Hope Safeco Field has insurance. A statue of Ken Griffey Jr. outside of the Mariners' stadium had his bat stolen by what can only be described as a vandal with a weird, specific flair. Social media users got footage of the statue now holding nothing but a nub, and The Kid's iconic completed swing now looks like an old man that just threw his hip out.
BREAKING: Someone has stolen Ken Griffey Junior's bat outside Safeco Field: @Mariners #Seattle @KING5Seattle @SeattlePD pic.twitter.com/9I2QeJLmjA
— Chris Daniels (@ChrisDaniels5) October 18, 2017
Messing with Ken Griffey Jr. stuff in Seattle is like saying beanies are out of style -- you just don't do it. Griffey may be the single most important player in Seattle sports, so this is either a declaration of war or a malicious act of treason. Seattleites are lining up with pitchforks and bats (look for the one that isn't made of wood) to defend their fallen idol, even going as far as to place a temporary block on the ever-important policy "snitches get stitches."
Snitching is acceptable here.
— Sam Wunder (@SamWunder_TPFT) October 18, 2017
Nobody messes with Griffey Jr. https://t.co/lfX8EpVR7B
HOW YALL DISRESPECT GRIFFEY LIKE THAT https://t.co/TCm9gqS2qS
— Eazy (@DvoElis) October 18, 2017
To the person who stole Griffey’s bat pic.twitter.com/fEcLckq8UO
— Thaddeus (@RealTomBentley) October 18, 2017
The good news is, apparently the bat has been recovered. The perp will presumably be forced to drink Folgers for several weeks as punishment.
The @Mariners confirm suspect in custody, bat has been recovered....
— Chris Daniels (@ChrisDaniels5) October 18, 2017
Now...the question is how they re-attach The Kid's Bat.#Seattle https://t.co/7oEsBzz0mm
Officers investigating vandalism to Ken Griffey Jr. statue outside Safeco Field. Suspect arrested, bat recovered. Will update soon.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) October 18, 2017
Hopefully they're able to reattach Griffey's bat soon. It's bad enough that the statue isn't wearing a hat backwards -- making him batless will not stand.
Writer's note: Sorry for perpetuating Seattle stereotypes.