600 Words for Junior
Posted: June 9th, 2008 | Filed under: Baseball | 69 Comments »
There was a mark in a parking lot of a Kroger near where I lived. The mark looked like an “X.” That, a friend told me, is the spot where Ken Griffey Jr.’s longest high school home run landed.
I looked around the parking lot. There wasn’t a baseball field anywhere. My friend told me there was a diamond beyond the trees. We walked to the edge of the lot, past stranded shopping carts, and sure enough, beyond a chain link fence, there it was, a baseball diamond, complete, fresh chalk foul lines, bright white bases. Smelled like cut grass.
“No way,” I said as I looked at home plate, then to the mark in the parking lot, back to home plate.
“Way,” he said.
* * *
There is a baseball scout I know, and he’s the real thing, a man who would eat at Friday’s every meal if he could, a man who would rather stay at a Motel 6 than the Ritz, a man with 250,000 miles on his car and infield dirt in his shoes. He guesses that he has filed reports on 10,000 players, and he’s seen 100,000 more. He remembers the towns he visited by batting stances and the way fastballs popped there.
“Junior,” he answered. The question was was not: “Who was the best player you ever saw?” No, he does not have a definite answer for that because it’s an indefinite question. He has seen a lot of “best” players. Some developed better than he thought, many never panned out. But to him, as a scout, there is no best.
No. The question was: “Of all the players you’ve seen, which one were you SURE would be a superstar?’
”Junior,“ he said. ”He was the one player I’ve ever seen who, I know, could have walked right off the high school field and right on to the Major League diamond and not missed a beat.“
* * *
There’s a pitcher I know who gave up three home runs to Ken Griffey — three of the 600 — and when I asked what it was like to give up a homer to Junior, he said: ”You know, that swing is so damn pretty, it’s almost an honor.“
* * *
There’s a baseball agent I know who has been with Ken Griffey Jr. from the start, from before the start. One day, Ken Griffey Sr. said to him: I trust you, and I would like you to represent my son. They have been together now for 20 years, through glory and injury and a few boos, through frustration and joy and impossibly bright lights and 600 home run trots.
“Has he changed at all?” I asked the agent. He thought about it for a moment.
“Not really,” he said.
* * *
There’s an old baseball man I knew who saw Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson and Albert Pujols all hit home runs. He loved baseball with an intensity that never stopped surprising people around him. Wherever he went, people would ask him to name his favorite, and he never could do that. He loved too many of them. He would talk about Ted Williams’ swing, and he would talk about the way Roberto Clemente threw, and the way Willie Mays’ cap flew off, and the way Cool Papa Bell ran around the bases.
“But your favorite,” the people would say, coaxing him, and he would smile, and he would say, “Well, I sure like that Ken Girffey Jr.”
“Why’s that?” people asked.
“Because,” Buck O’Neil said. “He’s having so much fun.”
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Awesome. Everytime I think of Junior, I can’t but think of how in the early 90’s, my friends and I all just figured he’d be the one to hold the All-Time HR mark in the end. Now, I think his talent speaks volumes by the fact he’s reached 600 HR’s despite …ooh, about 8-9 years of constant injuries. Amazing. And somehow, through all the injuries, he still looks like he’s enjoyin’ every swing, catch, throw, and run.
PS. I wish I could’ve met Buck O’Neil.
A buddy of mine worked at a photobooth in Seattle. Griffey came by with his family at least once a week to drop off rolls of film and pick up pictures. He was intimidate but said Griffey seemed so unaffected. One of the few celebrities who was enjoying it.
“PS. I wish I could’ve met Buck O’Neil.”
If you’ve read Joe’s book, you have. O’Neil’s own biography ain’t bad either.
Amen to Mike, and thanks Joe for these great words about Griffey. He always has been a joy to watch, and I often wonder if Seattle would have won 2, 3 or 4 World Series had they retained Griffey (and he remained healthy), Alex and Randy.
Joe, I just wanted you to know that I spent the weekend reading your book. By Sunday afternoon, I was smiling and whistling while pumping gas. I just wanted to thank you so much for writing something so honest, yet so beautiful and touching.
