Today July 24, 2016 Ken
Griffey Junior will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I know a lot of
writers especially in the Seattle, Washington area will be writing about his
induction so I will keep it brief.
I have to say that he
is one of the two favorite players that I got to chance to watch and enjoy.
Actually Jr I got the chance to see more because he played for my home team the
Seattle Mariners for thirteen years. The other was Willie Mays who I only got
to see just the last few years of his career because I was a young child. The
games of Mays were only shown on Saturday game of the week that I could see.
Both these guys were the very best two players ever to play centerfield. Junior
never considered himself a home run hitter primarily because he was more than
that in his mind. Most of his home runs had a lot of meaning to them though.
Junior could not only
run and crash into walls while making the catch he ran the bases pretty well
too. We all know that by remembering the score he made to beat the New York
Yankees in the playoffs of 1995. He scored all the way from first base on a
double by Edgar Martinez to win the fifth game and for the Mariners to help
move on in their first appearance in the American League playoffs. His smile at
the bottom of the pile when scoring that run showed what we had seen many times
before and since. Today whether we remember all the words he speaks to accept
his place in Cooperstown I am sure we will see that smile along with his
wonderful laugh.
I was in Cooperstown
for my only visit so far five years ago. I look forward to the next time and
see him along with the Big Unit. Also I hope to see Edgar Martinez there along
with Ichiro who will get his 3000 hit in the major leagues very shortly.
Anyway I will leave
this right now for all of us to think and meditate on all what Junior did for
the Mariners and baseball. Congratulations George Kenneth Griffey Junior.
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