Kuzul

It’s the end of an era. George Kenneth “Ken” Griffey Jr., better known as Ken Griffey Jr.—the Kid, the Natural, the Swing—has officially retired from MLB.

Griffey leaves the MLB with a legacy as being one of the most prolific home run hitters and best defensive outfielders in baseball history.

Over a 22-year career, Griff sits fifth on the all-time home run list with 630, 14th on the all-time list in career RBI and 219 hits short of 3,000, with 13 All-Star Games, 10 Gold Gloves and an MVP award, not to mention being tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run.

Griffey is considered to be one of the few elite players of the Steroid Era to be free of steroid-use suspicion, which makes his accomplishments even better. Unfortunately for Griffey, though, his career was slowed after he became plagued with injuries. Had it not been for these injuries, Griffey was easily on pace to beat Hank Aaron’s home run record and would have become MLB’s home run king.

In 1990 and 1991, Griffey and his father became the first son and father to play on the same team at the same time. On September 14, the pair hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the first off California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill, becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs. The duo played a total of 51 games together before Griffey, Sr. retired in June 1991.

Junior also released a pair of video games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System—both of which I continue to play on a regular basis, reveling in its 32-bit glory.

On June 2, 2010, Griffey released a statement through the Seattle Mariners organization announcing his retirement from Major League Baseball effective immediately:

“I’ve come to a decision today to retire from Major League Baseball as an active player. This has been on my mind recently, but it’s not an easy decision to come by. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to have played Major League Baseball for so long and thankful for all of the friendships I have made, while also being proud of my accomplishments.

“I’d like to thank my family for all of the sacrifices they have made all of these years for me. I’d like to thank the Seattle Mariners organization for allowing me to finish my playing career where it started. I look forward to a continued, meaningful relationship with them for many years to come.

“While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field, and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back, that I will never allow myself to become a distraction. I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates, and their success as team is what the ultimate goal should be.

“My hope is that my teammates can focus on baseball and win a championship for themselves and for the great fans of Seattle, who so very much deserve one. Thanks to all of you for welcoming me back, and thanks again to everyone over the years who has played a part in the success of my career.”

Sadly, Griffey’s retirement was the right thing to do. He’d had one at-bat in nine days, lowering his batting average to .184. He’d hit 19 home runs last season and none in 108 plate appearances this season. He had a glove, but being forced to DH because of his drop-off in speed and jump, he would never need it to play the field. He wore the familiar uniform and number, but his game had passed, even if the swing remained nostalgic.

Most importantly, he leaves the game with a sparkling name when just about everyone else from his era has been tarnished during the Steroid Era.

He made the right choice. As he fades into retirement, he leaves behind his legacy as the best of his generation. He won’t have the numbers to prove it, or the trophies, or even a single World Series appearance. But put him on a baseball field, level it, and play baseball—the Kid stands above them all.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Three of this year’s division series seem all but over. 

The Yankees, Phillies, and Rangers lead their best of five division series by two games to none.  Only a late inning rally by the Atlanta Braves prevented all four baseball series from being two games to none affairs and feeling all but over.

Baseball has been playing five game series since 1969.  In that year baseball added four new teams and expanded each league to two divisions. 

From 1969 to 1984 the winners of the Eastern and Western divisions in each league faced of against each other in a five game set to determine who would go to the World Series.

Starting in 1985, baseball changed the five-game format of the league championship to the current best-of-seven.

When the Wild Card was introduced in 1994 and four teams from each league began to make the playoffs, baseball again used the five-game series to determine the two winners in the divisional round. 

In all there have exactly 100 best-of-five playoff series in baseball since 1969.  In seven of them, a team has trailed two games to none and come back to win the series.

This slide show is a look at the seven ball clubs who accomplished the feat. 

For those in Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Tampa Bay, this is a reminder that there is still hope. 

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The ’90s were an interesting time for baseball. We saw the first Canadian world champion and a strike that devastated the game.

We saw the reemergence of the Evil Empire and one of the classiest men in baseball break the consecutive games started streak, and we saw a home run chase that made baseball America’s pastime once again.

