This entry comes a bit late, but I now, I'm here.
Today, we should all wish Ken Griffey Jr. a Happy Birthday!! Today, he turns 43.
Ken Griffey Jr is a part of my 90s for a very important reason. He is important, not only because of what he represented for the 90s, but for what he represents today. I'm not going to talk that much about statistics. I'm just going to talk about what he represented.
Growing up a displaced Mariners fan living in metro Atlanta, Griffey was like a hero to me. I remember being in class, in the 6th grade specifically. One kid in my class said he liked Mark McGwire better. Naturally, I was going to stick to my gut and claim Ken Griffey Jr my favorite player.
What he represented in the 90s, was a whole era for us 90s kids. There weren't that many Mariners fans across the nations(outside of Seattle), but alot of kids wanted to see THE KID/ He had that sweet swing. He jumped up the walls like Spiderman grabbing would-be home-runs out of the air. The great run from first place to home plate, which would send the Seattle Mariners to the 1995 ALCS. I remember watching him in the 1997 and 1998 home run races, in which he hit 56 home runs in those consecutive years. He was to baseball what Michael Jordan was to basketball. He was a legend in his own time. The 90s home run chased had Griffey, McGwire, and Sosa. 1997-98 made for an interesting time to watch baseball. I was pulling for Griffey the whole way. Each time he hit a home run, there was something inside of me. I was always the little guy. The shortest, the skinniest. Griffey may have been tall(6'3"), but he wasn't at epic size proportions like McGwire and Sosa, something that happened because Sosa and McGwire have used steriods. Watching Griffey hit those home runs, it let me know that you don't have to be the biggest, and that you don't need steroids to hit home runs.
He had his own persona. You could recognize him because he sometimes wore his hat backwards, his smile, the chewing gum.
Being a Black kid who liked baseball, I feel like he made it cool for Black kids to like baseball. That is one thing that I feel will remain a legacy.
Today, this is what he represents. He not only represents an era of 90s baseball. He represents something even better today. He played with his heart. He played the game the right way. He earned 10 Gold Gloves and 7 Silver Sluggers. But this is not just about statistics. This is about how he played. Every home run he hit, he earned it, all 630 of them, placing him in the top 10. He is also the only real home run hitter of the 90s. No steroids. McGwire was on the roids, A-Rod was on the roids. Never found that in Ken Griffey Jr. All talent. That is what he represents. I will remember him, not only for the home runs, not just for the catches, and running the bases, but how he did it all.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ken Griffey Jr.!! We will see you at Cooperstown in 2016.
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