Mr. 600, Jr.

by Rick House on Jun 9, 2008 11:10 PM EDT Comment 44 comments

Reuters

Here's video.
Here's an MLB.com account of the game.

I hope Junior enjoys the hell out of this accomplishment. He's one of the best players of my lifetime, and he deserves nights like tonight.

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Kenny is a hit machine with the heart of a rock and roller

Glad he finally found his TransAm keys.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 9, 2008 11:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Congrats Junior!

I still haven’t gotten to see it, but in my mind’s eye it looks nice. Real nice.

Now that the monkey is off their backs, the Reds will win eleventy games in a row and get back in this race!

"Hard being everybody’s hero, I suppose." - Buck O'Neil on Willie Mays

by Slyde on Jun 9, 2008 11:28 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

jr goes crazy also

almost catching Willie Mays on the list by seasons end

Congratulations Jr.!!

And thank you for being a star with some class

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jun 9, 2008 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well Said

Some day, I’ll try to explain to my son how I got to see Ken Griffey Jr play for my (and hopefully our) favorite team.

by bobestes on Jun 9, 2008 11:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I was at work tonight, slinging steaks. I was at the service bar waiting for drinks, when I saw that the TV across the room (which was playing ESPN - we got the Tigers/Indians game) had just cut to Jr.’s AB. The bartender finished making my drinks. It was busy, so I should have just been on my way. But despite the fact that he’s been in a bit of a HR drought, I said to myself, “He’s gonna hit 600 right now. These people can wait another minute for their drinks.” And then he did. It wasn’t even a recognition that it was possible so I might as well watch, I had a strong feeling that this was it. And it was. I don’t know what that is -- probably just coincidence – but I felt like a kid again.

Thanks Junior. Thanks baseball.

by ctnyc on Jun 10, 2008 12:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I had that same feeling

Like, I should really pay attention to this at-bat, because something special is going to happen.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 10, 2008 7:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i dont want to make a separate farmers only post for this

because a) there was only one game tonight and b) i dont wanna bump junior. but chattanooga kicked some ass tonight, 9-2. Every starter for the Lookouts had exactly one hit, and ben jukich had a pretty nice start. most importantly, i think, chris valaika played the whole game, so i doubt there was any plan to call him up for a few days, at least not by the time the game ended.

I’m really at a loss as to who they’ll call up, if hairston even goes on the DL. The team has said Cherry will likely be out 2-4 weeks, but they haven’t announced if theyll for sure put him on the dl. maybe they ride it out and use andy phillips as an emergency SS until keppinger comes back this weekend. maybe they call up luis bolivar or jerry gil. im still hoping to see valaika, though.

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 10, 2008 2:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

which Phillips?

According to baseballcube, Andy has never played SS professionally. If something happens to Janish, I’d slide Brandon over to SS and play Andy at 2B.

by rojosoto on Jun 10, 2008 7:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was only following along on Gameday

But I got to see it later on ESPN. They did a whole segment on Griffey. His career so far, and what the future might hold.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jun 10, 2008 7:36 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

not about Griffey...

...but this guy is starting against the Reds tomorrow. I didn’t know that Fogg had a younger brother.

...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield

by Cy Schourek on Jun 10, 2008 8:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

it's the freaking joker

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jun 10, 2008 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mitchell Thomas Boggs

sounds like the name of a serial killer.

by Brendanukkah on Jun 10, 2008 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Congrats Jr.!

For some reason reds.com said that the Reds were off yesterday and playing the Marlins game 4 tonight. Did anyone else notice that? So that is to say, I had no idea the Reds were playing yesterday, let alone Griffey was swinging for 600.

That said, I am happy for Grif and ready for him to light it up and carry this team over .500 by the break.

The thing that Dusty said in thet MLB article that contrasted with Bowden’s comment about the “Griffey that might have been” I found to be actually deeply profound:

No, I don’t think about that. I’m appreciative of where he is right now,” Baker said. “You start projecting and saying where he’d be, it takes away from where he is.”

Right on. Lets appreciate Griffey for what he is: A quiet leader who has played hard for 20 years with one of the sweetest swings in the history of the game.

