He’ll Always Be Junior To Me

When the news crossed the wire late this afternoon that Ken Griffey, Jr. had announced his retirement, I found myself thinking back to a great period of time in my life as a baseball fan.

You see, in 1989, I was a 19 year-old kid, about to begin my freshman year of college in Seattle – the exact same time that “Junior” was debuting for the Seattle Mariners at the age of 19.  In those days, Griffey was always referred to as “Junior” or “The Kid,” as Ken Griffey, Sr. was not only his father, but his teammate as well for two seasons (1990, 1991).

The Mariners played in the concrete cave known as the Kingdome, and while the team and the venue generally left a lot to be desired, fans could always look forward to the play of Ken Griffey, Jr.  His sweet, fluid home run swing was perfectly matched by his spectacular play in the outfield.  Best of all, the character he showed off the field was even better.  His smile and attitude displayed the true love he had for simply playing the game.  As he became a better and better player, rising to the level of Seattle’s first true superstar, he never lost that love for competition.

I’ll never forget the two seasons I had a 20-game ticket pack for the Mariners.  In 1995 and 1996, the Mariners were at the top of their game, and so was Griffey.  The 1995 “Refuse to Lose” season in particular was a miracle for baseball fans in the Northwest.  The Mariners were in an incredibly tight pennant race and came barreling down the stretch, just as the Washington State legislature was trying to pass a financial package for a new stadium.  If not for showing Seattle residents what the excitement of a pennant race was all about, the Mariners would have moved to Tampa Bay, as they were threatening.  The Legislature came through in the 11th hour due to overwhelming public support from new baseball fans across Washington, and Safeco Field was born.  It’s accurately referred to as “The House That Griffey Built.”

Larry Stone, the longtime baseball writer for The Seattle Times, had a chance to speak today with former teammates Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez about Griffey’s career:

“I hope to God that he’s really and truly happy,” Buhner said Wednesday evening. “That’s all I care about at this stage. He is the most beloved Mariner ever. He dedicated his whole life to the game, and you can ask anyone — there were times he played in a whole different league, a whole different level, from the rest of us.

“But I just hope that after everything he’s done putting us on the map, making Seattle a baseball city, saving baseball in Seattle, I hope to God he’s happy. I hope he’s at peace, and that when he puts his head on his pillow tonight, he feels good about the decision he’s made.”

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“From the beginning, you could tell right away he was a five-tool player,” Martinez said. “They don’t come around very often. He was a guy that had a lot of confidence, even as a young player, just the way he carried himself. Plus all the talent. Wow. You could just see if he stayed healthy, he was going to be an amazing player. And he was.”

When Junior asked to be traded to Cincinnati after the 1999 season, it was a crushing blow to those of us in Seattle that loved him.  His reason was that he wanted to be closer to his family.  I’ll never forget what his dad said to him when he was considering asking for the trade: “No one will ever love you as much as the fans of your first team will.”  Those words turned out to be quite prophetic, as Griffey struggled through an injury-plagued eight seasons with the Reds and the Chicago White Sox.  He was never the same.

When Junior returned home to the Seattle Mariners in 2009 as a free agent, all seemed right in the world.  The Kid cold end his career on his own terms, in the stadium he helped build and with the fans that loved him more than anyone else.

Although this final season has not gone as anyone would have liked, Junior is going out on top.  He’s currently fifth on the all-time home run list, and is one of just a handful from the modern era that are a member of this prestigious club and have never been implicated or accused of any wrongdoing with performance enhancing drugs.  It’s my feeling that this fact will only increase Junior’s legacy in the years ahead, as baseball fans and journalists gain some perspective on the era.

Congratulations on a fantastic career, Junior.  You played the game the way it was meant to be played, always at one hundred percent, and always with a smile on your face.  And for Mariner and baseball fans everywhere, I say thank you.  It’s been one hell of a ride.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Gary Stewart