His swing was honey sweet. His smile could light up Broadway. He played the game with the effervescent joy of a T-ball toddler.
Too bad Ken Griffey Jr., one of the greatest baseball players of all time, always seemed to be caught in someone else’s shadow.
It happened again this week as “Junior” silently submitted his retirement papers to the Mariners. He called it quits at age 40, after 22 seasons, 13 All-Star Games, 630 homers and 1,836 RBIs. From 1993-2000, he averaged an incredible 44 homers a season.
Yet the celebration of his wonderful career was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Armando Galarraga’s perfect game that turned into an imperfect storm on umpire Jim Joyce’s blown call on the 27th out.
Griffey was “The Natural” in baseball’s unnatural era. By all accounts, he was the steroid-free superstar. Yet he always seemed to be an afterthought behind the steroid boys — Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
Griffey, in my mind, and in my heart, will always be a greater player than Bonds. Sure, Bonds hit 132 more homers than Griffey, scored more runs and drove in more runs. Sure, Bonds was named MVP seven times, Griffey just once.
So raw numbers say Bonds was the greater player. But Bonds, I believe, was a cheater. Cheaters don’t get my vote.
Griffey wasn’t perfect. I discovered firsthand that he could be surly and standoffish with the media. When the All-Star Game came to Coors Field in 1998, Griffey at first refused to participate in the home run derby. About 90 minutes before the contest, he was lustily booed by the fans as he accepted the trophy as the All-Star Game’s top vote-getter.
The fans’ response changed his mind.
“I don’t like to get booed. I don’t think anybody does,” Griffey said at the time.
Then he went out and beat Jim Thome for the home run title.
Griffey’s teammates, as well as the mere mortals in the clubhouse, loved him. ESPN’s Buster Olney writes that that comes with being a superstar.
But he was a true superstar. I hope baseball history remembers him as a shining light in an era of shadows.
Trivia time
How old was Griffey when he made his major league debut with Seattle? (Answer below)
Polling
Thursday’s “Lunch Special” poll asked readers if commissioner Bud Selig should step in and award Galarraga a perfect game. With more than 500 votes cast, readers overwhelmingly (77 percent) said Selig should have done so. Selig, however, decline to listen to calls for him to do so.
Quotable
“Well, I’ve probably been at an all-time low, and steadily climbing to, I guess, an all-time high, I guess.” — Joyce, on a phone interview this morning on NBC’s “Today” show. He was responded to a question about all the support he’s received since botching Galarraga’s perfect game.
Reader’s rant
“The Pac-10 is a better fit for CU, both culturally and academically. Beside that, the road trips are better in the West. Palo Alto or Lincoln? It a no-brainer. Go Buffs…to the PAC 10.” — Greg K, posting on The Post’s story about
Blog spot
Tom Kensler, who covers the Buffs for The Post, writes that CU’s football coaches Coach Dan Hawkins kicked Simas off the team after the wide receiver had another run-in with the law.
In case you missed it
An Ohio man named Jim Joyce was forced to turn off his phone service.
That’s right, the Toledo man was getting harassing phone calls because he shares the same name with the umpire responsible for blowing the perfect game.
Jim Joyce, the non-umpire, told WTOL-TV that the confusion came about because umpire Jim Joyce grew up in Toledo and graduated from high school in the city, which is about 50 miles south of Detroit.
Joyce says he got at least 40 irate calls and someone even posted his name, address and phone number on Facebook.
Trivia Answer
Griffey was 19 when he made his debut with the Mariners in 1989. He hit 16 homer and drove in 61 runs.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
