Jr. Griffey

In February of 2000, the Cincinnati newspaper headlines Read "The Kid Comes Home." The Cincinnati Reds, my favorite sports team and basically my favorite everything, had signed Ken Griffey Jr. to a 8 year contract. Immediately I fell in love with the man. Not because he was the best player in baseball or because he was the poster boy for Nike, but because he was a Cincinnati Red. As a Reds fan in the era of overplayed players signing marquee names is not an option. We simply cannot compete with teams in New York, LA, and Boston. When a player reaches free agency, one of those teams will offer them a big contract that teams like Cincinnati and Cleveland simply connot afford to do. That is why the Yankees are always in the playoffs, they buy all the good players. They can forgo worrying about scouting, drafting and developing their own men. In 2000, my Cincinnati Reds went out and got the best player in baseball, offered him less money then the Yankees did, and got him. He said he was willing to take less pay in order to play in his Hometown. You could imagine how much this already made me love the man... Jr. was the complete package. he hit for average, power, played better defense then anyone in the league and a had smile worth the millions we were playing him. As the years went by Griffey's injuries started piling up. I stuck by him. I did this because I was his fan and he got hurt playing the game. Nobody can preven getting hurt, its just part of the game. Over his years with the Reds I have purchased his shoes twice to go along with other random Griffey memoribilia that I have. I even own a sticker of his face that is like actual size for your car window. I jsut havent put it up yet, but I will this season. This 2008 baseball season will be the last for Ken Griffey Jr as a Cincinnati Red. I don't know how I am going to cope next year without him and this year is going to be bittersweet. I wish he would've been able to play more because if he had, he would most be chasing the all time homerun record. And it's a tradgedy that he isn't. Instead of Barry Bonds, the people would be watching Griffey Jr take over the greatest record in baseball. And the people would love it...they hate Barry Bonds and his steroid allegations. I will be there on March 31 to watch Ken Griffey Jr's last opening day as a Cincinnati Red. Here's to hoping he just doesn't get hurt in spring training and he will be in the lineup...I wish that was a joke too...