Congrats to Ken Griffey Jr.

I’m thrilled that Ken Griffey Jr. has been (almost unanimously) elected to join baseball’s Hall of Fame. It was my honor to call his exploits in the early ‘90s when he was really in his prime.

He was an exceptional ballplayer (duh!), had an infectious presence, was terrific with kids (he’s still friends with my son, Matt), and the only flaw I can think of is he was terrible at giving hot foots. Jesus, he set my shoe on fire.

As a practical joker he needed work. But otherwise, he was great fun to be around and easily the most electric ballplayer I ever covered. So many impossible catches and Ruthian line drive home runs that would still be airborne if it weren’t for the Kingdome roof. Thanks to Junior (we always called him “Junior”) I got my voice on ESPN every other night calling one of his highlights.

During my era broadcasting for the Seattle Mariners we had a warm relationship built on mutual respect and merciless teasing. On radio broadcasts I used to relieve Dave Niehaus and do the play-by-play for the third, sixth, and seventh innings. Early in my first season I noted that the Mariners never scored in the third. I began calling it the “Third inning of death” on the air. One day during batting practice Junior gave me shit about that. I said, “Then score some runs and I won’t say it.” He vowed they would score six runs in the third inning that night, but if they did, I had to shave my head. I of course agreed but got Ken to record on-air promos for it.

That night, wouldn’t you know, the M’s got the first two men on. Junior stuck his head out of the dugout, pointed to me, and mimed shaving someone’s head. The next batter struck out, followed by a guy hitting into a double-play. No runs. He ran out to his position shaking his fist at me. But with a huge smile on his face.  And it made for great radio for the listeners. 

He was always available for an interview if I needed him. He signed baseballs for every kid who asked. He made himself available to mentor young players. He would always pay for lunch if we went out. When my partner Dave Niehaus passed away five years ago, Junior flew across the country to attend his memorial service. More than just one of the greatest baseball players of any era, Ken Griffey Jr. is a total mensch. And like I said, I couldn’t be more delighted with his selection to the Hall of Fame. Just keep him away from matches.