A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

THE KID IS OUT OF THE PICTURE: I just have to thank Ken Griffey Jr. today. I have no particular pique (nor surprise, frankly) at his dissembling musings about how it would be great to come home to the team of his greatest successes, which stopped as soon as somebody else offered him the same contract, and I have no doubt that in the end he made the right decision for himself for the right reasons -- he will be playing much closer to home and will get to spend much more time with his family. I want to thank him, though, because he is a shell of his former self (and he was overrated defensively to begin with), so his decision to sign with Atlanta means he cannot taint the great memories I have of his time in Seattle -- especially 1995 in that impossibly loud Kingdome -- with his current incompetence. To chief Atlantan correspondent Jenn, prepare to cover your eyes. I used to think your team was well run, and I suppose it used to be, but the notion of an NL team signing Griffey this offseason is almost impossible for me to comprehend.