Ken Griffey Jr. Hits #600

Ken Griffey Jr. hit the 600th home run of his career yesterday in Miami (in front of approximately 600 people ironically enough), and I have to say, it makes me feel old. I can still remember the first time I saw Junior play in a game against the White Sox.

He was a 19-year old kid, and I was 8-years old, and I remember that skinny punk kid hitting an RBI single up the middle at the Kingdome that I believe gave the Mariners the lead. I'm not sure why I can remember that game, but it probably had something to do with Hawk Harrelson going on and on about how great this kid was going to be, so I paid attention.

I wasn't old enough to know any better at that point. Hawk was right, though.

Junior has always had one of the most beautiful swings I've ever seen, and as Pat Lackey said over at FanHouse yesterday, "If you're between the ages of 20 and 30, you're lying if you say you never tried to mimic Junior's swing in your backyard (I did, and I'm right-handed)."

I still do.

Junior was the first non-White Sox player that I ever took a real interest in rooting for and following in this sport, and even though he's already a Hall of Famer, I wonder what could have been had it not been for all the injuries the last few seasons. He's already one of the greatest baseball players I've ever seen, and had he never been hurt, I don't think there'd be much debate that he would have been my generation's Willie Mays.