After an article on May 10th surfaced accusing Mariners DH Ken Griffey Jr. of sleeping through a pinch hit appearence, another report has been released confirming that numerous times during the season, he has been asleep at the plate as well.
Griffey, who is batting .200 this year denied the report. His last start came on Monday. He went 0-3 with a walk.
Orioles SP David Hernandez noticed there was something wrong with Griffey from the get go. "I stared him down from the mound and realized his eyes were closed. I just thought he had a weird blinking pattern or something. But he never opened them, I kept throwing 90 MPH fast balls right by him."
Mariners All-Star RF Ichiro Suzuki has become frustrated by the lack of production from the middle of the M's lineup. "I'm on base all the time, literally all the time. [Suzuki has a .401 OBS this year]. And then I see [Griffey] coming up to bat, asleep. I know I'm not scoring."
According to ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons, Griffey's approach at the plate is typical of a player who is asleep. "He's off balance up there he doesn't look comfortable, I've also noticed he's been taking a lot of good pitches. And he's batting .200, ok, I mean that's awful, especially for someone like Ken who was a great player 10 years ago."
Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu isn't concerned about Griffey's hitting woes. "Ken was a great player for this organization through out the 1990s. For that, he deserves our respect in the 2000s, regardless of whether he's hitting or not."
Mariners disgruntled, and possibly medicated LF Milton Bradley had this to say about Griffey, "He was a hero of mine growing up and I'd never wish for this sort of negativety to be placed on anyone. But to be honest, this is overshadowing me and all of the emotional problems I continue to exhibit through out my career. I need this, man."
Griffey has not been in the starting lineup for last three games, and Wakamatsu said he does not have a specific date set for Griffey's return to the lineup.
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