Junior brings uncertainties with him

The Junior Beleaguerers have retreated for cover, to re-emerge with their told-you-sos whenever he makes his first trip to the disabled list or scuffles through a .215 April.

And they’ll be entitled.

But if the fortunes of the Seattle Mariners truly matter to them, they probably do not mind for the moment keeping their buzzkill to themselves. Ken Griffey Jr.’s arrival at the M’s spring training suite in Peoria, Ariz., on Saturday was one of those fleece blanket moments for the Northwest hardball fan, who could snuggle in the warmth of whatever Junior memories he treasures and postpone the cold, hard truth of rebuilding an organization from scratch, which will blow in as soon as Opening Day.

And for those with lingering grudges over Griffey’s departure, there is at least a suggestion that something good came of that 10-year separation.

Griffey, as has been rigorously reported, played emotional tug-of-war with himself whether to sign with the Mariners (you can go home again) or the come-lately and the Atlanta Braves (family first). According to the Braves, Griffey put himself in that pickle by soliciting their offer to put himself closer to children Trey, Taryn and Tevin; elsewhere it’s hinted that the Braves created their own panic. In any event, Griffey was in the hunt for MVP of the Indecision League.

“It was 50-50, 60-40, 30-70 – I was all over the place,” he admitted at Saturday’s news conference. “If you came into my house, I had the Atlanta schedule, the Seattle schedule, Taryn’s (summer) basketball schedule, Tevin’s baseball games, Trey’s football all lined up. People thought I was drafting somebody for a first-round pick – it looked like a war room.”

Late in the agonizing, his teenage daughter came up clutch, at least according to Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg.

“She told him, ‘Dad, I really think you should go back to the Mariners and not have any regrets about how you finished,’ ” he said.

This is remarkable selflessness for a 13-year-old who could be wrapped up in her own little world, and at least a fair reflection on the parenting. If even a smidgen of it can be chalked up to Dad being around more often because he wasn’t across the continent, then that’s a small consolation for your Griffey replica jersey hanging unused in the closet for 10 years.

Of course, Junior is still being parented himself. Ken Sr., the journeyman outfielder who shared a special Mariners moment in 1990 when he and his son hit-back-to-back home runs, has never been slow-draw with advice.

“The one thing he said,” Griffey reported, “is, ‘No team is going to treat you like your first.’ ”

Griffey, both prior to and during his return to Safeco Field with Cincinnati two years ago, made noises about wanting to bring his career full circle back to Seattle, and now he’s satisfied to have done that. But a couple of things didn’t get answered Saturday.

•Just how, exactly, will he be used and how productive can he be?

You could fashion a drinking game out of all the he’s-not-the-Griffey-of-old cautions from M’s staff, teammates, commentators – just about everyone but Griffey, who cannot quite bear to say it himself. Suffice it to say the Mariners would rather he play more designated hitter than less, but Junior said only, “We’ll figure that out.

“I’d rather play the field, but there will be days I can still go out and just hit and help the ballclub.”

If anything, M’s manager Don Wakamatsu was even more evasive.

“It’s going to depend on how Ken feels and what he can do,” he said. “It’s not about the future, really – we’ll talk about it day to day.”

•Is he really elder statesman enough to help repair a clubhouse divided by – take your pick – the aloofness and perceived selfishness of Ichiro Suzuki or by jealous, underperforming teammates?

If anything, Ichiro has an ally here – Griffey likes him, he idolizes Griffey and Griffey knows what it’s like to be an envied and resented superstar. Of course, Junior has been known to be too sensitive to criticism, but his no-mercy barbs can at least serve as a bridge in the clubhouse short on personality.

“They’re going to have to (get over it), because we’re here for one reason – to win ballgames,” Griffey said. “Yeah, there’s going to be feuding in there. That’s just the way it is. You’re not going to like somebody, and he’s not going to like you. But you’re going to put it aside and go out and play and give the other eight guys on the field a chance to win.”

But potentially the most delicious drama is whether this will indeed be the end.

If Griffey is able to stay whole and return to even his 2007 level numbers, it could put enormous pressure on both player and club – Griffey because the tug of family won’t go away, and the Mariners who would hope to be far enough along in the rebuild that they wouldn’t need his diminishing skills.

“You always want to start and end your career with the same team,” Griffey said, “not saying this is the end of my career.”

Oh, lordy. Don’t pack up that war room just yet.