S2 Ep. 5: The Last Swing

American Prodigy: Becoming Great

Blue Wire

Sports

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2021

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In June of 2010, hours before the Mariners hosted the Twins, a 40-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. got into his car and drove out of Seattle. He told no one that he was leaving, and told no one where he was going. Instead of a farewell tour, Junior retired from baseball driving for two straight days from Washington to Florida to return home—for good. In many ways, his retirement—both the way that it was received and the reason he chose to do it that way—is the best portrait of Griffey’s legacy, forcing us to ask the question: did we need him more than he needed us? Presented by Coors Light Brought to you by Roman: getroman.com/prodigy American Prodigy listeners! We want to learn more about you! Please fill out this quick survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	On May 31, 2010, the Seattle Mariners were at home playing the Minnesota twins in the
0:05.8	first of a four game regular season series.
0:08.9	The season was almost a third complete by that point, and so far, the twins are pretty
0:12.7	good, the Mariners were pretty bad, not much was at stake.
0:22.4	The twins won that game five to four, and everyone headed home, business as usual.
0:27.5	But by the time game two rolled around the next day, it wasn't business as usual.
0:32.6	Kengerfield Jr. was missing.
0:36.4	The 10-time gold glove winner, 13-time All-Star, League MVP, and Future Hall of Famer,
0:42.0	had vanished overnight.
0:44.1	For brief time, the fans didn't know where he was, his teammates didn't know, his manager
0:48.7	didn't even know.
0:50.7	But his agent Brian did.
0:52.3	I think he called me right when he was getting in the car like he just said, you know,
0:56.3	hey, I'm in the car, nothing's going to stop me, I'm going, I'm done, and just needed
1:00.5	a head start and give him a few hours, and then they could tell everybody what was going
1:05.5	on.
1:06.5	Brian gave Jr. that head start, then he called the president of the Mariners at the time,
1:10.8	Chuck Armstrong.
1:11.8	He said you're going to get a call from Jr., and I think he said what, half an hour or something
1:15.5	like that, and you're probably not going to like what he said to say, I said, okay.
1:21.8	Do you remember getting that call?
1:23.4	Yep, I do.
	...

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