This was all fueled by the players themselves. I made this list based on many factors including stats, accolades, impact on the game, and my own opinion, among other things.

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Stephen Strasburg’s torn ulnar collateral ligament has put his career on hold and done serious damage to the hopes of the Washington Nationals franchise.

Strasburg is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair the ligament damage to his elbow, making a return to the mound next season very unlikely.

While Strasburg rehabs, the Nationals will have no choice but to cross their fingers and hope for the best when he returns.  Even before it begins, it appears that the 2011 season has already produced a “wait until next year” mantra.

The Nationals are hardly the first franchise to put its fortunes on hold while waiting for marquee players to recover.  In some cases, injured stars were never able to play again.  In other cases, the players returned but were never able to rediscover the pre-injury magic.

Here’s a look at 10 franchise-crippling injuries in the history of sports.

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The Mariners have had their share of All Stars come to town, but a few have been forgotten as Mariners. This is a list to remember the future and past all stars that took the diamond for the Mariners.

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The Home Run Derby is a yearly event that captivates the nation like few others. People are naturally attracted to the long ball, and seeing the sluggers duke it out to see who is the game’s biggest bopper is a great thrill.

The first incarnation was a television show in the 1960’s that showed the best hitters of the day competing for cash prizes by seeing who could hit the most big flies. Hank Aaron was the most successful, winning six straight competitions, and Mickey Mantle also won a few.

Since the most known and current competition started in Minneapolis in 1985, it has grown in popularity to the point where it is close or more important than the actual All-Star Game.

The true explosion in the event’s popularity occurred when it began airing in 1993 on ESPN. Since then, it has been a who’s who of sluggers that have won the event.

The cloud of the steroid era looms large over the competition because of the list of winners that have been implicated in scandals over the years.

Regardless, these players have left us in awe, admiration, shock, and amazement.

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In the same week, the New York Yankees have suffered two heart breaking losses. The first to pass away was long time public address announcer Bob Sheppard, at 99 years old.

Sheppard passed away on July 11th, and two days later long time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner followed him. Heading into the 2010 Major League Baseball All-Star break, Yankee fans and the organization will have heavy hearts.

Remembering the life of George Steinbrenner is a monumental challenge. Steinbrenner lived a full life that was not just confined to being the owner of the Yankees.

Steinbrenner was the only son of Henry George Steinbrenner and Rita Steinbrenner in Cleveland, Ohio. He would spend the early years of this life getting a B.A. from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1952. A funny coincidence since he would become a thorn in the Boston Red Sox side later in life.

At Williams College, Steinbrenner was an active student who was a standout in Track and Field and played halfback for the football team. After graduation, Steinbrenner served his country in the United States Air Force.

Steinbrenner would be honorably discharged and take his talents to Ohio State University to get his graduate degree. At OSU, he was an assistant football coach with legendary Wood Hayes.

He was part of Hayes undefeated Buckeyes team that won the national championship. More importantly, during his time at OSU he would meet his future wife, Elizabeth Joan Zieg.

The two would be married on May 12, 1956 and would stay together thereafter and have four children, two sons and two daughters. The children he leaves behind are Hank Steinbrenner, Hal Steinbrenner, Jessica Steinbrenner, and Jennifer Steinbrenner-Swindal.

After his time at OSU, Steinbrenner went on to coach at Northwestern and Purdue. Perhaps his biggest decision was to go back into the family business of shipping.

Steinbrenner went on to make his fortune with Cleveland based company American Company Shipping in 1957. Three years later in 1960, Steinbrenner made his first foray into sports would be as owner of the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League or ABL.

The team won the ABL championship in the 1961-62 season but folded early into the 1962 season. While this initial trip into the sports could be called mixed success at best, lessons were learned.

Steinbrenner, a native of Ohio tried to by the Cleveland Indians but failed to do so in 1971. But opportunity knocked twice for Steinbrenner a year later, when he joined forces with E. Michael Burke to by the Yankees in 1972 for just 8.8 million dollars.

