Today is June 2nd. Twenty Four years ago today a seventeen year old Ken Griffey Jr. was drafted by the Seattle Mariners. It was pure luck for the Mariners really. If the Mariners didn’t have the first draft pick, there’s no way Junior becomes a Mariner.
Twenty Three years after that day (one year ago today) Ken Griffey Junior retired.
He did not stay a Mariner for all of those twenty three years, but he came back just long enough for a few more laughs and to say goodbye to everyone; to finish here. Seattle could not have been luckier.
Junior had controversy in his career, but it wasn’t like the controversy that surrounds players nowadays. Junior supposedly took a nap in the clubhouse during a game. It was a sin, obviously, and as reported by the media, it happened more than once. Oh my gosh. I wish that more players, instead of all their personal drama or illegal substance use, just wanted to, supposedly, recline in their easy chair. And he was obviously a “me” not “team” player for not retiring the second he took the supposed nap. He just wanted to play baseball; I wish more had that desire.
Junior was, through his career with Seattle, the face of baseball in Seattle. He was the player of the decade and had shoes, video games, and Wheatie boxes devoted to him. Along with promoting the greatest player out there, it was also a great way to promote the Mariners, despite some really bad teams. As long as Junior made the highlight reels, the Mariners made the highlight reels because he was the Mariners.
When it finally did pay off, when the Mariners finally made post-season play in ’95, it showed what a great TEAM the Mariners had become. It was Edgar who hit The Double, Randy who pitched out of the bullpen on little rest… but does any of that happen if the Mariners don’t luck out with the first overall draft pick? Do the Mariners move to Tampa after the 1995 season? We’ll never know, but having the most marketable player of the 90’s as your team leader was a blessing in many ways.
And for the people who can’t see the effort put in by Junior, and see all that he did as a Seattle Mariner, many who call themselves Mariner “fans” need to understand how lucky and blessed we were, as a city, to have Ken Griffey Junior play here during the best years of his career, and to come back, to end an epic career where it began. Without the Kid, the team probably isn’t here anymore.
I just wish he could have played in a World Series.
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