Griffey set a record with more than 99 percent of the vote, while Piazza overcame steroid speculation to enter the Hall as perhaps the game’s greatest offensive catcher.
Advertisement
Ken Griffey Jr. had one of the prettiest swings in baseball.
Marc Maturo, a reporter covering NY baseball for Gannett in the 1970s and ’80s, was among those who lost voting rights.
While such conversations are repeated countless times daily across the country, when Ken Griffey Jr. revealed his career aspirations, it was in Yankee Stadium, where his father was in the midst of his Major League Baseball career.
“Everybody thought that it was George Steinbrenner”. Prior to the 2000 season, Griffey was nearly traded to the New York Mets to form a dynamic duo in the middle of the lineup with Piazza, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
“I figured I’d be long retired by the time he made it to the Major Leagues”, Griffey Sr. said.
“That was between him and [manager] Sparky [Anderson]”. I went 1-for-17. He surpassed the great Tom Seaver, who was traded to the Reds from the New York Mets in 1977.
“And when I responded [he became ticked] off and now he wants to take it out on the kids”. But after some controversies about a decade ago where there was some talk that teams could “buy” their logo onto the cap, the Hall took away that player option, but they still ask each inductee for their preferences. Like how Ken Griffey Sr. made sure Junior shook everyone else’s hand before his when the two went back-to-back.
After all, BALCO Bonds, on paper, looks like a better player than Griffey Jr.at least at the plate.
“I sat here with my mouth on the floor”, he said.
Martin died in December of 1989.
One of the disclaimers before we get into how both players fared is that when Griffey Jr. was with the Mariners, he did not get a chance to play against the Montreal Expos. While Interleague play was in effect beginning in 1997, Seatttle did not play against a NL East team from 1997-1999. “It’s not a money issue”.
But even more vividly, he remembers the ride home.
Note: Others receiving votes on this year’s ballot were Jeff Bagwell (71.6 percent), Tim Raines (69.8 percent), Trevor Hoffman (67.3 percent), Curt Schilling (52.3 percent), Clemens (45.2 percent), Bonds (44.3), Edgar Martinez (43.4), Mike Mussina (43 percent), Alan Trammell (40.9 percent), Lee Smith (34.1 percent), Fred McGriff (20.9 percent), Jeff Kent (16.6 percent), Larry Walker (15.5 percent), McGwire (12.3 percent), Sheffield (11.6 percent), Billy Wagner (10.5 percent), Sosa (7 percent), Jim Edmonds (2.5 percent), Nomar Garciaparra (1.8 percent), Mike Sweeney (0.7 percent), David Eckstein (0.5 percent), Jason Kendall (0.5 percent) and Garrett Anderson (0.2 percent). “I had to step out of the batter’s box and get myself back in order to think about what I’ve got to do, which is try to get a base hit”. Just be yourself.’ I learned that and I was a fourth grader.
Two decades later, with his own sons in tow, Griffey Jr. spoke with admiration about how his father handled his playing career.
In 2006, after Piazza’s time with the Mets had come to an end, and when he came back to Shea for the first time and got a thunderous standing ovation, Willie Randolph remarked, “That’s how you treat heroes”. “He was just Dad”. The identities of the three writers who did not vote for Griffey was not immediately known.
Advertisement
Jorge Posada, Vladimir Guerrero, Ivan Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez are the most notable first-timers for next year’s Hall of Fame ballot.
