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A most memorable catch
Several years ago, I made a habit of meeting up with my childhood friend Peter Carver in Amherstburg, Ontario. Every summer for many years, he would head south from Kincardine and we would head west to the Detroit River. Amherstburg lies on the river, south of Windsor.
On those occasions, we always went across the river to watch the Tigers. We first saw them play at Tiger Stadium, which was not located in the friendliest area in Detroit. Later on, we watched the games at Comerica Park.
The fence in the outfield at Tiger Stadium was perhaps 10-feet high. There was also an overhang, which could be distracting to outfielders. We had many memorable moments at the old park. One in particular will stay with me forever. A great catch by Ken Griffey Jr. He jumped high against the centre field wall, extended his glove over the fence and came down with the ball.
After the game, I had an opportunity to talk with his manager about the catch. Lou Piniella was at the helm of the Mariners at that time. I have always considered him to be one of the great characters of the game. “Sure it was a fine catch,” he told me.
“But I have seen him make better catches. One time, he went eight rows into the stands to catch a ball, after climbing a 10-foot fence.” I suspected he was pulling my leg, just a little.
Occasionally, I receive notes regarding sport from a most interesting source called The Players Tribune. They are contributions from players, officials, managers and the like sharing stories about the game. I recently read a posting by Griffey Jr., reminiscing about his days in baseball. He said he is always asked about his home runs, and they are memorable. But when asked about his best play, he acknowledged that it was that catch, at the 415-foot mark in Tiger Stadium.
He remembered that the ball came off the bat of Luis Gonzalez. “It was probably the only ball that I thought I was never going to get to. But I didn’t feel like I had a choice. You always run down every ball. My dad taught me that.”
After he jumped, he threw his glove in the direction of the ball. “It hit the very tip of my glove and rolled back into my palm. When I landed, it was a shock to find the ball in there.”
It would take some really serious digging for me to find the score sheet from that game. I believe it is in the archives somewhere. It may have been a coincidence that he was talking about the same catch.
I am just going to assume that it was. Likely his best, no matter what “Sweet Lou” had to say.
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