Growing up I had the pleasure of watching ken Griifey Jr. from the beginning of his career all the way through his MVP season. The Seattle Mariners inducted Ken into the Mariners Hall of Fame on Saturday and as I watched the ceremony reminiscing over the great memories I realized I never truly appreciated his greatness. He made the game look so easy and effortless that at times you almost expected a circus catch or a 400 foot home run. The 10 Gold Gloves and 600+ home runs were expected, not cherished.
If I'm being completely honest with myself the reason I didn't embrace Ken Griffey Jr. the way I should have is because of Barry Bonds. There was always a debate as to who was the best player in baseball and I was firmly entrenched in the Bonds camp. Although I am a Seattle native it seemed clear to me Bonds was the better player. When Griffey was selected to the all century team instead of Bonds it fueled the debate even more. I basically dismissed Griffey and everything he'd accomplished in the game out of spite.
Years later I see the error in my ways. I let my affinity for one player cloud my judgement about another. The lesson to be learned here is don't be a hater. Not everyone is going to share your opinion on every subject. It's all right to take a position on a topic, but don't let it alter your perception to the point you become irrational and delusional (unless you're rooting for the Seahawks, then it's ok). Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the 15 greatest players baseball has ever seen and I shouldn't have let media propaganda overshadow that fact. Congratulations on your induction Ken. You definitely deserve it. Here are some observations over the weekend.
Jason Dufner won the PGA Championship by 2 strokes over Jim Furyk. The guy I picked to win the tournament finished 14 shots back. My days of betting on Tiger Woods at a major are over. Don't know if his weak performances are mental or physical and don't care. Until he proves it I won't believe he's capable of winning a major ever again.
Usain Bolt ran a 9.77 to win the 100 meter finals at the World Championships. In the rain. Damn! Imagine what he might have done on a dry track.
Mariano Rivera has blown 3 consecutive saves. If you look at the numbers over the course of his career that's statistically impossible. Are the A-Rod distractions getting to him?
After this weekend's pre-season games EJ Manuel and Geno Smith have a legitimate shot to be their teams starting quarterback on opening day. If they accomplish that goal 13 of the 32 teams in the league will have a starting quarterback with 3 years or less experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment