I'll admit before he came to Cincy, being a diehard Indians fan and Lofton fan, I thought Jr. was overrated and wasn't a big fan of his. Although his swing......... it was sheer poetry in motion and the best natural swing I may ever see in baseball.
But once he gave up more money to become a RED, I found an appreciation for JR. I found that if Larkin could tell fans JR. was a standup great guy, that he must be, because Barry Larkin, much like Pete Rose before him WAS the team and the hometown boy made great.
So I watched as JR struggled and I felt the pain and agony of his injuries, never once complaining because I knew this was truly one of the greatest ever and in his prime when he could have made more money than any other player in history, he chose to play for the REDS.
So this season he comes back and shows why he is the greatest in baseball today, and the humility and stand up type of guy that deserves respect. And in a day and age where seemingly great players all find steroid allgations or negative press somehow, other than the injuries JR. has never once had anyone say anything bad about him or accuse him of 'roids.
I tip my hat to JR. and thank him for being a RED and bringing pride to Cincy's team.
NOTE: The highlighted portions I emphasized, I also edited out the Giambi references to his winning the AL.... as in my opinion Giambi isn't worth being JR.'s Jockstrap washer let alone comeback player.
Quote:
Griffey would have quit if he wasn't elite
By JOE KAY, AP Sports Writer
October 6, 2005
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Ken Griffey Jr. would have retired this year if a hamstring injury had left him less than elite.
The Cincinnati Reds' outfielder said Thursday that he wasn't sure he'd be able to play baseball at a high level after his major hamstring surgery in August 2004. Griffey tore his right hamstring from the bone and had it reattached with three screws -- an uncommon operation for an athlete.
The 35-year-old Griffey proved he's still one of the best when he's healthy, batting .301 with 35 homers and 92 RBIs this season. His return from four years of serious injuries earned him the NL's comeback player of the year award Thursday in an online vote sponsored by baseball.
``I didn't really think about trying to prove to anybody that I could still play this game,'' Griffey said. ``It was more or less proving to myself that I could still go out and compete at a high level and help the team win.
``I felt if I couldn't do that I would just go home and not waste anybody's time. That's one of the things about me -- I'm not going to waste anybody's time and go out there and just collect a check. That will never be me.''
Since he came to his hometown team in a 2000 trade with Seattle, Griffey has been repeatedly sidelined by career-threatening injuries -- a torn hamstring, a torn knee tendon, a dislocated shoulder, torn tissue in his ankle and the severe hamstring injury last season.
Few athletes have torn the muscle off the bone the way he did, and returned strong enough to keep playing. Griffey acknowledged Thursday that he didn't know if he'd be able to beat the odds with that one.
``There's always a doubt,'' he said. ``You don't know if the surgery is going to take. Once I was able to start doing baseball activities, I knew from there it wasn't going to be too long to get back into game shape.''
Griffey wasn't fully recovered when spring training began, and didn't hit his first homer until April 30, the slowest start of his career. Once he figured out what he could do with the repaired hamstring, the comeback began.
``It took me probably until the middle of May to start feeling comfortable,'' he said. ``Offensively, I didn't have any problems. Defense worried me more than offense. I could drive in runs, I just didn't want to give any up.
``Once I got over the fear of that -- 'this is going to be OK' -- everything started to work.''
Griffey strained his right foot while running the bases on Sept. 4 and sat out the rest of the season as a precaution. He had minor surgery to clean out a knee that has bothered him occasionally over the last few years.
``The knee is fine,'' said Griffey, who has three years left on his contract. ``After having the operation, I walked out and got in a car. I gave the crutches back after two days. This is a minor thing.''
The All-Century outfielder thanked fans for choosing him for his latest honor.
``It's not one that you want to have, as far as the things you've had to go through to get it,'' he said, referring to the injuries. ``But I will cherish it forever.''
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LINK:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...v=ap&type=lgns