Off The Press
September 8, 2009
By Bob Taylor
It was a privilege to have seen the Griffey era
Bob Taylor Press Sports Editor
It was mid-June 1987 when my sports editor suggested I drive up to Bellingham and take a look at a 17-year-old baseball phenom.
My primary sports beat then was the Seattle Mariners, and with the club out of town and our paper not having a travel budget, this was an opportune time to see the club’s No. 1 draft pick.
So, I headed up to Joe Martin Stadium to see Ken Griffey Jr. One of the first rules of the baseball draft is a team never wants to strike out on the No. 1 pick. The Mariners, in this case, had hit a home run.After watching Griffey hit, run and throw in pregame workouts, I knew I had never seen such a talented 17-year-old baseball player before. And that’s not to say I hadn’t covered super talent in the past. I had already seen future Major League stars like Darryl Strawberry, Eric Davis and Interlake High School graduate John Olerud. The latter was the best high school hitter I’ve ever covered in this state.
But everything Griffey did, he did with grace. The game just seemed to come easy to him. Later that summer, the Mariners brought Griffey in to visit the local media and work out, just to show off his skills. I remember interviewing Seattle hitting coach Bob Tolan, who noted that Griffey had the perfect swing.
It didn’t take long for Griffey to reach the majors. At 19, he was the Mariners’ starting center fielder, playing on the same team with his dad Ken Sr., and destined for a great career.
For several years, he was the best player in the game. Watching him scale outfield walls to make sensational catches reminded me of the first time I saw famed ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov do incredible airborne movements. There were things that only Griffey and Baryshnikov could do. No mortals could match their talents. And watching Griffey’s picturesque swing, you knew when the ball was going into the seats for a home run.
For most of his first 11 years with the Mariners, Griffey resided in the Issaquah area. Later, when I was a substitute teacher in the Issaquah School District, I would have students who knew where Griffey lived. Often during our nonclass conversations, after they learned I had been a sports writer, students wanted to know my opinion of Griffey. It never wavered. I always told the students he was the best player I had ever seen.
I was sorry to see him traded to Cincinnati in 2000, but I understood the reasons. He wanted to go home and give his family a chance to watch him play.
I was pleased when the Mariners signed Griffey last March, although I realized that injuries and age had diminished his once-prolific skills. Although he hasn’t hit well this season, Griffey has been a major contributor for the Mariners, providing needed leadership on a young club.
His demeanor reminds me of something former manager Sparky Anderson told me in 1987. I asked Sparky what kind of player Griffey would be like.
“I hope he will be like his Daddy,” Anderson answered. “Every day his dad came to the park, he had a smile on his face and was ready to play ball.”
I think that’s been true of Griffey this season. He still loves the game, and that may make retirement difficult.
Lately, radio talk shows, and newspapers, have been questioning whether Griffey should return to the Mariners in 2010. That’s an issue for the Mariners and Griffey.
As for me, I’m glad I had at least one last look at him.
Bob Taylor: 392-6434, ext. 236, or bobtaylor@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
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