Over time Steinbrenner went on to buy out most of his partners to gain complete control of the Yankees. The rest, one could say, is history.

The Yankees made their first World Series appearance under Steinbrenner in 1976 getting swept by the “Big Red Machine” of the Cincinnati Reds. One year later the Yankees won Steinbrenner’s first World Series in 1977.

Being true Yankee Doodle Dandy, having been born on the Fourth of July in 1930, Steinbrenner changed the sports landscape forever. Steinbrenner began to show his vision when he signed Catfish Hunter in 1974, basically starting the “free agent” period in sports.

Hunter’s 3.75 million contract started the salary boom that we still see today in baseball. Steinbrenner’s coup was signing Reggie Jackson from the Oakland Athletics for over three million as well.

Steinbrenner built a winner out of the Yankees and in the 38 years he owned the team made 19 post season appearances and 11 World Series appearances, winning seven of those trips to the October Classic.

Only the Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers, Florida Marlins, and Arizona Diamondbacks were able to defeat the Yankees in the World Series. Only the Reds were able to sweep the Yankees in a post season loss.

Nearly every baseball fan wonders if Steinbrenner’s win at all cost mentality has hurt baseball in the long run. No one could question that “The Boss” (as he became known in the New York Tabloids) wanted to win more than anything.

It is strange that in a week the media has made a huge deal out of Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert ripping superstar LeBron James, Steinbrenner would pass away. Steinbrenner was known for publicly calling out players and managers for their performance or perceived lack of effort.

Unlike Gilbert, Steinbrenner was never called a racist for his rants against players, many being black. Some like Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield were stars of the game. That does not mean “The Boss” avoided his share of controversy.

Steinbrenner was suspended twice by Major League Baseball during his tenure as owner. The first suspension was for his involvement in Richard Nixon’s presidential campaign for illegal campaign contributions and felony obstruction.

MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended Steinbrenner for two years but it was later reduced to 15 months. In an ironic twist, Steinbrenner was pardoned by Ronald Regan in one of Regan’s last acts as president.

Steinbrenner once again found himself on the wrong side of MLB justice when the story broke that he paid a small time gambler Howie Spira $40,000 to dig up dirt on Dave Winfield in 1990.

Winfield was the highest paid player in MLB making, 23 million over 10 years and was perceived by Steinbrenner to not play hard in a key series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Steinbrenner said “Where is Reggie Jackson? We need a Mr. October or a Mr. September. Winfield is Mr. May. My big guys are not coming through. The guys who are supposed to carry the team are not carrying the team. They aren’t producing. If I don’t get big performances out of Winfield, Griffey and Baylor, we can’t win”.

Fall out of the statement above has been believed to be the reason that Ken Griffey Jr. stated he would never play for Steinbrenner.

On July 30, 1990 then MLB commissioner Fay Vincent suspended Steinbrenner for life after he learned about Spira and that Steinbrenner failed to pay 300 thousand dollars to Winfield’s foundation, breaking a guarantee in Winfield’s contract.

Steinbrenner also had controversy over facial hair and was constantly batting his managers. He hired 22 in this tenure and 15 different mangers, with Billy Martin being hired five times. There is no question that Steinbrenner made it when he became a pop culture icon in the show Seinfeld, commercials, The Simpsons, as well as hosting Saturday Night Live. 

For better or for worse, Steinbrenner changed the landscape in Major League Baseball forever. The ultimate owner, Steinbrenner wanted his team to be a winner and was the first owner to build his team in to a global brand.

The one thing that says the most about Steinbrenner’s time as Yankee owner is that when he bought the team it was for 8.8 million. Now the Yankees are worth $1.6 billion, trailing only Manchester United ($1.8 billion) and the Dallas Cowboys ($1.65 billion).

Rest in peace King George, The Boss, you will never be forgotten in American sports.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After watching Monday’s Home Run Derby, I couldn’t help but notice the names on the board just didn’t carry the anticipation and ambiance of years gone by.

David Ortiz certainly has his place in history as a clutch power hitter in one of the most storied venues in all of baseball. However, he must have had the same feeling Yao Ming has standing amongst his fellow countrymen.

