Unrealized Potential: Ken Griffey Jr.

[matfanofold]

It's hard to feel "let down" by a guy who put together one of the best carears in all of baseball, ever. Having said that, I do agree we were left wondering 'what if', if not for injuries. But that can be said, for one reason or another, about many HOF'ers.

My thoughts on Ripken are..

There is no doubt the man was a great athlete. However, he played through sickness, injury, and probablly a combination of the two many times. To think he was not taking something, or getting injected from time to time to 'get through' is just silly in my opinion. Do I think he was a roid freak? Probablly not, but I would not be cought off guard to learn he did his fair share.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

[quote="ALL_THE_HYPE":2peozuv5]

[quote="ALL_THE_HYPE":2peozuv5]

I think that if you feel let down by Griffey Jr then the same can be said of fans of Mickey Mantle. Not everyone can run out on the field every game for 15+ season like Ripken Jr did.

He's another one. Since he's the MLB Poster child, i doubt we'll ever find out about what he "used"

Yeah because Cal Ripken Jr who made it to 30 homeruns one time was juicing his entire career. Give me a break.

Jose Guillen was on the juice and he only hit 30 hrs once(31).

Wow, so you actually think Cal Ripken Jr used steroids too?

Have you seen him before? Even at the end of his career, he was still not very big at all. Think what you want but the idea that every player in the history of baseball cheated is the most ignorant thing I've ever heard.

if you read what i wrote, i said "used". i didnt say "juice" per-se, i said "used" as in something.
He played a long long time without missing any time, and did that on a higher "level" then most
of his peers. To just dismiss him as "clean" because he wasnt built like the incredible hulk is
also very ignorant.

I understand that he's the mega-popular white boy for the MLB, but give me a break. He's still flesh and bones
like everyone else.[/quote:2peozuv5]

Consistency. 20 homeruns or more from age 21 to age 30. No ridiculous spikes in his numbers, and slowly declining stats after age 30. Sounds like regular human body, which primes physically in its 20s and slowly declines from early-mid 30s until death.

The fact that he's just a skinny guy is only one piece of this. Look at his numbers if you'd like. Read about him if you'd like. Just don't go around throwing idiotic statements like your idea that every player in the history of baseball cheated, because that is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Have you ever played baseball before? Just because you see A-Rod and Manny Ramirez getting caught for using steroids doesn't mean that every human being that has played baseball is a cheater.[/quote:2peozuv5]


"It is completely ok to have your own opinion in life and not just follow what others say even though you don't agree with them."

Heed your own advice as posted in the quoted above.

I saw him play just about his entire career. I feel that he was not 100% "clean" whatever "clean" may mean. i also feel
that whatever it may have been, will never be reported, to protect the fallacy that is the MLB.

 

[All The Hype]

[quote="ALL_THE_HYPE":10cjh5ha]

[quote="ALL_THE_HYPE":10cjh5ha]

[quote="ronfromfresno":10cjh5ha]I think that if you feel let down by Griffey Jr then the same can be said of fans of Mickey Mantle. Not everyone can run out on the field every game for 15+ season like Ripken Jr did.

He's another one. Since he's the MLB Poster child, i doubt we'll ever find out about what he "used"

Yeah because Cal Ripken Jr who made it to 30 homeruns one time was juicing his entire career. Give me a break.

Jose Guillen was on the juice and he only hit 30 hrs once(31).

Wow, so you actually think Cal Ripken Jr used steroids too?

Have you seen him before? Even at the end of his career, he was still not very big at all. Think what you want but the idea that every player in the history of baseball cheated is the most ignorant thing I've ever heard.

if you read what i wrote, i said "used". i didnt say "juice" per-se, i said "used" as in something.
He played a long long time without missing any time, and did that on a higher "level" then most
of his peers. To just dismiss him as "clean" because he wasnt built like the incredible hulk is
also very ignorant.

I understand that he's the mega-popular white boy for the MLB, but give me a break. He's still flesh and bones
like everyone else.[/quote:10cjh5ha]

Consistency. 20 homeruns or more from age 21 to age 30. No ridiculous spikes in his numbers, and slowly declining stats after age 30. Sounds like regular human body, which primes physically in its 20s and slowly declines from early-mid 30s until death.

The fact that he's just a skinny guy is only one piece of this. Look at his numbers if you'd like. Read about him if you'd like. Just don't go around throwing idiotic statements like your idea that every player in the history of baseball cheated, because that is probably the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Have you ever played baseball before? Just because you see A-Rod and Manny Ramirez getting caught for using steroids doesn't mean that every human being that has played baseball is a cheater.[/quote:10cjh5ha]


"It is completely ok to have your own opinion in life and not just follow what others say even though you don't agree with them."

Heed your own advice as posted in the quoted above.

I saw him play just about his entire career. I feel that he was not 100% "clean" whatever "clean" may mean. i also feel
that whatever it may have been, will never be reported, to protect the fallacy that is the MLB.[/quote:10cjh5ha]

I am heeding my own advice by having a contrasting opinion to yours, because I think that saying that every single player in the history of baseball was a cheater is completely ridiculous.

But you tell me. These guys all play(ed) Major League Baseball. Did they cheat?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/tynerja01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/deshide01.shtml

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pierrju01.shtml

 

[yakacack]

I have never seen such a roundabout argument in my life. At least try to argue in a focused manner if youre going to do so Especially in a thread about one guy to which your argument has little/nothing to do with...

 

[All The Hype]

I have never seen such a roundabout argument in my life. At least try to argue in a focused manner if youre going to do so

My argument isn't even about Ripken specifically, he's just the example...it's that I find the statement "Every player who ever played was a cheater" to be completely irrational.

 

[cowboysrule48]

I'm not saying Ripken or Jr. or anyone else juiced. However, if you believe that any player that played in the last 20 years is clean without a shadow of a doubt you are being naive.

 

[uniquebaseballcards]

Sometimes what a player gives actually represents all of his potential. Don't forget that potential involves health potential too, everyone breaks down eventually. I don't think Griffey would have any regrets about that, its not like he became seriously injured doing something stupid on his own free time.

I love The Kid, always have, always will. But does anyone else feel kind of let down, now that his career is coming to an end, that we really didn`t get to see the Junior that we all thought we were going to see? Home Run King rival, etc? I feel kind of let down, and none of it is his fault. You can`t really help being injury prone. Like I said, I love the dude, he was always one of my favorites, but now that it is pretty much at the end, I can`t help but feel kind of let down that we all really didn`t get a chance to see the Junior that we alk know we could have.