Tanzen!

by Verka Serduchka on Jun 10, 2008 8:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Way to go, Kid

He’s been my favorite player since he first came up, and I’ve spent a ton of time recently explaining to people how appreciative they should be to be able to watch him in person. Hell, I still have one of these somewhere in the archives:

"Got a bump on the ole noggin, but otherwise god. And I get a new vehicle probably, w00t!"

by jch24 on Jun 10, 2008 9:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I just watched the video

I didn’t realize that his son was in the dugout (bat boy?). How special! Has he been there the whole season? While Dad was on 599? The Florida series? Or just really lucky to be there that game?

by Brendanukkah on Jun 10, 2008 9:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hadn't noticed him before either

I think he was probably there just for the FL series.

by ken on Jun 10, 2008 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The best sports writer around

devotes 600 words to Griffey.

(And yes, I did a word count on the article. 597 words. Then I realized that if you add the headline, and subtract the time he doubles up the word “was” accidentally, you get 600 on the nose.)

by Brendanukkah on Jun 10, 2008 10:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

damn that is good stuff

that guy is an awsome writer. Quoted from Joe;

There’s an old baseball man I knew who saw Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson and Albert Pujols all hit home runs. He loved baseball with an intensity that never stopped surprising people around him. Wherever he went, people would ask him to name his favorite, and he never could do that. He loved too many of them. He would talk about Ted Williams’ swing, and he would talk about the way Roberto Clemente threw, and the way Willie Mays’ cap flew off, and the way Cool Papa Bell ran around the bases.

"But your favorite," the people would say, coaxing him, and he would smile, and he would say, "Well, I sure like that Ken Girffey Jr."

"Why’s that?" people asked.

"Because," Buck O’Neil said. "He’s having so much fun."

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jun 10, 2008 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"He's having so much fun"

This sentiment is probably the one you see attached to Griffey the most often, but I doubt many people actually believe this - even writers like Joe Posnanski, who wisely allows that judgment to come the lips of a man who probably better epitomizes joie d’esprit than Griffey does.

I think it’s more accurate to say that Griffey is mercurial. There’s no doubt that he’s got a great sense of humor and that he can be very jovial and light and that some of these attributes seem to come across in his body language when he’s playing well. But, by the same token, I think that he allows his boredom and frustration to be evident as well. In the last 8 years I can remember many more times when Griffey’s looked like he didn’t give a damn than times when he’s looked like he’s having fun. Only people who don’t watch Griffey too often, I think, can wholeheartedly share Buck’s opinion.

To be clear, I firmly believe that trying to read whether a player “cares” or not from his body language is an unfair practice, but my point is, if one wanted to, one could feel just as justified in calling Griffey “The Grouch” as in calling him “The Kid.”

Ultimately, I think the need for Griffey to be a light-hearted, fun-loving player far outweighs his actual capacity to be that player—in fact, it probably outweighs any major leaguer’s capacity (though I would argue that someone like Sean Casey comes much, much closer).

I fear that I’ve pissed in the cornflakes here, which wasn’t my original intention. I’m a Griffey fan and erstwhile defender. I think the Reds should be proud that their marquee star is someone as enormously talented as Griffey is and as fundamentally decent as he seems to be. But I think it does a disservice to the mature man to remember him only as “The Kid.” He’s been worn down by injury and the business side of baseball and, in a way, I respect that he doesn’t try to hide that.

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 10, 2008 4:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Everyone always mentions that Griffey looks like he’s having fun. That’s how I remember him early in his career when he played with his dad. But he’s always been so… morose. I think it was here one time where this came up and I mentioned that Griffey, suffering from depression, swallowed a bottle of aspirin the year before he made the majors. Someone thought I was taking a shot at him, but I only meant that serious depression can often be a chronic condition and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Griffey still struggles with it. Since coming to Cincinnati I don’t think he’s looked like he’s having much fun. And that’s fine. Dealing with the injuries and losing your abilities can’t be fun. We’re not the only ones to notice it. Here’s Ken Tremendous from a JoeChat a while back.

Joe Morgan: When you saw Griffey on the field, you knew he was having fun. You don’t see that with all the other players.

KT: To me Griffey is kind of a famously sourpuss kind of guy. He always looked unhappy, to me. Am I crazy?

