Wasn’t Zeldink’s post on the influence of Ken Griffey, Jr. in his life sweet? In fact, The Kid touched both of our lives in ways that that post didn’t even mention.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m relatively new to baseball fandom. In my early childhood, my family was more hippy/artsy types and organized sports were part of the machine instituted by The Man to pacify the masses and control our thoughts. (I may be going a bit far there, but it will suffice to say that I didn’t know the difference between a double and a double play until I started playing softball in high school.)

When I met my future husband, he was in that mad-at-MLB-about-the-strike phase he described, and I had no idea he was a baseball fan at all. In fact, when I married him, I had no idea. So I was pretty surprised when he started following the Reds when Griffey joined the team. I was doubly surprised to find out that following the Reds was a multi-generational tradition in his family.

Not being made aware of the fact that I would be a baseball widow was probably a breach of the marriage contract and grounds for annulment, but instead I got into the sport too, and a couple years later RHM was born.

So, in fact, Ken Griffey, Jr. is directly responsible for the content you’re reading right now, and by extension, the life-changing impact this site has had on us, our family, and our friends.

Thanks, Griffey 🙂

On an unrelated note, I’m reposting below what has always been my favorite Griffey-related post, back from spring training 2006 when Barry Bonds was pulling media stunts to advertise his short-lived reality show. Boy, those were the days, eh?

March 2, 2006 — I’ve Got It All

I'm an international baseball superstar. I've hit 708 home runs, my own reality show coming out on ESPN, and a newfound sense of humor. I've really got it all.

Hey, I'm an international baseball superstar. Sure, I might have only a measly 536 home runs and coverage in 100 games on Fox Sports Ohio, but there's one thing I've got that you lost long ago.

Yeah? What's that?

Dignity.

I love this tight division race. Not only is it super-exciting to watch the Reds meet some success for the first time in the entire time I’ve followed the team, but it gives me twice the baseball to enjoy as I root for both the Reds and whoever is playing the Cardinals.

In a friendly way, of course.

I even think that it’s a healthy thing for Cincinnati to lose first place for a minute. If the Cardinals have taught us anything lo these many years, it’s that if you run away with the division too early, you’re just that much softer in the post-season.

If the Cardinals have taught us anything this year specifically, it’s that running way with the division too early too many years in a row turns you into a bunch of entitled crybabies. Much better to have to work for it, and more fun to watch while you’re at it.

This is truly random ramblings tonight, as I’ve just finished the midterm for one of my summer classes and now I’m blowing off steam. Once I’m all-the-way done with my two classes in just another month, I’ll have proper time to dedicate to watching Joey Votto (and Scott Rolen, and Mike Leake, and Arthur Rhodes, if anyone out there has their eyes open) in the All-Star game. Fun season, for sure.