Never Iffy If It's Griffey
I would love to say that "out of nowhere, Ken Griffey Jr. retired from baseball today", but I don't quite believe it. I think he saw that his time was running out, and rather than drag out what has become a lackluster season with a "Goodbye Griffey" day and the crowd cheering as PA guy Tom Hutyler says that last time "Now batting, Ken Griffey...Junior!" and we all have to wait a minute or three because everyone is taking pictures with camera phones and the cheering is just too loud...
That wasn't going to happen. The wheels were coming off of the Griffey Express and we all had a box seat to it. The guy couldn't hit for anything, there was that whole fall-asleep thing, and he had to play Designated Hitter to have a place on the team. The eventual retirement wasn't going to be at the end of the season, it would come on his terms.
On the other hand, there were those years long ago when Griffey compiled 630 home runs, roamed the outfield with little concern for his own well-being if stretching would put him inches closer to the out, and all of those things that got him a nightly reel on SportsCenter and even a rather pivotal role in Little Big League. There is now a bobblehead of Griffey sliding into home as a result of The Double, as well as several murals inside and around the edges of Safeco Field. (There's also a plaque on Eutaw Street in Baltimore, marking where his Home Run Derby ball landed after carroming off the warehouse beyond right field.)
When Alex Rodriguez returned to Safeco Field to play against Seattle for the first time, he was greeted with a chorus of boos and play money being thrown from the seats. (Apparently the only thing money can't buy besides love is a World Series ring...) When Griffey returned, he was welcomed openly and warmly. I hope that the fans of Seattle will remember him more for his first tenure in Seattle than his second. I certainly will.
That wasn't going to happen. The wheels were coming off of the Griffey Express and we all had a box seat to it. The guy couldn't hit for anything, there was that whole fall-asleep thing, and he had to play Designated Hitter to have a place on the team. The eventual retirement wasn't going to be at the end of the season, it would come on his terms.
On the other hand, there were those years long ago when Griffey compiled 630 home runs, roamed the outfield with little concern for his own well-being if stretching would put him inches closer to the out, and all of those things that got him a nightly reel on SportsCenter and even a rather pivotal role in Little Big League. There is now a bobblehead of Griffey sliding into home as a result of The Double, as well as several murals inside and around the edges of Safeco Field. (There's also a plaque on Eutaw Street in Baltimore, marking where his Home Run Derby ball landed after carroming off the warehouse beyond right field.)
When Alex Rodriguez returned to Safeco Field to play against Seattle for the first time, he was greeted with a chorus of boos and play money being thrown from the seats. (Apparently the only thing money can't buy besides love is a World Series ring...) When Griffey returned, he was welcomed openly and warmly. I hope that the fans of Seattle will remember him more for his first tenure in Seattle than his second. I certainly will.