Anyways, sorry to ruin the vibe.

by Red Menace on Jun 10, 2008 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

The carefree "Kid" that Griffey was presented as being never fully materialized in Cincinnati. Not watching him everyday in Seattle it is hard to say how fair this reputation ever really was. Certainly his skills were superior then, his body was less riddled with pain, and his Mariners teams won. It was universally agreed that Jr was on the fast track to breaking Hank’s record. Little wonder he seemed so happy then.

Watching his tenure in Cincinnati showed us a much more human side of Ken Griffey Jr. We saw an invincible hero robbed of his magnificent physical gifts. We saw the effects that his declining health and the day to day grind of a losing season could take on his demonstrative personality, and it wasn’t always pretty. But it was real.

I think that is where my real gripe lays with the coverage of 600. Every article or testimonial is either a remembrance of his (and our) bygone youth or a Ted Williamsesque lamentation of what might have been. Why not celebrate what is? He was (and is) a talented player who never let his physical pain or the mental anguish of consistent and prolonged losing define him (no matter how often the rest of us did). He found contentment with the way his career played out and continues to enjoy the game. To me that is worth at least as much commemoration as his youthful exuberance and "tragic failure" to live up to his limitless potential.

by Bill Doran on Jun 10, 2008 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

There is something a little desperate in the coverage

Because Griffey’s career can be contrasted with Bonds, there seems to be a need for him to be the exact opposite of Bonds (or how Bonds is perceived to be).

You have rats in Spain, don't you - or did Franco have them all shot?

by Man Mountain on Jun 10, 2008 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here is Posnanski's blog post about Griffey

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2008/06/09/600-words-for-junior/ its a great post

If you're not having fun, stop participating.

by redandblue on Jun 10, 2008 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

I always followed him closely and would hear people complain at the very few times where he: was aloof with the media, walked back to the dugout after striking out like it didn’t matter, didn’t argue when other might have, or didn’t run out a popup. I never understood their sentiment. We all have ups and downs, and Griffey’s way of getting past the downs is to ignore them and wait until the enxt good time. Maybe that’s the difference between superstars and guys like you and me.

So I disagree that he’s “The Grouch” as much as he’s the Kid. I guess many think he should be doing back flips like Ozzie to show them that’s jovial. But to me, he looks like he enjoys being on the field with his teammates. We just can’t all be his teammates.

by Brian B on Jun 10, 2008 11:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure what you disagree with

We all have ups and downs, and Griffey’s way of getting past the downs is to ignore them and wait until the enxt good time. Maybe that’s the difference between superstars and guys like you and me.

This is my point. Griffey has his ups and downs, but I don’t think he goes out of his way to hide his frustrations. And to reiterate, I don’t think he should have to and I don’t think he’s any worse a player because he doesn’t do back flips like Smith, or run out every walk like Rose, or sprint out to right field like Sosa.

But if given the sentence “He’s having so much fun” and asked to apply it to a contemporary major league player, Griffey’s name wouldn’t even occur to me, except perhaps as a cliche ala Brett Favre.

You have rats in Spain, don't you - or did Franco have them all shot?

by Man Mountain on Jun 11, 2008 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Playing hide the ball

There’s a small controversy brewing about who rightfully caught no. 600:

Justin Kimball, 25, from Miami, said he caught the home run ball, put it in a wool cap and then had the cap (and the ball) ripped from his hands.

Reminiscent of the controversy over the Bonds ball which resulted in a protracted arbitration. Though I doubt this one is worth nearly as much.

by ken on Jun 10, 2008 10:46 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

And the shenanigans have begun

Probably not worth a new thread, but the fan referenced above has filed an injunction in Miami to prevent the fan possessing the 600 ball from selling it. At least he’s not looking to profit from the ball:

In the court filing—which lists John Doe and "any party in control or possession of (the) Ken Griffey Jr. 600th home run baseball" as defendants— Kimball says "Joe" scratched his arms and legs to wrestle the ball away, and further asserts that the ball is a piece of "Americana."
The filing also says that at least three stadium workers saw the ball "forcefully" removed from Kimball’s possession.

"I just want to see it end up in the right hands," said Kimball, who is the lead singer in a band. "That’s my main goal, that it ends up in Ken Griffey Jr.’s hands. That’s all I care about."

Where has Justin7000 been lately, anyways?

