Adam Dunn on Ken Griffey: 'He couldn't understand why you stunk'
In 2000, Adam Dunn made his first appearance in a major league spring training with the Cincinnati Reds. The story of camp was Ken Griffey Jr., whom Jim Bowden had just acquired in a trade.
"He was the best player in the game, and I was just a little peon," Dunn said. "It didn't matter who you were. He was always having fun, man. He just fit it in with everyone. He was not like your typical superstar. It was awesome. Awesome teammate."
Over the next eight years, Dunn revered Griffey as a player and cherished him as a teammate. Dunn had not yet spoken to Griffey about his retirement yesterday, but planned to talk with him later tonight. "He's one of my best friends now," Dunn said.
Dunn remembers "more off-the-field stuff" with Griffey, he said. "He was fun in the clubhouse. That's what a lot of people don't get to see.
"What he did on the field, nobody could touch. He wasn't a very good guy to talk to, because he couldn't understand why you stunk. He was just that good. He tried, but things came so easy to him, man. We would talk hitting all the time, and I would be, 'I can't do that, dude. I have to take to BP getting loose. I can't just get out there at 1:07 and hit a three-run homer like you can.' We tried to talk hitting, but it didn't work too good."