Ken Griffey Jr. Retires From MLB

[R_of_G]

News about Major League Baseball was dominated yesterday by the controversy surrounding the blown call in the otherwise perfect game thrown by Armando Galarraga. While it is a big story and will likely impact the future of MLB as far as possible expansion of instant replay, unfortunately, it overshadowed what should have been the big baseball story yesterday, the retirement of my generation's greatest player, Ken Griffey Jr.

In an era where basbeball fans endured the antics of so many overpaid, overhyped, egomaniacal divas on steroids, Griffey was the antithesis. This was a guy that played every inning like it was Game 7 of a World Series and did some serious damage to his body in the process. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Griffey didn't turn to performance enhancing drugs to help him heal from his injuries. One wonders if he'd been able to remain healthy if discussions of Barry Bonds would be moot. As it stands, Griffey is fifth on the all-time home run list with 630. Adding in the games he missed might not get him to Bonds' number, but he'd very likely be over 700 and perhaps would have stuck around longer to give a run at the record. I could easily see an American League team with nothing going for it signing Griffey as a DH just to have him in their uniform to break the record.

Record-holder or not, Ken Griffey Jr. was the epitome of a ballplayer and a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer.

Oh, and I'd be remiss not to point out that his retirement marks the last of the players who appeared in The Simpsons' third season episode "Homer at the Bat" as ringers on the power plant softball team.

Thanks for the memories Junior. You were, without question, the best baseball player I've ever personally seen play.

[Eric]

Yeah, he was a monster in the 90s. I lost track of him when he went to Cincinnati, but it looks like he still had 4 or 5 good years in there. It's kind of sad, because after leaving Seattle, I remember him more for getting injured all of the time and pulling a Grant Hill than for anything else.

Still, heck of a baseball player.

[marnold]

In an era where basbeball fans endured the antics of so many overpaid, overhyped, egomaniacal divas on steroids, Griffey was the antithesis. This was a guy that played every inning like it was Game 7 of a World Series and did some serious damage to his body in the process. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Griffey didn't turn to performance enhancing drugs to help him heal from his injuries.
I like Junior too, but we cannot say with any certainty whatsoever that he didn't use any performance enhancing drugs. Unfortunately, everyone falls under a shadow of doubt, particularly the ones who hit historically-high numbers of home runs. I mean, at one point he was over 100 home runs ahead of the pace set by Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. That's crazy. I'm not saying that he did use them, but he will forever be a part of baseball's steroid era.

Also I'm sure that there are plenty of Seattle fans who would have a different attitude about him forcing a trade to the Reds--and only the Reds--in 2000. Then there's the whole sleeping in the clubhouse thing this year.

Don't get me wrong, I wish he would have stayed healthy and beaten both Aaron and Bonds, but it was not to be. He probably had the most beautiful swing I've ever seen.

[Eric]

He probably had the most beautiful swing I've ever seen.
Is that like saying someone has great tone?

[sunvalleylaw]

I was in Seattle/Tacoma when Jr. arrived. The Mariners had been since they started in '77 or so the low team on the Seattle team pole. Back in the 70's it was not at all a given that Seattle was really a major league city, other than the Sonics.

Jr., Buhner, Martinez and Co. brought the Mariners up to contender status and gave us some great years. My favorite, of course, was beating the Yankees in 1995. Edgar in game 5 after Jr.'s homer earlier may be one of my favorite moments in teams sports, up there with the Olympic hockey victory in 1980.

We will be traveling to Seattle later in the summer, and I was hoping to catch a game with Jr. playing, but alas. . . . . Thanks, Jr., for the memories!

[R_of_G]

Also I'm sure that there are plenty of Seattle fans who would have a different attitude about him forcing a trade to the Reds--and only the Reds--in 2000.

Perhaps SV can speak to this more since he's from the region, but I think Seattle fans ought to take that with a grain of salt and look at things in their historical perspective now that his career is done. Without Griffey in Seattle, there's a very real possibility the Mariners would have been long gone. For a long time here in Tampa prior to the expansion which created the Rays, the only hope this area had in getting a MLB team was to get another team to relocate. For many years the most real possibility of this happening was the Mariners. Then came Griffey and Martinez and Buhner (via the worst trade the Yankees ever made) and suddenly the fans in Seattle had a real baseball team which they fought to keep in their city. I'm sure hard feelings still linger with some for the way he left, but I hope those fans realize without him, they'd have only the Seahawks left now.