I am currently going to school in Germany and I cant believe the year i picked… So far since I got here I have missed the Jayhawks win the championship (for which I have friends who say I can never come home), I missed the NFL draft, I thought I was going to miss a triple crown, I am missing Lakers Celtics, and I have missed an opportunity to see Griffey’s 600th, but the saddest thing isnt that I missed it, and I know the Marlins have terrible fans, but HOW WAS THAT STADIUM EMPTY!?!?! I know last year when the Yankees were in KC I went to every possible game in hopes of seeing his 400th, more people will hit 400 home runs though, there may not be a person who hits 600 for another 50 years!
For the record I was referring to A-Rod, thats what i get for not proof-reeding.
I can still remember growing up in my early teenage years and people making a big deal because Junior was “disrespecting” the game, because he would wear his hat backwards during BP. My dad was one of them (he sorta just went along with the old crusty writers, i guess). I finally convinced him that it wasn’t a big deal; I told him to look past the hat and see how much he is enjoying the game, he never seemed to stop smiling.
My dad had the same reaction as Dan’s to Griffey’s style- he sure loved that swing though.
I’m tempted to tie my six month old son’s right arm to his body to encourage him to be a lefty. His mom won’t let me and even if I did I don’t quite think he’d end up with a stroke like the kid….
Joe, I’m re-reading Soul of Baseball right now. I can’t stop smiling.
And I, too, pity the fool who doesn’t watch Cold Pizza.
Joe… WOW, this article gave me chills. As always very well written. I also have to agree with Craigers I cannot believe how empty the stadium was… I mean Junior was the 6th person to hit 600 homers! I just don’t think that people realize the magnitude of that. People would rather see Manny or A-Rod go yard and hit 500… thats great and all but 600+ WOW! I just don’t think people care as much to see Junior hit a milestone, he’s not a “media hog” or an arrogant jerk. Congrats to this First Ballot Hall of Famer!
I am telling my friends to read this one…it is what you do best, Joe. Short, poignant, to the point, impossibly sweet. Just beautiful writing, Joe. Thanks again, and don’t get me wrong, the longer the better-I have to work when I’m done reading!
If you can’t make it out to the Kroger parking lot, just stop by Oriole Park. For anyone who hasn’t been, they have these great little baseball-shaped medallions that they put in the bricks out in the concourse past the outfield stands that mark the spots where home runs landed. There aren’t all that many of them out there, but there’s a good handful of them out on the walkway out there. But if you look away from the scattered medallions on the ground, and look across the concourse and up onto the side of the B&O railroad building that stands out there, you’ll see one more medallion, marking the spot where Griffey launched a mammoth shot in the home run derby in 1993. Sure, it wasn’t in a game. But it’s the only time anyone’s hit that building. It’s something to see.
I sat next to Willie Randolph’s wife at a Mets-Reds game a few years ago and she spoke at great length about what a great person Junior is. He’s on the list of players I’ve always rooted for.
Growing up, I actually didn’t like Griffey very much. Oh, I knew he was a great hitter and a mighty fielder, and had read in my Beckett’s and Sporting News about what a well-liked, great person he was. But as a White Sox fan, it bothered me to no end that Griffey was better than Big Frank.
As a child that was simply more than I could take; as an adult, I’ve only in hindsight come to recognize and appreciate his achievements and contributions to the game. All told, six-hundred might be that much sweeter not only for the number itself, but for the fact that for a little while we as fans can feel good about home run milestones again.
Thanks, Joe. Very nicely done.
Joe,
A great tribute for a great player. I didn’t get to see as much of Junior’s career as I would have liked. But I did have the pleasure to watch the career of one other player whose love of the game was as obvious and infectious as Griffey’s. He was also an outfielder who seemed to defy the laws of physics, retrieving balls that would have been home runs and cutting off liners that should have run the gap for doubles. He didn’t have Griffey’s pedigree, nor his sweet swing, nor his consistent power stroke. He was just a little spitfire from the South Side of Chicago who hacked his way onto the bases any way he could. He led his team, his only team, to two World Series championships, but his career was cut short by a disease with no cure, and like Griffey his legacy will always be tempered by thoughts of what might have been, what should have been. He was selected to the Hall of Fame the first year he was on the ballot, and died two years ago of a stroke, too young and too soon. He was Kirby Puckett, of course, and like Junior he spread his love of baseball throughout a whole generation of fans, who will carry it with them and pass it on to the next generation. And more than Junior’s thousands of hits, more than all the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, the MVP and the All-Star games, even more than the 600 home runs, that is the legacy that matters the most.