Ortiz stood a head and shoulder above the competition, and although the other competitors hit some deep dingers, there has certainly been some premiere, although likely juiced up, sluggers who outrank this year’s competition.

Here is a list of the Top 10 Home Run Derby participants of the last 20 years who made the event more exciting than it is today.

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I wrote this for my blog the day that The Kid retired.  I thought I’d bring it over here and see what you all thought of it. 

I wrote on May 13 that Ken Griffey, Jr should retire. His numbers were way down (.184 AVG, no HRs, and just seven RBIs), and he had accomplished everything he’d needed to over such a legendary career. 

The one thing missing from his resume was a trip to the World Series, but his time ran out on that goal. The Mariners are not headed there any time soon.

Well, less than a month since I wrote that post, Griffey has decided to call it quits. His manager, Don Wakamatsu, made the announcement today before the Mariners faced the Twins. 

Griffey released a statement, which said, “While I feel I am still able to make a contribution on the field and nobody in the Mariners front office has asked me to retire, I told the Mariners when I met with them prior to the 2009 season and was invited back that I will never allow myself to become a distraction.”

He continued by stating, “I feel that without enough occasional starts to be sharper coming off the bench, my continued presence as a player would be an unfair distraction to my teammates and their success as a team is what the ultimate goal should be.”

In his debut on April 3, 1989, the Kid went 1-3 and scored a run in a 3-2 loss to the Athletics. Dave Stewart was the winning pitcher, Mark Langston received the loss, and Dennis Eckersley pitched 1 1/3 innings for the save. The only person from that game still playing today is White Sox shortstop Omar Vizquel.

The first of Griffey’s 630 Home Runs came on April 10 against Chicago White Sox righthander Eric King.

His greatest season came in 1997, when Ken won the MVP by blasting 56 HRs, knocking in 147 RBIs, and producing a line of .304/.382/.646/1.028. 

I have never known baseball without Ken Griffey, Jr. He has been a class act throughout his career and will retire as one of the greatest to have ever played the game. 

A good thing to note: Of the top 10 Home Run hitters of all-time, four players have either admitted or been outed as steroid users (Bonds, Sosa, A-Rod, McGwire). The rest of the top 10 include Aaron, Ruth, Mays, Griffey, Robinson, and Killebrew.  

I will always remember Griffey as the man who refused to cheat.

While McGwire, Bonds, and Sosa were smashing Home Runs left and right, as well as breaking hallowed records and moving up the all-time Home Run list, Griffey mostly battled injuies. 

I cannot assure you that Griffey did not take steroids or PEDs, but with the low amount of games he played, it is unlikely.  From 1998 (the year of McGwire and Sosa) to 2009 (his final ‘full’ season), he played in an average of 119 games.

He could have taken steroids/PEDs and probably gotten back on the field quicker, but he was a better man than that. It is a shame that he ended at just 630 homers and fifth on the All-Time home run list. It would have been nice to see him at the top, instead of the Steroid Era ringleader, Barry Bonds. 

Even though he had single season home run totals of 56 (twice), 49, 48, 45, and 40 (twice), Griffey never led the league in home runs. McGwire led the league in homers in ’96, ’97, ’98, and ’99 (as well as in ’87), the same years when Griffey had his four highest home run totals. 

Thank you, Ken for playing the game the right way. 

You will be forever known as the best player of the Steroid Era. You, unlike many others of your generation, decided to play baseball the old fashioned way: The Right Way.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With six of the contestants in this year’s Home Run Derby recently announced, this seemed like a good time to reflect back on some of the best sluggers to ever play the game.

What would your dream Home Run Derby field look like if you could include any player, past or present?

I will admit, I cheated a bit, making a list of 10 when the field is generally set at eight participants. However, my two extra additions are a bit outside the box, and I think the field could be expanded to accommodate them.

With only ten, there is sure to be someone I left off that you feel belongs, so let the debate begin.

Let me know who I left out that you would include in your fantasy Home Run Derby.

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