Griffey
By I went to my first baseball game on July 16, 1983. The San Francisco Giants, led by Darrell Evans, lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 9-3 at Candlestick Park. I was nine, and sleepy. We left in the sixth inning.
I went to my second major league baseball game on July 30, 1991, this time at the Kingdome, featuring the Baltimore Orioles and the Seattle Mariners. Cal Ripken Jr., on his way to an MVP award, hit a home run. Ken Griffey Jr. had a memorable 1/4, hitting a grand slam and making three outstanding catches in centerfield. It was Griffey’s third year in the league, and he was already my favorite player.
The last time I saw Griffey in person was August 5, 1999. He was traded to the Reds in the offseason, a trade that worked out for the Mariners over the next couple seasons and helped set the stage for the success of the 2001 team. Griffey played well his first year in Cincinnati, but then succumbed to repeated injuries. I felt deeply wounded by his injuries in 2002 and 2003, even though he played for the Reds.
This year, Griffey has managed to stay healthy and play well. This afternoon, I was utterly confidant that he would be traded to the White Sox before game time, as I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to visit Cincinnati. Fortunately, the trade has not gone through, and I was able to watch Griffey play for the first time in six years. In the first inning, he hit an opposite field home run about six rows to my left. He finished 3/4 with a walk and a home run. The star of the game, however, was another former Mariner’s center fielder. Randy Winn went 4/5 and hit for the cycle, as the Giants won 7-3. It was the second time I’ve seen the cycle (the first was by Miguel Tejada on September 29, 2001 at Safeco), and in neither case has the feat been announced in the stadium.
The Great American Ballpark is a nice place to watch a game, although as far as I can tell it lacks a sushi establishment. I sat in the front row, left field, and had plenty of room to spread out. Adam Dunn, incidentally, is a very large man. The scoreboard operation is quite superior to that at Safeco Field, as the batter’s full statistics are displayed for every at bat, including OBP, slugging, and everything else you could reasonably expect. Although the Giants won, I am gravely concerned about Felipe Alou’s lineup design. The 3-4-5 hitters of the Giants were J.T. Snow, Pedro Feliz, and Michael Tucker. Ray Durham, of the .370 OBP and .429 slugging, batted sixth for some reason.
Most importantly, I am now content. Griffey can be traded to the White Sox. I approve.