The Marlins’ president said that “he is certain ‘Joe’ caught the ball.” This puts me firmly on Justin’s side.

HT to BBTF.

by ken on Jun 12, 2008 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Where were you when KGJ hit 600?

For the record, it should be noted that Ash had just walked away from the tv moments before. What was she thinking? She was heading to the fridge after getting a zip lock bag to keep the cookie dough fresh and enjoyable for next time, so it wouldn’t have that hard-dried-crusty-stuff of the edges. Yup, not in the room at all when her roommate screamed “Oh! There it goes!”. So can it truly be said that she watched the game KGJ hit 600 in? Part of me likes Ash and wants her to look back on a full, rewarding, and accomplished life as a Reds Nerd. I want this for her. But sadly, we live in a world with walls …..... between the kitchen and living room. Walls that need to be guarded by men with no appreciation of protecting perishable goods. I stood my post, proudly offering a salty dog salute to The Kid as he rounded the bases. Where was Ash? Does a replay really count? Nay I say! NAY!

He had alot to say.
He had alot of nothing to say.
We'll miss him.

by sukr on Jun 10, 2008 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I was at the Raconteurs concert in Columbus.

It was radicool.

"I've been rapping for about seventeen years, okay? I don't write my stuff anymore. I just kick it from my head. I can do that. No disrespect, but that's how I am."

by 3 Fast 3 Furious on Jun 10, 2008 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did you see a dude with a pregnant wife?

I think Alan was at that show.

And the Black Lips!!!

Some muthafucka’s always trying to ice-skate uphill

by Man Mountain on Jun 10, 2008 1:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wish Alan would come to some of our shows...

...sniff…

by Brendanukkah on Jun 10, 2008 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

im halfway through that epic, btw

it’s taken me some 20 minutes to get there

What do you mean, "blank slate"?

by boobs on Jun 10, 2008 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I saw a few dudes with prego wives.

One had a Cubs hat. I figure that wasn’ t him.

"I've been rapping for about seventeen years, okay? I don't write my stuff anymore. I just kick it from my head. I can do that. No disrespect, but that's how I am."

by 3 Fast 3 Furious on Jun 10, 2008 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have to agree with you

it will go down as one of lifes bittersweet moments for her. I can not imagine the angst she feels today over this, let alone as she grows old and reflects back on her life.

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jun 10, 2008 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

For what is worth

I heart KGJ

pete rose to tony perez "how can anyone as slow as you pull a muscle?"

by dunnateher on Jun 10, 2008 1:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

kevin garnett jr.

is going to be a beast in a few years

When it comes to Phil Mickelson...Marty's not a fan.

by chandrathan on Jun 10, 2008 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Those Shawn Kemp Jr.s

are already ruling the Northwest AAU leagues.

You watching Game 3 tonight?

by ken on Jun 10, 2008 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

you mean the kobe bryant gets fouled by being breathed on game?

yeah I’ll probably watch it.

this is going to be a brutally officiated game though

When it comes to Phil Mickelson...Marty's not a fan.

by chandrathan on Jun 10, 2008 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Jackson is the master at working officials through the press on the off-days, and I’m sure after the FT disparity in Game 2 the refs will have an itchy whistle finger for LA.

by ken on Jun 10, 2008 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

wow

that smile after he touched home plate gave me the chills. Thats awesome.

by the-dude on Jun 10, 2008 1:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The "what could have been" articles

need to stop already. I feel like I’ve seen five of them this week. I think fans understand that, minus the injuries, he’d be at or close to 700.

by ken on Jun 10, 2008 4:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I hope that throngs will go to GABP for 2nite's game

And give Jr. standing O’s at every PA and play in the field.

I also hope that Uncle walt is on the phone right now talking to Seattle or anyone else that wants Jr. (and that Jr. would agree to go to ).Hopper will be back soon, Votto can fill in in Rt. I say this because KG Jr. needs to be moved while he’s momentarily hot. If he can’t be then he at least needs to be moved down in the line up. He may be having fun but he is not producing at the level that the Reds needs for a #3 hitter.

"When I got my award, I just wore my usual stuff," Dunn said.
"Was it for the Reds organization or all of baseball?" Bruce said.

by Madville on Jun 10, 2008 5:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs