George Kenneth Griffey Jr.

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George Kenneth Griffey Jr., otherwise known as the “kid,” is arguably one of baseball's greatest players and role models. Not once has the word "steroids" been in the same sentence as Griffey, or the words "cheating" and "scandalizing." His honesty and work ethic on the field is what makes him a great player and a hero for other people. Never giving up is also a great quality he has. I've relized in life that never giving up will almost always pay off.

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Born on November 21, 1969, he had the pressure of becoming an elite baseball player. His dad Ken Sr. had already made an impact in the MLB and Griffey also grew up with many future MLB players. His dad realized the situation and tried to help him relax in every way he could, by always saying to him: ” I want Ken Griffey to be the best player he can be, not what people expect him to be.” Griffey would also get gum from his dad and teammates whenever they won a game when he watched. I respect him for developing into one of the best young high school players even though he had added pressure.

After graduating from Moeller High in Ohio he won baseball player of the year twice and played football for three years. Soon he became the youngest player, at age 19, to play professionally. In 1989 he was a huge hit. Not only did his own chocolate bar had over a million sales, but he was also voted the Seattles Post's sports star of the year. Surprisingly he even made the first ever father-son start in MLB history; for the Cincinnati Reds. It’s kind of funny that he had his own chocolate bar but couldn’t eat it because he is allergic. I know what he had to go through because I am allergic to caffeine.

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Throughout his career he has bounced back from career-threatening injuries and became an impact player again and again. Being the first to reach 200, 300, 350 homeruns he was expected to break the overall record. Injuries plagued him and ultimately stopped him from becoming the greatest player ever. I admire him for realizing that he can’t make an all-star performance every year, but that he should still try his hardest and make a decent impact in whatever situation he is in. He followed his dad's words through is ongoing career: "I want Ken Griffey to be the best player he can be, but not be what other people expect him to be."