This transcends forums and rules, this is front page news, so bear with me, folks....

ken griffey jr, the second best baseball player of all time called it a career. yes, he was THAT good. he had the most beautiful swing ever. he hit for average, for power, for production, to all fields. he could run like the wind, he can throw a seed from centre, and that glove. he was spectacular. may have been the most well rounded player ever.

so long, ken. you transcended baseball. you were an icon to the icons. you were up there with jordan, or gretzky, if he wasnt a cherry picking doucher..

_________________

IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU, KEN. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU WITH 756!

_________________

_________________

Did you get my text about this? lol

_________________
mechaphil

i did not. i got eileens.

_________________

Hmm, it said delivered. I must not have the right number anymore.

_________________
mechaphil

no, i got em a little while ago.

_________________

while he had great years during the first run with seattle. after the move to the reds he career took a serious dive between injuries and unproductivity. his run with the white sox was pointless and the second stint as a mariner was less the great to say the lest.

i have no doubt that he will be a first ballot hall of famer and that it is well deserved. its a shame to think how much better he could have been had he been able to stay healthy.

_________________
Check out my website: http://www.artistzero.com

"That wasn't very nice...I do believe you killed my hat."

Driver of the FIRE LINDY RUFF Bandwagon since 2008.

This doesn't transcend anything, it's another sport :/

_________________

For as big a deal as you were making, I thought he fucking died. He only retired. Meh.

_________________

This.

hes ken fucking griffey jr. hes to baseball what michael jordan was to basketball. hes an icon and its a big deal when he retires.

_________________

I'm still pretty bummed out - it's an end of an era. But I'm glad to see he went out as a Mariner and on his own terms.

Ps. Mike, canwepleasestillstalkhimsometimebecausethat'dbegreatthanks!

I'm gonna step in right here for a second. Ken Griffey, Jr. is not comparable to Michael Jordan. OK, that's all.

_________________
mechaphil

me too. he absolutely was until his knee injury with the reds.

Exactly. If he continued on injury-free, he'd easily be baseball's version of MJ, but the hurts got the best of him.

_________________
mechaphil

why isnt griffey comparable to michael jordan? i see no reason he isnt. hell, in the mid 90s, his popularity exceeded his airness.

plus, griffey was the best of his era, as was jordan, but dont have all the records to support that. ken was the original 5 tool player.

_________________

The difference here is that Junior is a "What if" story who never realized his full potential, while MJ is a living legend.

I'm not trying to know Junior, Mike. Hell, I've told you on AIM he was the reason I was briefly into baseball. But his star burned too bright for not long enough.

_________________
mechaphil

not too long? he had over a decade of greatness! and for much of 2001-2006, he was still, when playing, a super star.

he finished with over 600 home runs! hes one of 4 players to do that! if thats not fulfilled potential, then i have no idea what is.

_________________

OK, I'll put this in the simplest terms ever - MJ is the best that ever was. Can you make that claim for Junior?

_________________
mechaphil