This week, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Piazza was a fun player to watch and I'm happy for anybody who has had to deal with Roger Clemens' bullshit, but let's be real: this week is about appreciating Ken Griffey Jr. and the singular phenomenon that he was.
It's hard to describe the Griffey Jr. experience to young baseball fans today, because it's impossible to imagine the experience ever happening again. Sure, there will always be amazing baseball players. Right now we're lucky enough to watch Mike Trout dominate the game year after year in a way that few have. But the difference is, Mike Trout could walk through Times Square and no one would stop him. I love baseball, but if I walked into a restaurant and Mike Trout was sitting at the bar, I probably wouldn't even recognize him.
In his prime Ken Griffey Jr. was arguably the second-most famous athlete in the country after Michael Jordan. Every kid wanted his signature Nike cleats. Kids everywhere started to wear their hats backwards. Little league fields were full of kids standing tall in the box and rocking the bat back and forth doing their best impression of The Kid's stance. We all wanted to be Junior. Why? Because he made baseball look fun.
Oh, nothing, just casually robbing one of the greatest hitters of the era of a home run.
In his playoff debut, all he did was use his famously beautiful swing (there really is nothing like it) to crush two home runs in Yankee Stadium.
I mean, seriously, just look at this swing. It seems effortless, and yet he still knocks it over the Hard Rock Cafe in Toronto.
Ken Griffey Jr. was so cool that he shows up in Little Big League to basically be the final villain that the hero can't conquer. As if to say, sure, this rag-tag crew was good enough to come together and make a run. But it'd be ridiculous for them to get past Griffey.
Junior was good. All Hall of Famers are good. The difference between Griffey and everybody else was that he was also the coolest guy on the planet. Right now, Steph Curry is beloved. He's incredible, and kids especially seem to love him. And yet, his fame and "cool" factor don't even begin to touch Griffey's.
There are only two comparison that can begin to capture just what a big deal Griffey was. One is Michael Jordan. For a few years in the nineties, Griffey was Baseball Jordan. Now he didn't have the team success Jordan had, and his peak was cut short by injuries, but that's a comparison that feels right. But let's say, you feel like nobody can really be compared to Jordan. Fair enough. The other comparison that holds water is a young Tiger Woods. Specifically, the Tiger Woods who juggled the ball on a club face in a Nike commercial.
That's how famous and cool and beloved Junior was. He was the first player I loved who didn't play for my team. He was the guy that made every kid want to be a major leaguer (which hasn't worked out for me yet, but give me time). There's nobody else like him, and I'm not sure there ever will be. So congrats, Junior. On your plaque, they better put your cap on backwards.
