Ken Griffey Jr. EXCLUSIVE Interview

Former Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr.is greeted by team staff members on his arrival before a news conference Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, in Seattle.

Griffey also opened up the possibilities that yes (!), he may wear his hat backward on his plaque, though it could be left open to a fan vote. “And when I responded [he became ticked] off and now he wants to take it out on the kids”.

Griffey Jr. was born in Donora, Nov. 21, 1969, just five months after his father was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of Donora High School.

Mariners President and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Mather announced that the organization will retire Griffey’s number 24 in a pre-game ceremony August 6. I did most of my damage here. Hall of Fame Bobblehead Night with the first 20,000 fans receiving a bobblehead. “I just told him to be yourself and you’ll hit more home runs, you’ll drive the ball better”. But there was a point in Griffey’s life when things seemed so bad he tried to commit suicide by swallowing 277 aspirin, by his count, according to a 1992 article in The Seattle Times. Unable to agree to a long-term deal, the Dodgers traded him in 1998 to the Florida Marlins, who dealt him to the Mets eight days later.

“When he came home, I never knew if he went 0-for-4 or 4-for-4”, Griffey Jr. said. “It wasn’t. It was Billy Martin”, said Griffey Sr., who was back in town Thursday at the New York Athletic Club for his son’s formal introduction – along with Piazza – as a 2016 Hall of Fame electee.

Both men are extremely deserving of being inducted into the Hall of Fame, just as numerous other players who were on the ballot absolutely don’t deserve to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

“We’ve got big plans, ” Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said. “He should be in the Hall of Fame, I don’t care what anyone says”.

Los Angeles drafted Piazza at the recommendation of then-manager Tommy Lasorda, a friend of Piazza’s father, Vince. “It’s the right thing to do”, Griffey said of choosing to go in as a Mariner.

Griffey’s father, who had an outstanding major league career of 18 years, was present at the press conference in NY.

Newcomers to the ballot in 2017 include former Red Sox star Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Vladimir Guerrero. Trevor Hoffman, second on the career saves list and appearing on the ballot for the first time, was 34 short.

After falling 23 votes shy on Wednesday, Tim Raines’s candidacy will come down to next year’s vote.

Suspicion by some that Piazza may have used PEDs might have kept the slugging catcher from winning election until his fourth year as a candidate.

However, if the team won, Griffey would often not make himself available. Brad Ausmus, Luis Castillo, Troy Glaus, Mark Grudzielanek, Mike Hampton, Mike Lowell and Randy Winn all received no votes and will be dropped from next year’s ballot along with anyone who received less than 5 percent. The previous high percentage total for a position player was 98.53% for Cal Ripkin, Jr.