With all the talk of Manny going south, no one saw Ken Griffey Jr going to the south side of Chicago. Remember when he debuted at the age 0f 19? He was baseball's savior. Perfect swing, great defense, hat backwards, fun-loving. There is nothing about Griffey not to love. He was supposed to become the greatest player of all time, maybe even reach Michael Jordan status. Then he went to Cincinnati. And then came the hamstring tears, tendon strains, knee sprains, and heart explosion. Through it all, Griffey kept coming back. He did more time in rehab than a coked-out actress. At the time, so-called fans criticized him for taking such a long time in between injuries. It wouldn't have been so bad if other players were recovering at a rate 4,658 times as fast. Then again, if Junior had sold out and injected himself with a little HGH, he most likely would have been back earlier too. Nowadays, Griffey is considered honorable for his extensive rehabilitation, as he should be. While guys like Palmeiro and Sosa got caught with the juice and A-Rod put Madonna and money over masterful playing, Griffey stayed patient and is now one of the most like players in baseball history.
Too bad the Sox can't hang with the Angels or Rays this year. At 38, Jr's career is in the waning stages and it looks like he'll never get what he deserves.
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