The man who saved baseball in Seattle is going home, and that’s good for the game. Ken Griffey, Jr. who is without question the greatest player ever to wear a Seattle uniform, agreed to a one year contract to return to – and presumably retire with – the Mariners.

Griffey lead the Mariners to the post-season for the first time in their history in 1995 by beating the California Angels in a one game playoff.  They then beat the heavily-favored New York Yankees in the Divisional Series. That dramatic playoff-series victory was punctuated by Griffey scoring from first base on an Edgar Martinez double and flashing a blindingly telegenic smile to the cameras as his teammates piled on top of him. Widely rumored to be relocating to Tampa Bay at the time, Griffey and his teammates are credited with creating the groundswell of support that brought about the construction of Safeco Field, keeping the team in Seattle.

Four years later he told the Mariners he wanted to play closer to home, who then promptly traded him to Cincinnati. Griffey struggled with injuries throughout his eight-and-a-half seasons with the Reds, and was dealt to the Chicago White Sox at the trade deadline last summer.

And now he goes back to Seattle. He had other options, including a particularly attractive invitation to play for the Braves from none other than Hank Aaron, but in the end decided to follow his heart. As he told the Seattle Post Intelligencer in 2007 “I think I owe it to the people of Seattle, and myself, to retire as a Mariner.”

He didn’t owe it to baseball, but it sends the right message around the league. In an era where there is less and less loyalty, Griffey has set a great example. Baseball needs more players associated with a single team. George Brett was a Royal. Kirby Puckett was a Twin. Chipper Jones is a Brave. But those guys are exceptions to the rule. Heck, it’s rare these days to see a guy playing with two teams.

Whenever a player shows a little sentiment, and takes a little less money to play for the team where he made his name, he should be praised. This move means that even though he spent nine years in Cincinnati, Junior’s legacy is as a Mariner.  By returning to Seattle, Griffey acknowledges everything that organization and the fans in the Pacific Northwest have done for him, and it allows the fans and the organization to thank him one more time.

Now, without question, this is a victory lap. At 39, Griffey’s abilities have faded. This doesn’t make Seattle a contender. The Mariners need pitching, and he can’t help them there. But he will help bring what has been, by all reports, a fractured clubhouse together.

And he will sell tickets – and not just in Seattle. There will be people who will turn out to the ballgame just to see him play with the Mariners again. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Junior in a Seattle uniform will be a comfortable thing to see. It shows that for everything that has been screwed up in baseball, loyalty hasn’t completely died out.