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Peers share tales from Griffey’s HOF career
- Updated: July 22, 2016
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — There is a reason Ken Griffey Jr. was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the highest percentage of votes in the history of the Hall. Griffey played 13 seasons in Seattle and nine in Cincinnati, as well as a couple months with the White Sox, but his popularity far transcended those cities, as an entire generation of fans and players grew up watching and emulating “The Kid.”
With help from MLB.com writers around the league, here’s a sampling of the impact of Griffey as he prepares for Sunday’s induction, which will be broadcast live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 10:30 a.m. PT, with coverage beginning at 8 a.m.:
Brewers hitting coach Darnell Coles, who played with Griffey for two years in Seattle “He knew what he represented as far as the way his dad played, and where he came from meant a great deal. He meant so much to two cities. But within all of that, he was the most generous person you were ever going to meet. I talked to him one Christmas, just catching up. I was coaching a high school team at the time, Countryside High School in Clearwater, Fla., and Griffey learns this and says, ‘Do me a favor. I want you to send me the sizes of everybody there. Coaches, players, everybody.’
2016 Hall of Fame Inductions Watch live coverage of Sunday’s Hall of Fame inductions on MLB Network and MLB.com starting at 11 a.m. ET.
• Complete Hall of Fame coverageHall of Fame video • Shop for Hall of Fame gear
• Complete Hall of Fame coverageHall of Fame video • Shop for Hall of Fame gear
“He outfitted everybody. He sent 40 pairs of shoes; practice shoes and game shoes. He sent batting gloves. He set up that whole team. And he said, ‘As long as you’re there, if you ever want or need anything, ask.’ Not that I had ever asked in the first place. It was just the way he was.
“There was not a thing he did in the game of baseball that surprised me. He was just that good, and the end result is being inducted to the Hall of Fame. I won’t be able to get there, but I wish I was, because he’s special. I played with Barry Bonds and some other great players, but when you’re talking about the total package, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Griffey is the best player I’ve ever seen.”
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer “He was like the Michael Jordan of baseball when I was growing up. He had the video games. I never used to use batting gloves when I was growing up, but my coach bought me some Ken Griffey Jr. batting gloves and that’s the only reason I tried them out. He was just super cool.”
Cubs catcher David Ross “The nickname ‘The Kid’ is the …
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