The Natural

The Swing Stylings of Ken Griffey, Jr.

By Richard J. Galasso

In a time when so many athletes are quick to take for themselves, Griffey is eager and excited to give—his time, his money, his unending enthusiasm. As one of the golden boys of modern baseball, Griffey is quite busy. But no matter how busy he might be or how stressful things might get, he manages to keep it all in perspective. He constantly carries himself with as much grace off the field as he does on it—and that’s saying something.

And even more endearing is the sense of genuine humility with which he conducts himself. To the objective observer, his passion for charity is truly eye-opening but for Griffey the view is quite different. “It’s important to recognize that everybody in this country needs help in some way,” he says. “Whether it’s financially or mentally, it’s important to support their cause.”

It’s no surprise that Ken Griffey, Jr. is a throwback to a forgotten era. His old school style—both personally and professionally—can largely be attributed to the influence of his father, with whom Griffey is extremely close. “My dad has always told me, ‘Hey, just be you. You’re not me, you’re not Pete Rose, you’re not Joe Morgan. Just be my son and that’s all I can ask for.”

That special bond with his dad, Ken Griffey, Sr., was forged mostly around the baseball diamond. Griffey Sr. was himself a Major League standout, playing All-Star caliber ball for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees teams of the 1970s and 80s. As a youngster, Griffey Jr. was always welcome in the clubhouse and spent the majority of every summer tagging along with his big league dad.

As Griffey takes a moment to reflect on those seasons spent growing up around the game, it’s important to note the affection with which he muses about his early years. “My dad let me do whatever I wanted to do,” he says fondly. “He didn’t put any stipulations on me other than to be a good student. If I wanted to do archery he would have probably said, ‘Alright.’” Thankfully though for all of us—those who truly enjoy the spectacle of Ken Griffey, Jr. the athlete—he had no intention of testing his skills with a bow. No, just like his father, Griffey’s weapon of choice would be the baseball bat. Coming out of Moeller High School in the greater Cincinnati area, Griffey Jr. was one of the hottest young prospects in the history of the modern game. He was heralded as the next can’t-miss kid—a five tool player who patrolled the outfield with a graceful stride and swung a powerful bat with incredible ease. And of course, even then, he played the game with that trademark reckless abandon that earned him the nickname The Kid. When Junior first stepped on a big league field for the Seattle Mariners in the summer of 1989, he debuted as the youngest man ever to put on a Major League uniform. In that very same season Griffey and his dad made baseball history as they became the very first father-son duo ever to take the field as teammates.

But now, years later, Griffey and his father are still lining up as teammates—on the golf course. In fact, golf plays a key role in the lives of the entire Griffey clan.“We all go out and play,” Griffey says. “I play with my dad and with my son. And I have a brother too—he plays. My wife plays. My mom plays.” There’s an obvious excitement in his voice as he continues to rattle off the names of family members who regularly join him on the course. But as those who know him well can attest, this is to be expected. Despite the many wonderful moments he’s experienced and accolades he’s received throughout his career, the superstar slugger’s greatest exhilaration comes from spending time with his family. And for Griffey the golf course is one of the best places to do it.

“For me it’s time I can spend with my kids,” he says. “It’s not a matter of us being competitive out on the course. With my hectic schedule, it’s an opportunity to hang out with son, talk to him, have fun. If I lose a couple dozen balls, I don’t care. It’s just a chance for father and son to hang out.”

Like his own kids, Griffey, Jr. started experimenting on the golf course at a young age. “You know how that goes,” he laughs. “I think it’s more fun driving the golf cart as a kid than anything else.” But by the time he was 12 Griffey and some friends were regulars at local driving ranges where they would play and hack around. It was those jocular swing sessions that eventually laid the foundation for a more serious foray into the game.

“When I really started playing was ’94, the strike year.” It was at that time that Griffey moved to Orlando where he spent time working with PGA teachers and honing his game. Living in the Florida area has provided Griffey with a number of opportunities to play with and learn from some of the best golfers in the world. “I’ve played with [the late] Payne Stewart, Mark O’Meara, Tiger Woods, Scott Hoch, Lee Jansen,” he mentions. “It’s a chance for me to get to see them up close and really look at their swings. Mark O’Meara helped me with my bunker game. Tiger Woods helped me with touch.”

But Junior is careful never to take it too seriously. In fact he’s just happy that the golf ball isn’t flying at him at 90 miles per hour. “For me, golf is relaxing,” he says. “It’s like a one-man chess game. You can’t get frustrated because all it takes is one good shot. One good shot can bring you back.”

More than anything golf acts as a sanctuary for Griffey, a place to get away from the chaos of his frantic schedule. Other than the occasional off day, he rarely gets a chance to hit the course during the grind of the seemingly endless Major League season. But he takes full advantage of the off season, playing whenever he can—either with his family or by himself. “As long as I’m home at three o’clock when the kids come home, that’s all I really care about,” he says. “Because I can get up, drop them off at school, play golf, and then be back home. Just spending time with them is important, especially for me because I don’t get a chance to see them during the season. Then when I do I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s do this, let’s do that.’ From tennis to bowling to golf to baseball to throwing the football in the yard, whatever we can do to have a group activity.”