Ken Griffey Jr. called it quits today, ending an the amazing 22 year career of this baseball icon. In recent weeks things have gotten ugly for Griffey. He was caught sleeping during a game, his playing time was falling apart, and he wasn't playing well. Yet, all of us should forget that.
Griffey is one of the best players I have ever seen, and one of the few that seemed to have done it cleanly. He is 5th all time in HRs, made 13 All-Star appearances, and is known as one of the best teammates in baseball.
"To play with him is a treasure I will keep deep in my heart," Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki said through an interpreter. "I have played 19 years in professional baseball and I can say he was one of my best teammates and my best friend (ESPN)."
Players like Griffey don't come around very often. He is an icon even if you don't like baseball. Who hasn't tried the "Griffey swing"? I really can't understand how anyone couldn't be a little sad that he is gone. Sure, his career has been over for a little while now, and maybe it lingered too long, but still this is like seeing the last part of my childhood "move on".
Milton Bradley, Griffey's teammate for only a few months, turned to Mike Sweeney during batting practice and said, "on a day like this, it should rain in Seattle (ESPN)."
No comments:
Post a Comment