Regardless of what you think about putting Junior back in a Mariners uniform, Howard Lincoln's attitude about the situation has to irk you, at least a little. Steve Kelley reports in the Times that no matter how much Cincinnati offered to sweeten the deal, the trade would only take place, according to Howard the Duck, "over (Lincoln's own) dead body." What a hypocrite. How many times has a popular player been traded with Lincoln and others responding that it was simply a difficult "business decision" done "in the best interests of the ballclub" or other such garbage? In this case, a HUGELY popular player is on the market, and instead of dismissing the trade as being an imprudent baseball descision, we hear that Howie doesn't get along with Griffey (does he get along with anybody? If you get along personally with Howard Lincoln, please email me to let me know.) because of some dispute FOUR YEARS AGO. Tell me you don't think he'd be a better option in center than Randy Winn. Tell me that he costs too much money. Just don't feed me any more lines about how you had a tiff a few years ago and don't want anything to do with Ken Griffey Junior. Mariners management doesn't need to make a habit of burning bridges.