Ken Griffey Jr. Retirement: The Kid Calls It Quits

During the 1990's, no ballplayer had more fans than Ken Griffey Jr. 

Every child in America saw a little bit of themselves in him.

But on Wednesday evening, Junior announced his retirement. 

Twenty-two years in the major leagues left Griffey fifth on the all-time home run list with 630 long balls (not to mention being the only superstar of his era never to be linked with steroids).

The perennial All-Star also accumulated an MVP award in 1997 to go along with 10 Gold Glove Awards.

Had he not missed the better part of three seasons in his prime due to injuries, Griffey very well could have made a run at Barry Bonds' (or should I say Hank Aaron's) home run record.

For my money, Griffey is the best baseball player of all-time not named Ruth or Mays.

No, "The Kid" isn't a kid anymore.

But to me, Griffey will always be remembered as a big smile and a backwards hat.

I will never forget the sweetness of his swing, the kindness of his smile, and the purity of his game.

Griffey will be the baseball player I tell my kids stories about someday.

Because in the end, he really was  just a "kid" playing the game. 

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