Congrats, Junior!

[Shpongled]

Ken Griffey Jr. knocked his 600th HR out of the park today. He's only the 6th player in baseball history to accomplish it. In an era of alleged cheating and steroids, crooked players, coaches, etc, Griffey has always been a class act. Amazing natural talent, the most love for the game any person could ever have, a humble and positive attitude, and general all around great guy. Even though he's spent the 2nd half of his career in Cincinnati, he was the biggest icon in Seattle sports history when he played for the Mariners. I'll never ever ever ever forget watching him run around the bases in in the 95 playoffs and sliding into home in the 11th inning, putting the Mariners in the ALCS and watching the entire team pile on top of him while he grins like a child who's just seen his first candy store.

From Wikipedia:

Perhaps the single most memorable moment of Griffey's career with the Mariners came during the 1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) against the New York Yankees. After losing the first two games, the Mariners and Griffey were on the verge of elimination, but came back to win the next two games, setting up a decisive fifth game. In the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 5, with Griffey on first base, teammate Edgar Martínez hit a double. Griffey raced around the bases, slid into home with the winning run, and popped up into the waiting arms of the entire team. Although the Mariners subsequently lost the ALCS to former Mariners manager Mike Hargrove's Indians, that moment remains one of the most memorable in Mariners history, capping a season that "saved baseball in Seattle",[8][9] as it occurred in the midst of speculation that the franchise would relocate to another city.

On top of all this, he made some of the most specatular catches I've ever seen in centerfield, and he had a cannon for an arm and threw dudes out at homeplate from centerfield like he was tossing a horseshoe.

When the Reds came to Seattle last year and Griffey made his return to Seattle, they had a big special memorial presentation for him before the game and he came out and spoke very nicely about Seattle, his time playing here and all the fans. It was very touching and the place was sold out, standing, listening and then screaming applause through the whole thing. Half the crowd left (including me) after his first at bat that game. They all came just to welcome him back. That speaks in itself for the impact he had on this city.

I love Ken Griffey Jr. and nobody deserves something like this more than him. He's one of the greatest baseball players that ever lived. Congrats Junior!!!!!!

 

[Liverslapper]

 

[Cat5Messiah]

He should come back.....maybe we could win some games some time.

 

[Shpongled]

Nah, he's home now where he belongs and wants to be. He needs to retire a Red.

 

[Shpongled]

Perfect!

 

[Cat5Messiah]

Oh yeah, he's from the east coast, isn't he? Maybe that's why he seemed to be an asshole when I met him back in 92'-93'.

 

[Shpongled]

He's from Cincinnati. When he left the Mariners, the Reds were the only team he even considered going to play for. He just wanted to go home. At the time, it confused me and made me sad because I didn't want him to go. Now I completely understand why he did it. Funny what growing up does to a person haha.

 

[Cat5Messiah]

Yes Kevin, you are getting old.....shit, I'm only a couple years younger than you.

That means I'm right behind you on the oldness factor. Senility, here we come!

 

[Shpongled]

All I need now is a lawn for the damned kids!

 

[Cat5Messiah]

Make sure you board up your toolshed so the damned neighbor kids don't whack in it.

 

[Captain Beard]

Fucking youngins and yer damned hoodlum activities.

 

[Cat5Messiah]

My grandpa caught these two whacking in his toolshed a while back. You can see in the background the lock he put on the door but they came back with hopes of being able to get in. They lied by putting on their glasses and saying that they were doing a school project on toolshed surveying and the issues caused by the Homeowners' Association:

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

awesome player, badass swing. I hope he keeps hitting them

 

[JenniferGentle]

Make sure you board up your toolshed so the damned neighbor kids don't whack in it.

haha, one of my favorite lines ever.

 

[rms]

Im surprised you guys are so positive of him, he was basically a huge let down since he went to the Reds. Injured all the time etc..

 

[derek]

It's more than that, though. He's a great ambassador for sportsmanship and integrity.

 

[Nikki]

I was hoping he'd do it in Philadelphia, but he didn't.

It's ok, good for him though.

 

[Det Som Engang Var]

He's always been my favorite baseball player. I don't know why.

Maybe cuase' Ken Griffy Junior Baseball on N64 rocked so hard.

 

[Shpongled]

Im surprised you guys are so positive of him, he was basically a huge let down since he went to the Reds. Injured all the time etc..

It's pretty easy when he was the best player in the game when you were growing up and he played for your home team.

Not to mention the things Derek said, too. Imagine what he'd have accomplished by now if he never got injured. We'd be talking about 700 right now instead of 600.