June 22, 2007

Griffey had Hall of Fame look from start

By John Sleeper
Herald Columnist

EVERETT - The thing Spyder Webb remembers most about Ken Griffey Jr. 20 years ago was that he, Webb, wouldn't have wanted to be the team's right fielder or left fielder.

Webb, today the trainer for the Everett AquaSox, was the Bellingham Mariners trainer in 1987, Griffey's first season in professional baseball.

Even then, Webb said, even at age 17, Griffey showed exceptional range in center field, many times too much range, to the fury of whoever played in right or left.

"Junior may go to the right-field foul pole or the left-field foul pole to go catch a ball," Webb said. "Those other two outfielders, well, you'd better get out of the way, pal, because he's going to get it."

It was Griffey's first time away from home and he reacted as a 17-year-old would, Webb said, good and bad. He was a lightning rod of energy. He was frighteningly gifted. But most of all, Webb said, he'll never forget Griffey's blinding smile.

"He was a big, rambunctious puppy dog in the clubhouse," Webb said. "He had a tremendous amount of energy. He was bouncing around all the time. He was always talking. He was a very gregarious guy. The college guys were quieter and more laid-back.

"There was nothing about Junior that was laid-back. You could see the college guys looking at him and saying, 'Sheesh! Slow down!'"

Today a lock for the Hall of Fame, Griffey was the subject of some debate among the brass in the Seattle Mariners front office. The M's had the first pick of the 1987 free agent draft and Griffey, out of Moeller High School in Cincinnati, had the physical tools that scouts held in awe.

Team owner George Argyros, however, was in the middle of trying to acquire the San Diego Padres. It was questionable whether Argyros was willing or able to spend the money necessary to sign Griffey.

Instead, the story is that Argyros favored a much cheaper Cal State Fullerton pitcher Mike Harkey, considered the top collegiate player. Fortunately for the Mariners, scouting director Roger Jongewaard stayed strong on Griffey and the M's signed him for $169,000.

That first season in Bellingham, Griffey hit .313, with 14 homers in 182 at-bats. He was named top prospect in the Northwest League.

Bellingham Herald news clips from that time indicate the impact he had.

"He has better tools now than most major leaguers," said then-Bellingham manager Rick Sweet, now manager of the Louisville Bats, the Class AAA farm club of the Cincinnati Reds.

"He has all the tools to be a superstar," said Joe Strain, then manager of the Everett Giants.

"He can do anything he wants," said Spokane manager Rob Piccolo, a former major-leaguer.

Webb has seen thousands of major-league prospects come through Everett and Bellingham. Not surprisingly, he counts Griffey as the best. Whoever is second to Junior isn't even close.

"In 1983, Edgar Martinez was on our club in Bellingham," Webb said. "He hit a buck-seventy-three. I looked at Edgar Martinez and I said, 'Hmm. Just another guy.' Omar Vizquel played in Bellingham. You looked at his actions and you said, 'That guy's kind of special.'

"You looked at Ken Griffey Jr., and you said, 'That's a Hall of Fame player.' I saw a lot of players who later played in the big leagues. I didn't know they'd be big-league players. With Junior, there was never a doubt from the first time you saw him out there in center field and saw him swing a bat at 17 years old."

Webb said management kept Griffey on a short leash, wanting to keep their budding superstar headed in the right direction. Accordingly, if there was a difference in the way Griffey was treated in comparison to his Bellingham teammates, it was that management was tougher on him.

One time, Webb said, Sweet fined Griffey $50 for going out after curfew to buy a hamburger, an offense not exactly on par with those of Pacman Jones, but one that Sweet believed had to be addressed.

Griffey remembered years later, as a Seattle Mariner.

"I'd run into Junior two or three times at the Kingdome or Safeco since," Webb said, "and Junior would say, 'I want you to tell Rick Sweet I want my $50 back!' I'm thinking, 'Geez, you're making $5 million. You really want that $50?' I always thought that was pretty funny."

Although Webb won't have time to see Griffey this weekend in Seattle, he'll have the memories, along with the knowledge that a future Hall of Famer carries positive memories of him as well.

"Every time, I always got a handshake and a hug from Junior," Webb said. "He and I have a good relationship. Their lives are so busy. It always meant something to me that he would take time to say 'Hello' and 'Do you need anything?'

"That's a cool deal."