Still My Favorite
Through the decades, we've seen all kinds of characters in baseball. We've had the larger-than-life Babe Ruth. We had the quiet workhorses like Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. There was the matinee idol Mickey Mantle. There were the heroes like Jackie Robinson and Henry Aaron who faced intense racism with dignity and grace.
Then three things changed baseball (and sports in general). First was actually a star from a different sport. Muhammad Ali, with his incredible flair for the dramatic, and his words nearly eclipsing his knockouts, changed all sports. No longer were athletes known just for their ability to perform on the field, but also how they showed off. Followers of the Ali-trend in baseball included Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose and Ricky Henderson.
Second was the advent of free agency. What began as a necessary change for the better evolved into a situation where money reigns supreme over things like team loyalty and winning championships. Players went where the money was (and not always to the Yankees, mind you). The greedy include Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Albert Belle.
Third is the explosion of Sports Center on ESPN. The old show This Week in Baseball made stars out of players like Ozzie Smith. ESPN showed daily highlights and often made heroes out of players who did not necessarily deserve it. To get more air time on ESPN (which meant more money in your next contract), players added more fire into their routines -- often the illegal kind. These are the names we know all too well now -- Ken Caminiti, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and a host of others.
Still, there are some good guys left in the game. Derek Jeter represents everything the professional baseball player should be. David Eckstein gives us the hope that even the little guys can make a difference -- like helping your team win a World Series.
And then there's this guy. After all of these years, Ken Griffey, Jr. remains my favorite baseball player. In an era where cheaters are allowed to run rampant, where fathers must shell out three figures to take their sons to see a major league game, where it seems that it's easier to find a gallon of HGH than an ounce of sincerity in the clubhouse, there stands Junior -- a fan's player. He still smiles, even after years of debilitating injuries robbed him of the (legitimate) chase for Aaron's mark. He's still the Kid, even at thirty-seven.
And he's still my favorite.
Then three things changed baseball (and sports in general). First was actually a star from a different sport. Muhammad Ali, with his incredible flair for the dramatic, and his words nearly eclipsing his knockouts, changed all sports. No longer were athletes known just for their ability to perform on the field, but also how they showed off. Followers of the Ali-trend in baseball included Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose and Ricky Henderson.
Second was the advent of free agency. What began as a necessary change for the better evolved into a situation where money reigns supreme over things like team loyalty and winning championships. Players went where the money was (and not always to the Yankees, mind you). The greedy include Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Albert Belle.
Third is the explosion of Sports Center on ESPN. The old show This Week in Baseball made stars out of players like Ozzie Smith. ESPN showed daily highlights and often made heroes out of players who did not necessarily deserve it. To get more air time on ESPN (which meant more money in your next contract), players added more fire into their routines -- often the illegal kind. These are the names we know all too well now -- Ken Caminiti, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and a host of others.
Still, there are some good guys left in the game. Derek Jeter represents everything the professional baseball player should be. David Eckstein gives us the hope that even the little guys can make a difference -- like helping your team win a World Series.
And then there's this guy. After all of these years, Ken Griffey, Jr. remains my favorite baseball player. In an era where cheaters are allowed to run rampant, where fathers must shell out three figures to take their sons to see a major league game, where it seems that it's easier to find a gallon of HGH than an ounce of sincerity in the clubhouse, there stands Junior -- a fan's player. He still smiles, even after years of debilitating injuries robbed him of the (legitimate) chase for Aaron's mark. He's still the Kid, even at thirty-seven.
And he's still my favorite.
posted by E-Luv at 2:05 PM
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