It's So Hard To Say Goodbye: Ken Griffey Jr. Retires From Baseball

Wednesday, June 2, Ken Griffey Jr. did something that many could see coming, but hated to embrace.  He retired from the game of baseball.

If you grew up in the 1990's like I did, being born in 1989, there is a good chance that you had a similar love for the kid with the sweetest swing the game has ever seen.

And why shouldn't we?  He was exciting, energetic, fun, talented, he wore his hat backwards, was great in home run derbies, and he was the face of everyone's favorite baseball video game, "Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run."  Griffey was everything a young fan would want to see.

He was a freak at the plate and a stud in the field.  He played better than everyone else when we were kids.  He played with reckless abandon, he cared more about the game than he did his own body.

Griffey was the guy.  When little leaguers were trying to mimic swings, it was Jr.'s swing that ruled them all.  When playing back yard ball as a kid and you got a big hit, you said you were Jr.  

And as we grew up, we only loved him more.  As one by one our childhood heroes became marked as part of baseball's steroid era, Jr. went untouched.  ESPN's Buster Olney said it best in his Thursday, June 3, column.  "In a dirty era, he came out clean."

Everything we were taught about the game and the way it should be played was everything that Griffey embodied.  He seemed to genuinely love the game of baseball.  He wasn't a big media guy, he was simply a player.  He did his job and kept out of the spotlight.  

So many guys want the attention, Jr. just wanted to play the game he loved.  

Many of you will think that he was far past his prime, and that his retirement should have come earlier.  If that is the case, you don't understand the way I do.  For me, even watching Jr.'s shell of his former self take the field is better than knowing you'll never see him play again.

Tell me you didn't hold out hope for one more great highlight.  Yeah, I was too.

Injuries may have taken away from Griffey's accomplishments (my opinion: if Griffey is healthy his full career, he is the all-time home run leader), his greatness will always be remembered.

Griffey finishes his beautiful career with 630 HRs, 1,836 RBIs, 13 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves, 11 Silver Sluggers, and one MVP.

But wouldn't you rather see what I'm talking about.  This is the best video I can find.

We will all miss you Jr.  You will always be my favorite player.