It's time. Griffey has signaled his desire to return to the place he launched his Hall of Fame career. He has alluded to reasons why he had to leave Seattle for Cincinnati -- which was probably more about family concerns as anything. Did his wife want to leave Seattle? Did Griffey feel the need to be closer to his parents and relatives eight years ago? Probably so.

Now, the chance to bring this relationship between Griffey and Seattle full circle. Mariners president Chuck Armstrong has never had the backing of owner Howard Lincoln to bring Griffey back to Seattle, but times might have changed since the deal that sent Griffey to the Reds in 2000. The Mariners have whiffed on finding reliable hitters and Griffey, at 38, is at a point where he needs to depart the National League and get at-bats as DH. And, at this stage of his career, it's time to put him back in uniform and with the team where Junior became Junior.

The sooner, the better, we say about Griffey's return. This city needs a little star-studded jolt. And no matter how much Griffey's career was crimped by his injury-plagued seasons in Cincinnati, what he accomplished in his first 10 years in Seattle was enough to make him a Hall of Famer, the player of the decade for the 1990's, a home-run hitter nearing No. 600.