I mean, that is the perfect picture of him, isn't it? The swing. It all started with the swing. The sweetest of his generation and arguably of all time - I'll put Ted Williams right up here with Junior.
Today, what has long been a formality will become a reality and Ken Griffey, Jr. will be announced as the newest member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. On a national perspective, Junior is revered as the greatest player of the last thirty years and one of the best all around players in the games storied history. The feather in his cap is that he cleanly put up staggering career numbers in an era tarnished by cheaters, goons and liars. While other players miraculously got BETTER as they aged, Junior sadly broke down in his 30's, you know, like a normal human. From the outside, Ken Griffey, Jr. is the perfect Hall of Fame candidate.
For anybody who grew up in Seattle in the late 80's and 90's however, Ken Griffey is something far more important and special. Seattle in the 80's was a football town, and even that was on the downtrend. After the Seahawks nearly went to the Super Bowl in 1984 and won a division championship in 1988, their star was fading. Largent was on the back end of his storied career and Ken Behring was just beginning his systematic destruction of the franchise. The Sonics were mired in mediocrity and were two years away from pairing Payton and Kemp together. The Mariners were a Triple A team playing in the Majors and called a football stadium their home. The M's were such a mess that they nearly passed on picking Junior 1st overall in 1987 for some schmuck named Mike Harkey . Thank God for Chuck Armstrong (at that point, anyway) and his people who were able to convince ownership that Junior was a once in a generation talent.
Until Junior joined the Mariners in 1989, nobody cared about the M's. For me, my favorite team was the Oakland Athletics. The Bash Brothers were the epitome of cool, and they were winners. Hell, I cried like a baby when Kirk Gibson walked off on Eck in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
That's how much I loved baseball and the A's. My family had season tickets to the Mariners but I only wanted to go when the A's were in town. Since the Mariners were so terrible, there was really never an issue with me getting to go.
Everything changed on April 3rd, 1989. Ken Griffey made his Major League debut and promptly took Dave Stewart off the wall in left center field for a double. Five days later, Junior made his home debut against the California/Anaheim/Disney Angels, and I was lucky enough to be in attendance with my Grandfather. I will never forget the exchange that he and I had thirty seconds before the at bat began:
Boppa: Paul, do you see this guy coming up to bat?
Me: Yes. It's Ken Griffey.
Boppa: Remember today - one day you'll tell your kids that you saw Ken Griffey's first at bat in Seattle.
As soon as Boppa finished talking, this happened....
That was it. I was hooked, and so was Seattle. We'd never had our own legitimate star - a guy who was our own, who came up through our system and was actually the best player in any particular sport. The legend would only grow from there.
As the years went on, Junior did things that made us simply shake our head and say "wow." He was so good, and made it look so easy that we didn't realize just how special he was. If it's possible, the generation's greatest player was under appreciated and his own teammate got more attention. We all know how that turned out....
Junior made us want to wear our hat backwards, made us want to play outfield and made the Kingdome the place to be, even when the M's were shitty - you just never knew what you were going to see. Great catches, majestic homers, laser throws, or just overall greatness. Every single kid in the neighborhood could mimic the swing; it was just so damn cool looking.
Just like any long term relationship, there was drama and heartbreak.
Griffey dumped Seattle for Cincinnati, and was never the same player. When he returned to Seattle in 2007, all of the hurt and heartbreak gave way to respect and admiration - a classic case of not knowing what you've got until it's gone.
Even with his less than stellar swan song with the Mariners in 2009 and 2010, we've been counting down until today for 26 years. The day when the world recognizes the first Seattle Superstar as a true legend. It's also a chance for an entire generation of fans to share with their children - just like parents who grew up watching Mantle and Mays shared with us so many years ago. I can't wait to sit down with my boys and show them Ken Griffey Jr. highlights and say to them, "I watched him play. I saw him when he was just starting. He was like nobody else." I can't wait for them to slowly grasp how special Junior was and how special the game of baseball truly is.
For all that he's done and all that he continues to do, thank you Junior. Thank you for everything, and congratulations on your election to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. No player deserves it more.
Paul - Great post! Seattle was never a baseball town until Junior. I was fortunate enough to meet him a few times off the field, and he conducted himself as a regular guy, like one of us. Funny and relaxed, his style is certainly missed in todays game. Hopefully the Mariner's ownership will someday change and allow for a World Series Goal Oriented direction, not a money making off of the Food COurt.
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