Sad to See Him Go

Last week saw the passings of such legends as John Wooden (former UCLA head coach) and Gary Coleman (actor). However, it was a retirement, not a death, that hit me the hardest.

When Griffey announced last week that he was leaving the game of baseball after 22 seasons with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, it actually brought I tear to my eye. Never again would we see Griffey take a monster swing for the fences or chase down a fly ball in the outfield.

I know I was not alone as a child and teen who grew up in the 1990s a fan of the future hall of famer. Griffey, who became affectionately as The Kid when he mad his debut as a baby-face 19-year-old, was revered far and wide.

Junior deserved all the respect he received. During the 1990s, all with Seattle, Griffey had arguably the greatest decade in the history of baseball. By the time he signed with his home-town Reds to start the 2000 season, The Kid had hammered 398 home runs. After knocking 40 taters in his initial campaign in southeast Ohio, Griffey seemed well on his way to obliterating Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755 home runs (since passed by Barry Bonds).

Along with the taters he hit, Griffey appeared in the All-Star Game every season of the 90s. He did so again in 2000. Not only had Griffey enjoyed a historic decade, he was going to take the nation on a great journey of seeing the greatest career, maybe in the history of sports.

Unfortunately, a rash of injuries began 2001. Griffey played in just 111 games (out of 162) that season. He followed that up with three straight years of playing 83 games or less. The prime years of his career were lost to injury after injury. 2005 and 2006, although comeback seasons, were seasons cut short by bumps and bruises.

When you think about the time lost, it makes the 630 home runs Griffey hit (fifth all-time) all the more staggering. A player who misses more than half his games in the first half of his 30s is not supposed to go down as one of the greatest sluggers of all time, more like just a very good one. That lends all the more credence to just how great that decade of the 90s truly was. In a decade, Griffey set himself up to be talked about with guys like Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, who all had great season for 15 years or more.

Even more impressive about that Player of the Decade status is Griffey did it without taking the steroids that many of his brethren took. Many of the greats from the 90s (most notably Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmerio) have been tied to performance-enhancing drugs. Griffey was clean (at least that is the prevailing thought) and outdid them all.

Yes, Bonds eventually broke Aaron's hallowed record, but the fruits of an injury-free career that Griffey did not enjoy helped Bonds to the career home run mark. If Griffey had stayed healthy throughout the 200s, who knows how many longballs he'd have mashed. 800, likely. Perhaps even 900. He would have had otherworldly numbers.

Griffey was truly a joy and unique talent to watch in the 1990s. It would have been nice if the 2000s had been a follow-up to the previous decade, rather than the numbers enhancers they ended up being. Because of the injuries later in the career, some people forget how great Griffey was for 10 years. For 10 years he was the absolute greatest and for that, we should all say 'thank you!'