The Jerusalem Post

Griffey Jr. ends Hall of Fame speech in perfect fashion

- By RYAN DIVISH (Reuters)

COOPERSTOW­N, New York – With his signature smile brightenin­g an already sun-drenched summer day, Ken Griffey Jr., his eyes red from uncontroll­able tears and forehead beading with sweat, ended his Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech in only a way befitting his game-changing career.

“I want to thank my family, my friends, the Reds, the White Sox and the Mariners for making this kid’s dream come true,” he said, voice shaking with emotion.

And with fans rising and cheering in approval, Griffey reached into the podium, pulled out a commemorat­ive Hall of Fame Mariners hat and put it on – backward, of course.

He stared ahead with a serious look of swagger as if he had just crushed a three-run homer into the right-field seats of the Kingdome, unfurling that majestic and unmistakab­le swing. After a few moments, he had flashed the all-too-familiar grin as the crowd of nearly 50,000 at the Clark Center’s massive lawn backdrop serenaded him with cheers.

The Mariners’ first real star and first Hall of Fame player had joined baseball’s legends, and he did it his way.

Griffey removed the cap when he and Hall of Fame classmate Mike Piazza posed for pictures with Jane Forbes Clark, the Hall of Fame chairman. But Clark, understand­ing the moment, urged Griffey to put it on for photos. He accommodat­ed her wish.

So although Griffey’s Hall of Fame plaque, which he labeled “awesome, just awesome” has his hat on forward, his speech forever will be remembered with a backward cap – a look he made all his own in baseball.

When did the idea for the tribute to his style come to mind?

“That really wasn’t my idea,” he said. “That was a guy that happened to play for Chicago and Oakland that cried the entire time in his speech _ Frank Thomas. He said, ‘You got to do it, you got to do it, hat backwards. You’ve got to end it like that.’ “

It made Griffey consider the possibilit­y.

“Him being a veteran of the Hall of Fame, I took his veteran leadership and decided to do it,” Griffey said.

It was the highlight to Griffey’s emotion-filled remarks. As promised, his speech was right at about 20 minutes. It wasn’t completely written out. Instead, it was outlined with key points that featured him reading a few comments and speaking off the cuff in others. There were amusing anecdotes and playful stories sprinkled throughout, drawing laughter amid many moments of tears. It didn’t feel rehearsed. It was a player stepping out of his comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory.

His thanks to his family brought out the emotion and playfulnes­s.

Griffey’s decision to go into the Hall of Fame as a Mariner was simple for him, and he compliment­ed the organizati­on that gave him his start.

After some convincing of then-owner George Argyros was needed, the Mariners selected Griffey with the No. 1 overall pick of the 1987 draft. He made his big-league debut as the Mariners’ opening-day centerfiel­der in 1989.

From there, his blend of talent, charisma, youthful energy and a backward cap that he brought to the field captured the imaginatio­n of Mariners and baseball fans, transformi­ng the team and the game into something it hadn’t been – cool.

In 11 MLB seasons with Seattle, he hit .292 with 417 homers and 1,216 RBI, including six seasons with 40 or more homers and two seasons of 56 homers. He was named to 10 consecutiv­e All-Star teams, won 10 Gold Gloves in a row, earned seven Sliver Slugger awards and was the unanimous winner of the 1997 American League MVP Award. He led the AL in homers four times (1994, 1997-1999) and won the Home Run Derby three times.

“Thirteen years with the Seattle Mariners,” he said. “From the day I got drafted until my first at-bat in the Kingdome, to the ‘95 playoffs, to my first trip back to Seattle as a member of the Reds and my return to Seattle in 2009, to my retirement in 2010, Seattle, Washington has been a big part of my life. There are so many great things that I could talk about, but we would be here all day. So I am going to leave you with one thing:

“Out of my 22 years, I’ve learned that only one team will treat you the best, and that’s your first team. I’m damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner.”

 ??  ?? HALL OF FAME inductees Mike Piazza (left) and Ken Griffey Jr. (right) pose with their plaques during Sunday’s raucous induction ceremony in Cooperstow­n, New York. Griffey, the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft, became the highest pick ever inducted....
HALL OF FAME inductees Mike Piazza (left) and Ken Griffey Jr. (right) pose with their plaques during Sunday’s raucous induction ceremony in Cooperstow­n, New York. Griffey, the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft, became the highest pick ever inducted....
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Israel