As a Reds fan, I always dreamed of Junior returning home. Through the late 90s, the first thing I did on any video baseball game was trade Griffey to Seattle for Willie Greene, Pokey Reese, and that season’s lousy CF.
I’ll always be sad at how Griffey’s comeback worked out – at the injuries, the boos, and the only-in-Cincinnati racism. But days like yesterday still make me really happy, more for Griffey than for myself.
Of course, my favorite Griffey moment was last year in L.A., when he gave that heckler his jock in a brown paper bag.
Griffey is where Barry Bonds could be right now. Bonds was once the same guy, a major leaguer’s son with physical skills the scouts marveled at and a limitless future.
Griffey grew out of his backward-cap stage and aged gracefully as a player. He hasn’t been at his peak for eight years or so, but he is still every Red fan’s favorite. We wonder what his career totals might have been if he had stayed healthy, but we don’t think less of him because he will end up with a home run total in the 600s and not the 700s.
Bonds went the other way. He chose standoffish instead of accessible, a glower instead of a smile. He also chose steroids and HGH, which may or may not have allowed him to pass Aaron and Ruth, but which tainted every one of his homers, even those he hit as a young phenom in Pittsburgh.
Griffey is now enjoying a victory lap. Bonds could be doing the same.
Thanks Joe – a beautiful tribute to a fantastic player . As a Reds fan, it saddens me that his homecoming didn’t really work out and it saddens me more that the ignorant fans of Cincinnati (at least some of them) treated Junior like he was somehow dialing it in. Just about every injury he got came from laying it all out on the field. Truly amazing, a player makes it to 600 homers and we still wonder what might have been ….
Being from Cincinnati, and a huge baseball fan, I am ashamed of my city for the way Junior has been treated. He has been the very definition of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t.” If he goes balls-out to make a catch and gets hurt, people complain he’s too old, fragile, etc. If he doesn’t go balls-out, then he’s loafing. The injuries have not been his fault, but rather a result of giving 100% all the time. In testament to his character, he never plays the “if only I hadn’t been injured” card, he leaves that to us. It’s funny how people in Cincy love Ryan Freel, who admittedly hustles, but can’t win a starting spot, yet denigrates one of the best players EVER. Congrats to the Kid, from a TRUE fan.
[...] Joe Posnanski has a great article that gave me chills. [...]
Excellent article Joe.
I was in the Kingdome when The Kid hit career home run #1; it landed about 20 rows below where I was. I was 11, so, for years my room was covered with posters of him. I’d wear #24, and the backwards hat. I do happen to hit left-handed, but, my swing isn’t exactly beautiful.
As a Mariners fan, I of course have always hated that he chose to leave Seattle, but at least I did get to witness him go from being a teenage phenomenon, to the future hall-of-famer he is today.
I hope that he can stay healthy and keep hitting for a few more seasons. I’d like to see him hit 700 with either the Reds, or preferably Mariners.
Perfect.
This was a very well-written article, but I have to be a party-pooper and say that I have always kind of disliked Griffey. In part it is because he has always been terribly overrated. In the 1990’s, he was considered the greatest player of his generation, voted to the all-century team, “baseball’s Michal Jordan”. In truth, to quote Bill James, “Bonds was a far, far better player”, and honestly, there are a bunch of other guys in the 1990’s who may have been better as well. Even today, people talk about him as “inner-circle” or “first ballot”. I guess it kind of depends how big your “inner circle” is; among contemporaries, I think he has had a career comparable to Gary Sheffield or Chipper Jones, definitely a Hall of Famer, but not what I would call inner circle.
Personally, he always seemed a little petulant and immature to me. In addition, there has been much written about what “might have been” for Griffey, with little acknowledgment of an issue much discussed in his younger years: his very poor conditioning, and lack of concern with keeping himself in shape. Now, I don’t know that his poor conditioning lead to his physical breakdown, but then I don’t know that steroids help baseball players either. Both seem pretty plausible, though. PED users obviously went too extreme in the other direction in the conditioning spectrum, but surely the appropriate point lies somewhere between (and varies depending on the player’s preference). But I think it is misleading to simply ascribe Griffey’s problems to an Act of God without wondering whether he may have had something to do with it.
