One of the very first visitors to check out the Mariners' new Ken Griffey Jr. statue? Snoop Dogg

Ken Griffey Jr. is a hero to Mariners fans, and now they'll be able to look at him every time they visit Safeco Field.
They unveiled a seven-foot-tall statue honoring Junior on Thursday ahead of some planned festivities before Friday night's game with the Rangers -- and thanks to a coincidence of scheduling, none other than Snoop Dogg himself was among the very first batch of visitors to check out the bronze likeness of one of the franchise's all-time greats. 
Of his new statue, Griffey is quoted by MLB.com's Greg Johns as being rather blown away by it all: 
"They did an unbelievable job from top to bottom," Griffey said. "This is unbelievable. That is the word I'd use. Incredible, unbelievable. The craziness hasn't stopped. It's very humbling."
Snoop, in town for a concert Thursday night at the WaMu Theater, got wind of the statue and made his way over to Safeco to shoot an Instagram homage to the man, whom Snoop refers to as, "a personal friend of mine": 

The Doggfather himself, no stranger to baseball given his various memorable moments at All-Star Week festivities and tossing ceremonial first pitches over the years, approves.