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by **The Big Train** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:12 pm

Next stop, Cooperstown.

SEATTLE -- Ken Griffey Jr. retired Wednesday night, ending one of the great careers in baseball history.

The 40-year-old Griffey told the Mariners that he was done playing, and manager Don Wakamatsu made the announcement before Seattle faced Minnesota.

"While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction," Griffey said in a statement.

"I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be," he said.

Griffey was hitting only .184 with no homers and seven RBIs this year and recently went a week without playing. There was a report earlier this season -- which Griffey denied -- that he'd fallen asleep in the clubhouse during a game.

Griffey was a perennial All-Star outfielder and ranks fifth on the career home run list with 630. He won an MVP award and was a Gold Glover. The only thing missing on his resume was a trip to the World Series.

A star from the get-go, he played 22 years in the majors with Seattle, his hometown Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox. He hit .284 lifetime with 1,836 RBIs.

For a time in the 1990s, he was considered the best player in baseball. But then injuries began to take their toll and his production started to decline.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5244661

by **j24jags** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:13 pm

It was a great run ;-D

by **jackie hayes** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:15 pm

rotoworld tries to make a funny:

Ken Griffey Jr. announced his retirement Wednesday through a press release.

The future Hall of Famer didn't report to Safeco Field for Wednesday's game against the Twins. He's logged only seven at-bats since May 18 and no longer felt like a contributing member of the club. Junior finished with 630 homers, fifth all-time. He leaves the game as one of the best to never win a title, but also as one of the few sluggers of his era to dodge steroid speculation. There's little doubt that he will be a unanimous Hall of Famer on the first ballot.

by **Another Blown Save** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:19 pm

This really saddens me, not because Griffey was one of my favorite players, but because his retirement kind of signifies the end of 90s baseball era, the era that really got me into baseball to begin with.

As for Griffey, great career, first ballot hall of famer and I'm sure he'll get a gazillion offers to do TV :-)

by **jackie hayes** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:24 pm

Another Blown Save wrote:This really saddens me, not because Griffey was one of my favorite players, but because his retirement kind of signifies the end of 90s baseball era, the era that really got me into baseball to begin with.

As for Griffey, great career, first ballot hall of famer and I'm sure he'll get a gazillion offers to do TV

Jamie Moyer would like to remind you that 80s baseball is still available, and better than ever!

Incidentally:

Junior vs Moyer, career: .320/.370/.560, 1 hr, 8/25
Senior vs Moyer, career: 0-for-1 with a walk

by **jfg** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:31 pm

Some people will say that it's too bad he went out on a bad note, not able to hit the ball anymore. I say that he played until he just couldn't do it anymore. No what ifs, he gave everything he had until the end. I applaud that more than a player retiring because he knows his stats won't be peak anymore.

by **Skin Blues** » Wed Jun 02, 2010 8:42 pm

When I first started to follow baseball he was the up-and-coming star. Such a strange feeling to have watched his entire career. In 50 years I'll be that old guy saying "I remember when that Griffey fellow first came into the big leagues". His 1989 Upper Deck rookie was one of the first baseball cards I ever had, and it's still down in the basement.