As for the PED thing, you're right, we don't know for sure, but I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt. While it is impossible to prove a negative, I would contend that the fact that Griffey remained injured for long periods of time suggests that he didn't pull an Andy Pettite and take steroids to heal more rapidly from his injuries. With that swing of his, I think Griffey could have hit 600+ homers in any era.

[sunvalleylaw]

Perhaps SV can speak to this more since he's from the region, but I think Seattle fans ought to take that with a grain of salt and look at things in their historical perspective now that his career is done. Without Griffey in Seattle, there's a very real possibility the Mariners would have been long gone. For a long time here in Tampa prior to the expansion which created the Rays, the only hope this area had in getting a MLB team was to get another team to relocate. For many years the most real possibility of this happening was the Mariners. Then came Griffey and Martinez and Buhner (via the worst trade the Yankees ever made) and suddenly the fans in Seattle had a real baseball team which they fought to keep in their city. I'm sure hard feelings still linger with some for the way he left, but I hope those fans realize without him, they'd have only the Seahawks left now.

As for the PED thing, you're right, we don't know for sure, but I prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt. While it is impossible to prove a negative, I would contend that the fact that Griffey remained injured for long periods of time suggests that he didn't pull an Andy Pettite and take steroids to heal more rapidly from his injuries. With that swing of his, I think Griffey could have hit 600+ homers in any era.

I am only one guy, and really, I am more a skier/biker/runner etc. guy. So I cannot speak for Seattle fans in general. But I think most fans understood what Griffey was trying to do, and/or forgave him. The chat rooms at the papers were mostly supportive, even after the "napster" thing, which was from an unconfirmed source to my old hometown newspaper, The Tacoma News Tribune. I know some were noticing Jr's best days were behind him too though.

You hit the nail on the head about what Griffey and crew did for the M's. That was exactly what I was trying to say. I am still dismayed by the loss of the Seattle Supersonics. Most remember what Griffey and crew did to help the M's, I would bet. As for trades with the Yankees, I felt we ended up being a farm team for them starting with about A-rod. Grr. They just have too much money. But the Griffey, Martinez, Big Unit, Buhner years were special.

And as for the drug thing, I give him the benefit of the doubt right now. I even do that for Lance, and he is likely more suspect at this point. But it is so easy to accuse, and so hard to prove a negative. Ergo the presumption of innocence.

In any case, I can't help but be saddened a bit by the day, and also am thankful for what he did. I am also glad he finished it in a M's uniform.

[sunvalleylaw]

This is a good vid, and retrospective with some perspective. McGrath, while I don't always agree with him, is pretty good. http://blog.thenewstribune.com/photo/2010/06/02/columnist-john-mcgrath-comments-on-griffey’s-career/

[Tig]

Jr., Buhner, Martinez and Co. brought the Mariners up to contender status and gave us some great years.

And now for my Münchhausen moment:
I went to high school with Jay Buhner. Class of '82. His district batting average was in the mid 600's! His nickname was "Beaner". He had blond curly hair, like a hobbit in those days.
/Münchhausen moment.

Jay always batted second best with Jr. on the Mariners, but never complained. He was the kind of guy you want on your team.

Special true story time:
In high school, we were a group of about a dozen surfers. We were the only group that got along with all the other social clicks and groups, so we had all kinds of friends. One of us, Blake, went into the Navy after high school, but was later dishonorably discharged. AWOL, but also drugs most likely. Blake got into trouble for a while, but then got his life back together, got married, and moved back to Michigan where he was originally from.

Every time Seattle played Detroit, Jay would send tickets to Blake and sometimes locker room passes. When time allowed, Jay would take Blake's family out to dinner. One night while driving home from work, Blake hit a patch of black ice and died in a single car accident. Buhner heard about it and sent between $20,000 and $25,000 to Blake's widow. He never sought recognition, and the papers never caught wind of it. He just did it to help out the wife of a buddy. That's the kind of guy he is.

At the 20 year high school reunion several year ago, Jay was easy going and didn't seek attention, like some of the jerks we tried to ignore. He was several times richer than any of us! If he wasn't so damn tall, you'd never have known he was there!

[sunvalleylaw]

I always liked Buhner. Great story!!

[R_of_G]

Thanks for that Tig. I've still yet to forgive the Yankees for trading him. I wonder whatever became of Ken Phelps anyway. :thwap