Hey Twayn,
Good to see another refugee from BatGirl. Are there any other places that the Batlings hang out?
Junior represents the best of Cincinnati… gentlemanly, family-oriented, loyal, steadfast, smiling, disciplined & loving baseball as much as the air he breathes.
Junior is frustrated at times by not being part of a team winner here in Cincinnati; but Junior is clearly a winner in life.
Cincinnati fans (like Junior) are only frustrated with a lack of winning. Try not to listen to the negativity that sells papers; focus on the vast majority of true baseball people at the Reds stadium. They genuinely appreciate Junior’s talent; moreso his respect for history & respect for his own family.
Having Junior play in our ballyard is a luxury. Cincinnati fans appreciate him as a person. We celebrate with Junior as we watch his talent & hard work carry him to the milestone of 600 & beyond.
Last night, Junior & Dusty said the “win” made the 600 celebration all that much sweeter. Right on.
Congratulations Junior, your swing is one of the sweetest things in the game. 600…Wow. And even better, the pennant is still within reach.
Junior was the first player in MLB who was younger than I was. Now, just about all of them are. He wasn’t as good as we thought he was and didn’t live up to what we hoped he could be (darn you Griffey; how can you settle for only being the 5th best CF ever?!) But through it all, Junior has seemed to enjoy himself and brought indescribable pleasure to fans throughout the game. Thanks Kid.
They might have paved over it with the recent development around the stadium, but there used to be an X in the parking lot where he hit one (his first pro HR?) in Everett, Wa. at the Aquasox stadium
Joe, not to nitpick, but you cheated us out of 20 words. According to my word counter, that was only 580.
Chris,
That HR must have been an away game, because Everett was a Giants affiliate at the time and Griffey played up in Bellingham.
“more people will hit 400 home runs though, there may not be a person who hits 600 for another 50 years!”
What? Manny and A-Rod will hit 600 most likely in 2010.
Pujols will probably get there in 2012 or 2013.
I think your statement might be slightly exaggerated.
It’s a shame that the 600 club also features Sosa and Bonds.
“In truth, to quote Bill James, “Bonds was a far, far better playerâ€, and honestly, there are a bunch of other guys in the 1990’s who may have been better as well.”
I’ll admit that Bonds has a good case of having been the better player in the 90s.
But I’d REALLY like to see you list off that “bunch” of other guys who may have been better, and see if it withstands review.
Edit : My math’s a bit off, I calculated Pujols’ year when he’d hit 500, not 600. Pujols would get there in 2015 or 2016, IF he stays healthy. (which seems to slowly build into a major, major IF…)
Joe, your team has to be Middlesborough because of the Cleveland connection. I became a Sunderland supporter because they were near, but not at the top. Since then they’ve been relegated and promoted a couple of times. Anyway, I’ve lived in the Washington, D.C. area since I was 8 and Sunderland has Washington, England nearby. That Washington is the ancestral home of George Washington’s family. It was meant to be.
dlf, 5th best? Willie Mays and Ty Cobb are only 2. Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio can get in line after Griffey.
The guy’s swing is butter — pure 1990’s grade-A butter.
When I see players reaching benchmarks like this I always think of Albert Belle too. If he stayed healthly and out of trouble he could have been up there with the best of them.
Thank you. It made me do some writing of my own.
I also just finished The Book. I was walking down the street reading The Book. And I came home and handed it to my boyfriend and told him that he had to read it.
Now please finish the book on the Big Red Machine, because one of my best friends needs to read it. Thank you.
p.s. I say that completely tongue in cheek. I just finished my second novel and the research for that took a year.
So is Junior now the best left-handed hitting outfielder born in Donora PA on November 21, or is it still the other guy?
Jr’s 1st MLB AB against Dave Stewart @ Oakland: He jacked one to the base of the wall in left centerfield for a double. Anywhere but the “mausoleum” and we are talking about his 601st HR. The perfect player.
Packing so much joy into so few a word, Joe.
Thanks.
Mantle was better than Griffey. Speaker has a good case too, I think that makes him fifth.
Great job Joe.
I love Jr. too.
dlf, 5th best? Willie Mays and Ty Cobb are only 2. Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio can get in line after Griffey.
