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Ken Griffey Jr. retires


PrivateO

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He's the best legitimate player of his era. Bar none. The guy in his prime good run, hit for power, and was a true gold glove center fielder.

He hung around too long like a lot of guys did, but he's one of the best who ever played and like Ripken, he's never been accused of steroids and that makes him pretty special in the steroid era that produced Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Bagwell, Caminiti, Palmeiro etc...

Well Bonds was at least as good before the PED's imo, but sure he's been tainted. There's some pitchers who are also similarly historically good.

But I don't think too negatively about players using steroids, plus I can't presume innocence for Griffey or anyone else for that matter.

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I was at that game. Man, that was a blast. As I recall, Pennington came in with the bases loaded, threw a wild pitch that scored a run, and then served up one of the most monstrous homeruns in OPACY history, way over the right-field scoreboard. That was a bomb by Griffey.

Always wondered how that one didn't hit the warehouse.

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I'm glad he didn't drag this out until the end of the year, or put the team in a position where they had to ask him to quit.
I don't doubt there were some behind the scenes discussions with team officials and Ken.
He's the best legitimate player of his era. Bar none. The guy in his prime good run, hit for power, and was a true gold glove center fielder.

He hung around too long like a lot of guys did, but he's one of the best who ever played and like Ripken, he's never been accused of steroids and that makes him pretty special in the steroid era that produced Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, Bagwell, Caminiti, Palmeiro etc...

This says it all.

I was at that game. Man, that was a blast. As I recall, Pennington came in with the bases loaded, threw a wild pitch that scored a run, and then served up one of the most monstrous homeruns in OPACY history, way over the right-field scoreboard. That was a bomb by Griffey.

I was there also. It was the first game I went to on a 13 game plan (which back in the day, I was actually on a waiting list for over a year to buy). Nike made a commercial out of it. Griffey absolutely crushed the ball and BP hung his head in disgust.

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I don't doubt there were some behind the scenes discussions with team officials and Ken.

I suspect you may be right, but he pretty much denied it.

"While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction," Griffey said.

"I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be," he said.

http://www.salon.com/wires/sports/06/02/D9G3ESI80_bba_mariners_griffey_retiring/index.html

There's certainly wiggle room in that statement for the Mariners to have made a "suggestion" that he retire without "asking" him to.

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  • 3 months later...

Crazy Bump. Can anyone find the catch he made against the Orioles where he broke his wrist crashing into the wall to rob Kevin Bass. I half heartedly looked but couldn't find it. For whatever reason it's my lasting image of Griffey. I remember where I was when he made that catch. I really want to claim it as the greatest catch I've ever seen but I really need to see it again.

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Crazy Bump. Can anyone find the catch he made against the Orioles where he broke his wrist crashing into the wall to rob Kevin Bass. I half heartedly looked but couldn't find it. For whatever reason it's my lasting image of Griffey. I remember where I was when he made that catch. I really want to claim it as the greatest catch I've ever seen but I really need to see it again.

Man I say this thread resurrected and I thought he was pulling a Farve!

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