We Wish It Was You, Ken Griffey, Jr.

Last year at this time, the baseball world was patiently waiting for Barry Bonds to hit his 756th home run, which ended up passing Hank Aaron on the all-time home run list. Baseball fans had to endure the soap opera that was Barry Bonds career. We had to hear about the steroid controversy with Bonds and his comments about how "the record wasn't tainted," in his own words. Then, every once in a while, the media reports how Bonds is a locker room cancer and reports his always silly, immature comments. The endless drama happened for a a string of years over and over again.

But now that Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. is silently on the brink of hitting his 600th home run, fans wish it was Griffey, not Bonds, that would have the all-time home run record.

At the beginning of Griffey's career, he appeared to be a lock for the Hall of Fame. Griffey was on a roll in the 90s and hit his 400th career home run at only 29-years-old. Griffey's career seemed like it would last for a long time and there were already premature talks of Griffey passing Aaron for the all-time home run leader. The sweet stroke that Griffey possessed in the '90s caused fear in pitchers every time he came up to bat. His personality and character made him a fan favorite to everyone. He never seemed to possess the cockiness and arrogance that some players do. Mostly humble and quiet, Griffey let his game do the talking, and boy did he ever let his game do the talking. Griffey was tearing the league up in the '90s, right before he started to tear up his own body.

The only way to keep a player like Griffey out of the game is injury. Throughout his young career in Seattle, Griffey never had any significant injuries that kept him out of the game. The lack of injuries in his career enabled Griffey to get on a fast start at the home run record that many were predicting him to take over.

However, the decline of his career was when he was traded to Cincinnati. From 2000-2004, Griffey was plagued by a string of injuries. From 2002-2004, Griffey suffered season-ending injuries. Griffey wasn't the same player throughout the 2000s because of the reoccurring injuries he sustained and it was evident. His bad speed was lowered, resulting in less power and fewer home runs. The effortless swing that bombed so many homers in his career before wasn't as effective. The way everybody was on the edge of their seats, waiting for what Griffey was going to do next with his bat didn't happen nearly as much. Of course, Griffey is still a fan favorite for what he did in Seattle and what he could still do (it's not like he's a terrible player). Unfortunately for Griffey, his career was held back significantly by parts of his body turning an awkward way or failing on him.

Let's play make believe. Let's make believe that from 2000-2004, Griffey was healthy and he never suffered those painful-to-watch injuries. Let's make believe that Griffey stayed on his tremendous run through those years and kept climbing the all-time home run list.

If all of that occurred, the famous title of "Home Run King" wouldn't belong to Barry Bonds, but instead to Ken Griffey, Jr.

Unfortunately, though, for baseball, we couldn't have an exciting player chase the record as baseball would watch and anticipate a new leader. No, instead, we had a giant maniac that cared more about his ego than the game of baseball. Someone that always put himself over others, even if that meant the expense of his own team. Someone that was always a ticking bomb, just ready to explode. Let's face it, other than some of his teammates and Giants fans, no one liked Bonds. With Bonds, the hatred was beyond baseball and culminated from him being arrogant. In a way, baseball fans weren't watching the memorable home run chase, they were watching the steroid controversy and his comments about how the record isn't tainted, when we all know it is.

This time, though, wrong prevailed right. Ken Griffey, Jr. could've been the one that the media darling. With Griffey, there would've been no mention of steroid use. Baseball could've have a player that they could hang their hat on and use Griffey as an example that baseball isn't all that screwed up. The new home run king, would've actually been clean, which is what the baseball world needed at the time.

The nation commends Griffey for not using steroids. They commend him for not cheating the system to make himself better. They commend him for not disgracing himself and the game of baseball, only for his own selfish needs and pleasures. Sure, with steroids, Griffey probably would've healed from all those injuries much faster, but he didn't. He played the game fair, which is something you don't see nowadays. Griffey knew he didn't have to load up on HGH or anything like that because he knew he didn't need it. Griffey had an eye for the ball that was greater than the muscles inside his body. Ken Griffey, Jr. was everything that Barry Bonds was not in baseball. He was a student of the game and didn't take the easy route by using steroids or HGH. Instead, Griffey actually worked hard and put the extra effort. Oh and I guess it can be assumed that Griffey got stronger in the weight room, too, instead of some guy putting needles into him.

In a recent poll conducted by Sports Illustrated, they asked 495 MLB players who their all-time favorite baseball player was. Griffey, not surprisingly, was the second most popular player, only beaten out by Nolan Ryan. There's a reason for that. Griffey's personality, character, and most importantly, class, has made him a fan and player favorite. The way he represents himself on and off the field makes him a role model for younger players. Rarely does Griffey show off for the camera or is cocky about his game, even though he has all the right to do so. Instead, Griffey is always humble and giving credit to other players on his team.

This is what separates Griffey from Bonds. Bonds was a headcase that couldn't control himself over any situation. Griffey, on the other hand, was always calm and never let anything get to him. Griffey never sought out to bash a teammate if they did something wrong, other than Bonds when he would rip not only teammates, but his own managers. Honestly, who decides to rip the guy who makes the decision on whether or not to play you that night? Who decides to rip the guy who could have you off the team like that? This is why Griffey is such a lovable guy in baseball. Regardless of what happens, Griffey has his head on straight and doesn't say inappropriate and incorrect things. Unfortunately for Bonds, he did, which is why every time he came up to plate in a away stadium, he got booed.

After many years, Griffey has been trying to capture that illusive World Series ring. In the '90s, year after year, the Mariners were considered one of the top teams in the league. However, the farthest they've got was the ALCS, where they lost to the Cleveland Indians. What's so interesting about the postseason failures that Griffey had was that stuff like that never got to him. The next year, he was in spring training and preparing for another eventful season. During the offseason, his name was rarely mentioned unless it was for a new video game he would be sponsoring. That's the type of guy that Griffey is and was. Never shining in the spotlight in the negative way. Even now, with the Cincinnati Reds, a team that Griffey has never made the postseason with, he still plays 100%.

Let's compare that with Barry Bonds, who literally handicapped the San Francisco Giants organization himself. Always making stuff bigger than it really is and always had the "world against me" tenacity. It even goes all the way back to when Bonds played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and got in a heated argument with the Pirates manager, Jim Leyland. Bonds, for his whole career, has always acted like everyone was against him. "Woe is me" could've been the slogan for his career. Whether that came from the media making comments about his play or the steroid scandal, he always had the wrong thing to say.

For decades upon decades from now, baseball fans will see Barry Bonds 756th home run on their television sets, wishing it was you, Griffey. We'll imagine what you could've done with your career, if not for those nagging injuries. Young players will look up to Griffey forever now, seeing the perfect example of a hard-worker and teammate. No matter what the record books say, in our hearts, we wish it was you, Ken Griffey, Jr.