I have, in no particular order, Mays, Cobb, Mantle, and Oscar Charleston clearly ahead of Junior. I think a good case can be made for DiMaggio and Speaker. Junior, in my mind, is somewhere between 5th and 7th.
But really, on a day like this, I’d rather not argue stats. Instead, I’d just like to linger in my memories of the skinny Kid who leaped walls to make heroic catches while breaking his leg. Or the callow youth who went back-to-back with his Dad once. Or that beautiful, majestic, long swing. Or those bright sunny smiles showing us all how much fun it is to play a boys game. I know he is nearing the end, but I want to linger in my own youth as long as I can.
it’s still ‘the other guy’ from Donora PA
I’ve got Griffey 4th, ahead of Mantle and Joe D, and pretty much tied with Speaker, so 3rd could be easily claimed
The game in Everett was indeed an away game–and the spot now has a plaque there.
Man Griffey was my favorite player ever when I was a kid. I grew up idolizing him. I had something like 50-100 of his baseball cards (but never his ‘89 Upper Deck rookie card, which I painfully watched my friend’s dad find in the ONE pack of Upper Dack he randomly bought). With me and my friends it was always either Griffey or Frank. My friends liked Frank better, but I always hated him. Griffey is probably my favorite player in the history of baseball.
Junior is #1b on my list of favorite players (Edgar is #1a and always will be). As an M’s fan, even if would do nothing to help their chances in the future and the idiot front office would probably dump eight prospects for him, I would welcome him back in a heartbeat. Love the way he plays, love the way he carries himself, love the way he was so surprised at the warmth Seattle gave him when he returned to Safeco.
Thanks for this! Despite the off-year/injury years he remains a legend in Seattle and around the Nation..
Sure, I think Bagwell, Thomas, and, if you give a big catcher bonus, Piazza were all arguably better than Griffey. Personally I would take Bagwell and Piazza, but probably give Griffey the slight edge over Thomas. James would have said Biggio, but I think he was wrong. And that is not even mentioning pitchers.
For CF, even ignoring the Negro leagues (this is solely out of ignorance; I am pretty sure Oscar Charelston would do pretty well) I think Mays, Cobb, Speaker, Mantle, and DiMaggio were all a lot better, relative to their time. Griffey is more like Duke Snider than those 5. I guess if you have a really extreme timeline you could get him above them, but such a drastic timeline would have other weird effects (you would have to conclude, for instance, that Jeff Bagwell was better than Lou Gehrig).
I agree that is seems churlish to harp on his negatives on what should be a wonderful day for a terrific ballplayer. I think it just annoys me that people feel the need to pretend he was something he wasn’t, and blow his already tremendous accomplishments all out of proportion. I think that Griffey is one of the 70 best baseball players ever, and has accomplished something only 5 other people ever have; that should be reason enough to celebrate.
By the way, I should say that I had no such problems with Joe’s post, which I thought was very good and exactly the sort of honor that Griffey deserves.
Blackadder,
To be honest, I’m not even sure where to begin with your posts. Even if we were to ignore all the intangibles that the Kid brought (which is really the point of the article), his numbers alone dwarf those of Bagwell, Thomas and (haha) Piazza. Dwarfs them.
Frank Thomas? Couldn’t play defense, run or lead.
Mike Piazza? Great hitter, pretty awful catcher most of the time.
Jeff Bagwell? Great OBP, but no one ever stayed in their seat to see his at bats.
But I get it…you want to be a contrarian.
Actually, what I did was take three random names of guys from the following career value list who had most of their value in the 1990’s:
http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/hall_of_merit/
discussion/dan_rosenhecks_warp_data/P400/
(scroll down to post 422)
This uses Dan Rosenheck’s WARP, which I think is the best of the uberstats, and for their total careers he has Piazza at 25 (he gives a large catcher bonus), Bagwell at 43, Griffey at 51 and Thomas at 56. Taking into account the catcher bonus, I suspect most other sabermetric ways of analysing the situation would come up with them all pretty close as well (I just looked at their Baseball Prospectus WARP1’s and it seemed pretty good). The basic issue is that Griffey’s defense never comes out so great, and all three of those guys were a lot better hitters (and I would definitely stay in my seat to watch Bagwell’s at bats; the man had one of the most distinctive batting stances in baseball history!).
