Sunday, June 06, 2004
And in Other Home Run News...
Not to take away from Junior Griffey's achievements or the huge amount of attention he'll get when #500 comes along (expect even more screams of "best comeback of this year!" and "can he get back on track to chase Hank?"), but I scanned the list of league leaders in dingers today to see who he's competing against and look who's there:
Steve Finley, right in the hunt with 16 home runs.
What?!
Finley hit two a few nights ago against the Giants after a seven-game homerless "slump." But there he is, at the age of 39 still raking them in. He's been left out of the "Life begins at the age of 40 or so" discussions, but Finley has put together a very nice career: a lifetime .276 hitter with 265 dingers (6 seasons of 20+ and with four more this year, he'll have a seventh), 1008 RBIs (four 90+) and a solid 303 SB. Not to mention a career OBP of .337.
Why do I bring him up when we're talking about guys like Griffey and Bonds? Because Steve is one of those players who quietly puts together a great career and he's still doing it this year. He's a two-time All-Star, a four-time Gold Glover, and when he retires, I'm not sure anyone will talk about him much. But those who watched him in Arizona will say that he was as important to their championship in 2001 as anyone on that team.
There are tons of these players out there today who obviously don't get the same recognition because they're role players who put up good, not great numbers. So here's my quick tribute to Steve Finley and the members of the All-Unsung Team. Why? Because they win championships with their heads down.
Meanwhile, I hope Griffey stays back on track. It would be a huge surprise if Finley won the home run derby this year though...
posted by Charles Curtis 2:02 PM
