Ken Griffey Jr retires today, June 2nd 2010 "He gone!"

[Terry]

I was at Mondays game and got to see Ken Griffey Juniors last at bat.
I say got to, because like most Seattle fans, just seeing him brings back great memories.

As he walked out for his pinch hit appearance, I vividly recalled a night long ago, sitting behind home plate a little to the third bad side with my father at the King Dome. My father had made a comment that so many players that came with hype didn't live up to it. I told him that I thought this one "had it".
We watched his at bat so close that I'm sure that Ken could have heard us speaking. Those were the days when you could come out to a week day game and mosey on down to a great seat.
That at bat, Ken, the youngster that he was, screamed a shot toward right center that went through the gap. It's the only inside the park home run I have ever seen at the major league level. And I was there watching it with my dad. That must have been at least twenty years ago. So when I see Griffey bat, it's not just him sliding into home against the Angels in the playoffs, I was there that game too, it's that perfect swing we loved to watch. Like Ichiro, Ken was one of those players that stopped everthing until his at bat was done. He was lightning in a bottle and we didn't want to miss it.

I bat left too, and got my swing from my father. My father was old school, but that swing he taught me has served me well.
I remember a sandlot game with my son Jamie when he was a senior in high school. There were five home runs hit during the game, Jamie hit one, and I hit three, the rest of the kids combined to get that other home run. My last at bat was the last git of the game, opposite field home run over the fence. They said I had a Griffey swing, but it was really old school the way it should be kinda swing.
We saw Griffey do the "Griffey" swing many times.

Me in the blue with some Amy and James, with grand kids, Taylor had to work that night


James and Lisa

Cotton Candy

end

630 Home Runs
.284 Batting average
13 All Star Games
10 Gold Gloves
7 Silver Sluggers
1997 MVP

Griffey is right up there with my favorite players,
Griffey
Ruth
Ichiro
Edgar
Three leftys and a righty

[Dunbar Plumbing]

I'm glad you had "good" experiences with Ken Griffey Jr. while he played for you all up there.

When he played for the Cincinnati Reds, that boy was injury prone and was on the DL almost all the time, and then when he played, always got injured.

He's a great player, and glad to see he produced for you all in his tenure at Washington.