Ken Griffey Jr. never asked for anything.
He never asked to be drafted number one overall by the Mariners, or to get the opportunity to play side by side with his dad.
Griffey never asked to become an icon for thousands of youngsters throughout the world. “I just wanted to be me”, Griffey said in his press conference Friday afternoon.
When it came to Junior, for him to "...just be me," was all we needed to be able to idolize and adore him for 22 highlight-filled seasons.
“The backwards hat, he made that cool,” remarked Jay Buhner as he looked back on the iconic swag Junior exuberated while on the baseball field.
“The Kid” never knew what originated as a way to wear his dad’s over-sized afro-fitting Cincinnati Reds hat would turn into a trendy new fashion statement. It was just his way of being Junior.
Growing up in the Griffey household it was always about talking about others before you took the time to talk about yourself.
Now, facing his first Hall of Fame induction, “The Kid” has not changed at all.
Sitting with his, “older brothers,” surrounding him, Junior was once again in the familiar position of feeling uncomfortable with all the attention on him.
Every speaker came up to the podium and said Junior made the Mariners into what they are today. Junior helped make Safeco Field possible, and Junior kept the Mariners in Seattle. But, Junior is the first to disagree.
“It’s not just me, it’s 25 guys,” he reiterated over and over when others spoke about those special ‘90s Mariners teams.
Although almost everyone disagrees with him, isn’t it this type of attitude that has endeared Junior to fans for so long?
Video messages from current players, announcers and Hall of Famers were played throughout the afternoon, and the praise just continued to rain down over Junior. Instead of basking in the spotlight put on him from his peers, he once again deflected the attention.
“All the guys my dad played with made sure I was ok,” explained Griffey on how it was so easy for him to pick up on major league baseball from an early age.
For Junior, the idea of being compared to the greats has always been something he could never fully comprehend. He grew up idolizing the likes of Aaron, Mays, and of course, his dad.
“Him (Willie Mays) and Hank (Aaron) you look at their numbers and just start laughing…. they’re Bugs Bunny numbers.”
I think we all may have realized it well before Junior will, but his own numbers have sent him into Looney Tune land right along with his boyhood idols.
Ken Griffey Jr. constantly talked about how, “The disbelief of somebody doing something for you,” was something he has never been able to get used to. Well, it might be about time to get used to it, because this honor is just the first in a line of others that are soon to come.
The Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame should be the next stop followed by that Hall of Fame up in Cooperstown, New York.
And when he gets there, a few of his best buddies will be waiting.
Mr. Bad to the Bone himself, Buhner, looked at Junior with tears in his eyes and said, “I just want to come sip some crown and shut down Cooperstown.”
Mays stopped by with a video message to Junior speaking on his impending enshrinement in Cooperstown, “I’ll be there, you can bet on that.”
So, for “The Kid” from Cincinnati who never asked for anything, there is only more to come.
Junior may never know exactly what he meant to young athletes everywhere who grew up in the ‘90s and ‘00s, but all we can really say is thank you.
Thank you for giving us a “cool” way to wear our hats.
Thank you for showing us the right way to play the game we love.
Thank you for the smile.
And most importantly, thank you Junior for always just wanting to be you.
See ya in Cooperstown.
