Ken Griffey Jr. credits Frank Thomas for capping HOF speech in style

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Unlike the 24-minute speech he gave at his induction into the Mariners Hall of Fame, Ken Griffey Jr. stuck to his script on Sunday. It was a script that he hid from everyone, letting his wife Melissa read just a small part of it. There were thank yous, insights into his values in life and baseball, a pitch for Edgar Martinez to join him in Cooperstown and, of course, tears.

Griffey got through his first thank you – one that was directed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame – unscathed. Next, he wobbled while thanking the commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred. Then, just 18 seconds in, attempting to thank the writers for voting him in, he broke down, prompting Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson to pass him a handkerchief. It’s not the first time he has had to collect himself after trying to thank the writers. On the day he received the phone call telling him this day was coming, he did the same thing. He explained that it was overwhelming knowing that the writers, the voters, did this for him. As ridiculous as it would be to think that he wouldn’t be voted in, it was more than a mere formality for Griffey, and he does not take the honor for granted nor the fact that the writers thought enough of him to vote for him.

By the numbers: Mariners great Ken Griffey Jr’s Hall of Fame career

A majority of the rest of Griffey’s waterworks came when talking about his family. He singled each member out to thank them and tell them he loved them. The conversation apparently was two-way with his son Trey, although there was a slight delay.

“Trey texted me while I was on the stage, ‘I love you, man,'” Griffey said afterward. “I didn’t get it until after and I started crying again. I think those three (Trey, daughter Taryn and son Tevin) are the only ones that can do that to me. Looking at them, they mean everything to me.”

Griffey also had heartfelt and poignant words for his mom, dad, brother and wife. He singled out his high school coaches, Mike Cameron and Paul Smith, as well as famed youth baseball coach Joe Hayden as people who did things the right way. He thanked the Hall of Famers sitting behind him who had been influential in his life, as well as the Mariners who took him under their wings when he first arrived in the big leagues. Griffey broke down again when he thanked “his brother from another mother, Jay Buhner.”

“He was the greatest teammate I ever had,” Griffey said. “A guy that gave you everything he had on the field. A guy who spoke the truth, even if you didn’t want to hear it.”

The cameras only briefly showed Buhner, who is as emotional a person as Griffey, but it was clear he had tears in his eyes, too. There is no word if he slyly flipped Griffey the bird while wiping away a tear, as he did in Griffey’s induction into the Mariners Hall of Fame. Chances are, he did.

“If he looks at me and we make contact, we have a couple of routines, a way of us expressing love for one and other,” Buhner told me last week. “Yes, that will at some point come out.”

Griffey thanked the fans in Seattle, saying there simply wasn’t enough time to talk about how wonderful the city is. He elaborated during his post-induction media session.

“When you go to Seattle, it is like a melting pot,” he said. “You see everybody. They have such a warm heart. There’s not a mean spirit. People care about each other. They are just down-to-earth people who care about their sports and more about the person. They want to win, I know that. I’ve been in locker rooms (where) we’ve had those knockdown drag-outs, but the fans are always supportive. When a guy is struggling, they are there cheering him on. Sometimes it’s tough and they don’t want to cheer but they do it anyway because these are their guys.”

While I don’t believe he regrets the decision to leave Seattle – the move was about family, which he had more time with in Cincinnati – it is clearly something he has thought about. The words of advice his father gave him when he was making the decision to leave made their way into Griffey’s speech.

“Seattle, Washington has been a big part of my life. I am going to leave you with one thing,” he said, tearing up as he continued. Out of my 22 years, I learned that only one team will treat you the best, and that’s your first team. I am damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner.”

The last statement he made set the record straight about his work ethic.

“The two misconceptions of me are I didn’t work hard and everything I did I made it look easy,” he said. “Just because I made it look easy doesn’t mean it was, and you don’t become a Hall of Famer by not working day in and day out.”

After that, he provided a thrill to the crowd of an estimated 50,000, which would tie for the second-largest in the Hall of Fame’s history.

“I want to thank my family, my friends, the fans, the Reds, White Sox and Mariners for making this kid’s dream come true,” he said.

He then reached under the podium for a cap, which he put on his head backward. It was a move so many wanted to see and something that almost didn’t happen. Griffey had not planned on it but fellow Hall of Famer Frank Thomas told him he had to as they were getting off the bus at the field. Melissa Griffey made some calls and the cap, believed to be Tevin’s, was delivered. The Kid got the assist from the Big Hurt. And with that, the ceremony was over.

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