When the Mariners signed Ken Griffey Jr. to come back to Seattle, it pretty much seemed like nothing other than a public relations move. Junior is way past the prime of his Hall of Fame career, and it was an accepted fact that the Mariners were destined for the basement of the AL West. Well, turns out the Mariners are in first place at 8-5, even though Junior is struggling with a .205 average.Thankfully for Griffey, batting average isn't taken into consideration when deciding who the judge should be in Mariners Kangaroo Court, as the honorable Judge Mo' Money oversaw all cases this weekend in Seattle.
What a sight it was - Griffey was wearing a black robe on which was embroidered "Judge Mo' Money." He had a gaudy gold "24" medallion around his neck and was wielding a gavel.The team was crammed into the Mariner's media room for an hour as Judge Mo' Money and Mike Sweeney doled out fines for various crimes against baseball, and Wakamatsu sees it as a great way to build chemistry with the club. Which they'll no doubt end up giving all the credit to should the Mariners actually stay in first in the AL West throughout the season.
"I've been around the game a long time; I haven't seen anyone that fancy," Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. "He was decked out. He had everything. It was great."
Which is fine just as long as nobody suggests it may be the Mariners' MLB-best 3.01 ERA that's responsible for their nice start. That would be idiotic, and probably get you fined in court.