And I agree that this is not really the point of Joe’s post. He had some very nice, well written anecdotes about Griffey. I think all players of Griffey’s calibre deserve that kind of treatment. But when people try to claim that he was better than Barry Bonds or Mickey Mantle or whatever, I feel that it actually cheapens what is a career worth celebrating solely on its actual merits.
I still think it’s pretty wacky that the last three guys to hit #600, all hit them while Dusty Baker was their manager, Dusty got to see some pretty remarkable Home Run History over the course of his career, from his days (as a pretty impressive slugger himself) with Aaron’s Braves until now—lucky guy.
Don’t underrate Jeff Bagwell. He went on maybe the biggest tear in MLB history in 1994 when, in my rotisserie league, I traded him for….Hal Morris. Yes, I traded Jeff Bagwell in 1994 for Hal Morris. Bagwell absolutely raked that year, he had 39 HRs and 116 RBI in 110 games. Imagine if the strike did not happen. He could have beaten Maris’ and Hack Wilson’s record in the same year! He was the best hitter in baseball history for 2 months, you can look it up. I know 2 months does not make a hall of famer, but obviously his stats over the rest of his career will get him in.
I had Ken Griffey , Frank Thomas and Manny Ramirez on that keeper league team. But I traded Jeff Bagwell for Hal Morris.
And I thought Roger Salkeld and Greg W. Harris would be great pitchers someday.
Great article, Joe. I’ve been a fan of Griffey for a long time – and I guess people like blackadder don’t get the point.
Watching Griffey play in his prime was just fun. He could do so many things. Screw the stats. Forget your comparisons. I imagine that the kid was the closest thing to watching Willie Mays that ever was. I saw him hit two home runs then nearly kill himself making a catch in left center. The Mariners were winning 8-1.
@ Blackadder: If you think Bonds had a better career, and aren’t sure what the effects of steroids are on baseball players, look at Brady Anderson. He hit 50 home runs one year, after having an average of 9 HR’s per season in the previous 8 years. Maybe steroids doesn’t make anyone who takes them good at baseball, but if people who are already very good at baseball take them, such as Bonds, it makes them absolute anomalies. (i.e. 73 HR season) Griffey should be commended because he had the power without the juice, and when his body couldn’t be rescued from injury in the natural way for so many years, he didn’t take the easy road out and use steroids.
Imagine if the strike did not happen. He could have beaten Maris’ and Hack Wilson’s record in the same year!
Only if the removing the Strike also has magical powers to fix Bagwell’s broken hand. Remember, he got hit with a pitch on the last day of that season and would have missed the remainder of the year. In Bag’s case, the Strike may actually help his HOF chances — otherwise he sits out the remainder of the year and looses his MVP.
My Junior story:
I was at a Red Sox- Mariners game a Fenway when Junior was still with Seattle. My seats were four rows off the field, ten feet from the Sox on-deck circle. With the Sox coming to bat, a ten year old girl with a cardboard camera was standing up trying to take a picture of the Sox player – let’s call him the Jerk d’jour – and JDJ wasn’t paying any attention.
Another fan bellowed out, “Hey, JDJ, you’re this girl’s favorite player. Can she take your picture?” Nothing. He yelled again. Again, nothing. The third time he yelled, it was, “Asshole.”
The next half-inning, Junior and Joey Cora were talking in the Mariner’s on-deck circle. Mr. Leather-lung bellowed out, “Hey, Ken Griffey, can this girl take your picture?”
Junior, without even acknowledging the fan, picked up his bat and struck a pose – batting right-handed, no less – and then, just as naturally, put the bat down and continued his conversation.
I’m sure there were a few fans in Fenway who wondered why it was that 20 people behind home plate seemed to be giving a standing ovation between innings for no particular reason.
No way is DiMaggio better than Junior. We’re talking about Junior’s 600th homer here. DiMaggio hit 361 (probably would have had, let’s say, 425 if not for the war). So, please, try to make up for the 175 missing homers. Defense? Speed? Baserunning? Compared to Junior? Please.
DiMaggio was so overrated in his OWN time that he won the MVP in a year in which Ted Williams was better than him in every last offensive statistic, save stolen bases. He was so overrated that he finished 12th in 1949 when he played 76 games.
And he continues to be overrated today.
