Seattle Pilots.
Fans lined up around the building in all directions hours before the game on a warm Saturday afternoon. Many wore their Griffey jerseys, but many others wore jerseys reminding us of other Mariner greats and not-so-greats from the past.
TO SAY the fans did this simply to show their love for Junior, and all he meant to Seattle during his time with the Mariners from 1989-99 - and even the Junior 2.0 version in 2009 and part of 2010 - would be a bit presumptious. After all, the M's were giving away Griffey bobbleheads to the first 20,000 fans, and judging from all the ones that quickly wound up on eBay, it was a chance to also make a quick buck as well.
That aside, Griffey's pregame induction ceremony - even though they closed the roof at Safeco moments beforehand because it looked like it might rain on their parade - was awesome.
They trotted out the other Mariner hall of famers from that more fun, more innocent time - Alvin Davis, Jay Buhner (still beloved in Seattle), Edgar Martinez (ditto), Randy Johnson and Dan Wilson, as well as the wife of the late, great M's broadcaster Dave Niehaus.
As the current Mariners watched from the top step of the dugout, the contrast was obvious between the past - playoff appearances in 1995, '97 and 2001, and nothing close since - and the present.
So it was easy to look back at the good ol' days and smile.
Griffey spoke from the heart, sans script, for 24 minutes - his jersey number, they made sure to tell us repeatedly.
The video highlights from that era, and all the smiles, were enough to remind you how great those good ol' days were.
Safeco, commonly referred to as "The house that Griffey built," still looks about as new as it did when it opened in 1999, replacing the Kingdome.
And that magical run in 1995, with Griffey scoring the most famous run against the Yankees in the playoffs, is considered by many the reason Seattle was able to keep its baseball team, and ultimately built its shiny new ballpark.
OF COURSE, all those good feelings overlooked one minor detail - didn't Griffey choose to leave the Mariners at the height of his career?
He turned down a contract extension from the M's, choosing to sign with the Cincinnati Reds - wanting to live closer to his family in Florida.
Which is sort of like someone moving from Coeur d'Alene to the Tri-Cities, so they could live closer to their family in Boise.
To be fair, Cincinnati was where he spent many years as a kid - before he became "The Kid" - when his dad played for the Reds. So it was somewhat understandable.
But that move came during a time when the Mariners lost many of their stars for one reason or another - Johnson was traded because the M's couldn't afford to keep him, and A-Rod left as a free agent.
So, maybe it's a little nitpicky to bring that up now during all these good feelings, but it is a part of the story.
But, considering the lack of memories the Mariners have made in the past decade, you can understand why the fans would choose to overlook those minor details and look back at that era and smile - remembering only what they wanted to remember.
And on this day, for a few hours, that was OK. Therapeutic for them, almost.
Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.