Ken Griffey Jr has never been the one to back down fromcontroversy or confrontation, especially when it comes to expressing his hate for the New York Yankees. That’s nothing new to baseball fans.
You either love or hate the Yankees. There’s no middle ground. They’re the team with most World Series wins in MLB history, they’ve had a plethora of superstars wearing Pinstripes, and they’re most likely to have a winning record vs. your favorite team, so yeah, we get the despise.
Then again, it seems like Ken Griffey Jr has always taken it to a whole new level when it comes to hating the Yankees’ guts. And, even though he hasn’t been around the game for quite some time, that hasn’t changed a bit.
A couple of days ago, Junior joined the Seattle Mariners broadcast and finally opened up about why he hated the Yankees in the first place, affirming that up to this day, he still hates them.
Ken Griffey Jr Really, Really Hates The New York Yankees
Ken Griffey Jr went on to tell the story of the time he visited his father Ken Griffey Sr when he was playing for the Yankees. Apparently, George Steinbrenner sent employees to get Junior out of the premises, as he didn’t want anyone out of place watching the practice.
“But before you go, look at third base,” Sr told his son, who so one of Craig Nettle’s sons just hanging out there. For context, Craig Nettle and his sons were white, the Griffey’s were not. That was a defining moment on Junior’s life and the very instant his despise for the Yankees was born.
“At that time my dad was 38 years old, and he was like, ‘I ain’t fighting this no more. I got someone a little younger, and a little better. There are certain things that a dad drills into you as a kid that just stick with you. That was one of them, to beat the Yankees. (His wife) Melissa and Iwere talking about using the word “hate,” and she was like, ‘I don’t like the word “hate”. And I go, ‘well I hate the Yankees.’ And she starts laughing, she goes, ‘no, just use the word “dislike.” he said.
He’s Hated The Yankees For Years
Back in the day, Ken Griffey Jr told fans and the media that he rather retire than play for the New York Yankees if they were the only team to offer him a contract. Apparently, that feeling goes a long way.
“… And I don’t hate the Yankees… I respect what they’ve done, you know, I respect the guys that played for them. It’s just that age 12 and 13, the things that were done to me, didn’t scar me, but (they) molded me into making sure when Iplayed certain teams that they got everything,” he concluded.
Ken Griffey Jr went down as one of the greatest MLB players of all time and one of the few superstars who never felt tempted to join the Evil Empire. Now, we finally understand why he feels that way.