Overrated to the point he wins an MVP over Teddy Ballgame’s Triple Crown—Amen, Josh in DC, Amen.
Moe,
I don’t know about others, but I tend to hang out at StickandBallGuy’s blog, and I always check in on TwinsGeek, MNGameday, Gleeman, Seth, and Twinkie Town.
Every time you mention Buck’s name, a tear comes to my eye. What a great man – who loved life. I’m still very bitter that he didn’t get to see himself inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. He should have been there.
Devon/Mike, you should read Joe’s book and Buck’s autobiography, but the one thing I will say about meeting Buck in person is that it was amazing to talk with him and leave with the feeling that YOU were the most important person in that conversation, not him. He had a charisma that is lost in this day and age…that is impossible to get across fully on the printed page.
DiMaggio was one of the most overrated players EVER, and this is coming from a Yankee fan. For as much as I hated Griffey after that 1995 ALDS when he slid across the plate with the winning run and set this then-10-year-old into tears, you got to give him as due as one of the top 3-4 CF’s in MLB history. And as for the Bonds comparison, if you look at their age 21-28 seasons, Bonds had an OPS+ of 153.8 with 222 HR. Griffey had 154.4 with 312 HR despite missing half a season. So there was a time when all the excitement surrounding Junior was justified; there was a time when he was perhaps the only player with a real chance to break Aaron’s record. If you think he’s overrated, then Bonds has corrupted your senses – just look at Griffey’s numbers!
I live in Seattle and saw the great Junior years, including the one (was it more than one) when we had Junior and Senior together. I did attend the extra game against the Angels to clinch the first pennant. In my memory, I was also at the game where Junior and Senior hit back-to-back homers. But maybe I just remember being there and was not. That is what time, age and the magic of Dave Niehaus can do to you, though. (For those that don’t know, Niehaus has been the voice of the M’s since day one and he best broadcaster since Red Barber.)
You know, as I think about my bitter comments from this morning having spent a little time with Soul of Baseball during my lunch hour, I think it was a lousy way to put it. Buck never would have elevated Junior by insulting Joltin’ Joe. And even the Sox fan in me feels a little bad about that.
They’re both great players and each perfect for his era. Joe DiMaggio would have been hounded by ESPN2 if he played today for any number of personal failings, but he is the very picture of 1950s America in my mind. Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
Aside from any of my favorite Phillies players, Junior is definitely my favorite and I only wish he could read what you wrote so he knows he is a truly appreciated ballplayer and human being.
My JR story dates back to his last regular season HS game.
We played against Moeller in a “replica” Riverfront stadium in suburban Cincinnati (it had outfield walls the same dimensions as Riverfront, other than that, it bore no resemblence). There were several scouts there to watch Griffey, although I am sure he was already the consensus first pick in the draft. Anyway, one of our guys hit a bomb to left-center. The 18 year old JR caught the ball and crashed into the plywood wall. He held on to the ball but we thought he was dead; he was down for a few minutes, but was all right.
So he can field. At the plate, we wondered what the big deal was. He struck out looking and went out 1-3 on a check swing tapper back to the box. Big deal, we thought. Heck, I could do that. We were getting on him a little bit.
His third at bat he lined a pitch that never got higher than 10′ off the ground off of the wall down the line (330′). Triple.
We shut up. In that instant, we all went from competitors to admirers. I have been a fan ever since. . .
Buck O’Neil must have seen Griffey in the early years in Seattle. I saw Griffey the last season he played in Seattle, and you could tell that he wasn’t having much fun any more.
I took my son to a Mariners kids’ baseball camp at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, sometime in late 1988 or early 1989. My son loved Ken Griffey, Jr., idolized him. Griffey gave a short seminar on fielding which consisted mostly of — “I don’t know how I do that. The coaches tell me not to think about it.” Which isn’t bad advice for someone who has incredible natural talent, but it’s useless for kids. After the seminars, all the players stayed for one-on-ones with the kids, but Griffey just disappeared. We met Dave Valle and Randy Johnson (he had just come over from the Expos) and a few other players I can’t remember now.
My son cried in the car going home for 50 miles. It would have taken a half hour out of Ken Griffey’s important schedule to create a lifelong memory for dozens of kids. Undoubtedly, he was too busy. It was one of the most classless things I’ve ever seen. Excuse me, but so what about his beautiful swing?