Where are They Now: Ken Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey Jr. now can call himself a Hall of Famer after it was announced on January 22, 2013. It is well deserved for a great player of his caliber that has given his all to the game of baseball for 22 seasons.

Griffey was an expert on field as he was a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner for his position in center field. Also how can we pass on his power hitting through his career to where he hit 630 home runs. Currently Griffey ranks sixth all-time in home run hits.

This wasn’t an easy task to obtain with so much pressure for being Ken Griffey Sr. son; the stakes were always high for this young man growing up. Griffey was a hot commodity coming out of high school for his baseball and football skills. Many Division I schools were courting Griffey.

Griffey decided that he wanted to be just like his father from the days Griffey Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds. He wanted to go pro and that’s what he did. Griffey was drafted by the Seattle Mariners first overall in their amateur draft and he didn’t disappoint!

From the start of his career he made a name for himself as a prolific hitter and great defender in the majors. But what was holding him back in his career was a World Series title. Griffey made the most money in his era with lucrative endorsements and team contracts, but winning at the ultimate level was missing.

Many people don’t know or even remember at that age of 18 Griffey attempted to commit suicide. This isn’t something that I’m proud of to bring back into the light for his fans to see. With the pressures from his father of playing baseball and the stresses at home he just felt depressed and wanted to end his life.

Thankfully the attempt didn’t go through successfully because the total of 278 aspirins that he swallowed didn’t kill him but put him in intensive care in Ohio. I must say that’s a lot of pills to swallow and to survive that it’s a miracle in itself.

Today Griffey resides in Florida with his wife and three kids. Now at the age of 43 the former legendary player is just enjoying life and his current job with the Seattle Mariners as a special consultant. I miss watching one of my favorite players of all-time gone from the game. But Griffey has put some great memories in our minds that we’ll never forget.

How do you remember Ken Griffey Jr.?