Kid's Say the Darndest Things

Baseball.

Junior's night

Junior's night
Posted by JohnFay at 6/30/2008 10:56 PM EDT on Cincinnati.com
Ken Griffey Jr. laughed it all off in the end.
But I've got to think he wasn't very happy not to be in the lineup Monday. First the back story:
Griffey came in and discovered he wasn't in the lineup. Dusty Baker was in a scouting meeting, so Griffey couldn't ask him why. But Baker's 9-year-old son, Darren, happened by.
“Darren, why ain’t I playing tonight?” Griffey said.

“Because you can’t hit left-handers,” Darren said.

Griffey mentioned that he tied the single-season home run with 21 in 1996 and tied it again in the 1998.

“But you’re old now,” Darren said.

“How old am I? Griffey asked.

“You’re like 50,” Darren said
Griffey’s 38, not 50. But he’s hitting .200 off left-handers with two home runs and 10 RBI this season. He hit .236 off lefties last year and .300 off right-handers. Left-handers were hitting .186 off Pirate starter Paul Maholm. So Griffey was out of the line.
Which, of course, meant we has available to put in the ninth spot in the ninth inning. He responded with the walk-off, two-run home run. Which by the way came off right-hander Matt Capps.
Did Griffey ask Dusty about what Darren said?
"Nah, you know what Bill Cosby says: 'Kids say the darnedest things.'"