Western Oregon Journal

            Since 1987, when the Seattle Mariners made Ken Griffey, Jr. the first overall selection in the amateur draft, he has had a tremendous amount of pressure on his shoulders to succeed.  This, coupled with the fact that Griffey’s father was a successful major leaguer himself, only intensified the enormous scrutiny the future Hall-of-Famer was forced to endure.  

            Because of his recent struggles, Junior has been ridiculed not only in the media, but also by fans of the game.  At a recent game in Philadelphia, Griffey stepped to the plate and was the recipient of an “overrated” chant by the 40,000-plus in attendance at Citizens Bank Ballpark in the city counterfactually labeled as the “City of Brotherly Love.”

            To those fans in Philly and to all of the Junior haters out there, I plead with you: Forget Griffey’s shaky post-millennium numbers. He is arguably—behind Barry Bonds, of course—the greatest player that many of you will see, or have ever seen, play.  

            Not only that, but Griffey also has been the face of Major League Baseball.  He helped the MLB thrive in the 1990s, and along with Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire, aided baseball’s attempts to regain spectators and respect after the ugly 1994 players’ strike.  

            And without a doubt, Griffey was the greatest player of the 1990s.  The 1990s? Come on, Reggie, that’s ancient history.  I can picture you all saying this while rolling your eyes, contemplating taking a shot at me like James Bylot in the last issue of the Journal.  Yes, I am aware that we are now in the year 2005, but I just want everyone to be conscious of just how dominant Griffey was. And just maybe fans of our nation’s pastime will once again cheer for Griffey, who is only 35 years old, and pending his health, has a chance to climb his way even higher into the historic record books.

            Over the past three seasons (this season not included), Junior has played in 206 major league baseball games.  He has torn his hamstring more times than Michael Jackson has been accused of harassing young children and has spent more days on the disabled list than O.J. Simpson did in trial. Over that same time period, the Cincinnati Reds, Griffey’s ballclub, have played 486 games.  Over these three years, Griffey hit a meager 41 homeruns.  Still, despite his recent struggles—all due to injury, I must remind you—Griffey is one of 20 players to ever play the game with over 500 career home runs. 

            From the years 1993-2000 (including 1995, when he only played in 72 games and hit a humble 17 home runs, and the strike-shortened 1994 season when Griffey had a legitimate chance of eclipsing Roger Maris’ single season record of 61 home runs) Griffey hit an astonishing 351 balls out of the ball park, an average of over 43 per season. 

            In comparison with Bonds’ numbers from 1998-2004, including 2001, which many baseball experts are calling the greatest offensive year in baseball history, Bonds hit 369 deep flies, an average just over 46. Not many more than the amazing numbers put up by Junior.

            As of May 16, 2005, Griffey has played in 35 of his team’s 37 games this season and has hit five homeruns.  If he is able to stay healthy, he is on pace to hit about 25 homeruns and step up to the plate nearly 600 times, two things he hasn’t done since we were partying like it was 1999.

            Additionally, it’s not like Griffey ever took steroids to enhance his play; it’s not like he sold out and went to Cincinnati for the money; it’s not like Griffey is not cordial and unfriendly with the media or his fans.  So why can’t we recognize what he has done for baseball and cheer for him when he steps to the plate?

            It’s time we do so.

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