Last Sunday, one of the best all-around players in baseball history achieved his sport’s highest honor when Ken Griffey Jr. was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

And he did it with a record voting percentage of 99.32 percent. Neither of those facts were surprising to me – both seemed almost inevitable.

Griffey was a baseball superstar during the 1990s and early 2000s, but for my generation, he was the king of the sport. Dubbed “The Kid,” Junior was the kind of player that we wanted to be growing up.

With that famous bright smile, he just looked like he was always having a blast on the field. Sure, there were other great players during that time, but Junior was different.

His swing was unique and unorthodox, but it was memorable. Instead of a level swing that connects solidly with the ball, Junior connected with pitches by getting just under it and putting it into the bleachers.

I remember playing ball growing up and my teammates and I would frustrate our coaches because instead of following orders and common sense, we’d try to hit like Junior. Standing straight up in the box and flicking the bat between our hands, we’d just sit for the perfect pitch to unleash the Junior swing. If you managed to pull it off and get a hit after your sad attempt at an imitation, you felt like you accomplished something great.

One of my coaches, I can’t remember which one, just accepted what we were trying to do and would set aside the last couple of swings of batting practice for each kid to try to mimic their favorite player, which was almost always Junior.

If we managed to get a good hit, we’d try to do the Griffey walk after a homer. The three-step walk to gaze at the ball you sent into orbit, the smile and then a slow trot to first. We’d never do that in a game, but it was fun to do it when there wasn’t a game on the line.

Junior knew he was good, but he wasn’t overtly cocky like Alex Rodriguez or Barry Bonds. He was just a guy having fun and playing for the fans.

If we were in the field, we’d try to make the diving catches Junior made, even if it just made more sense to let the ball drop in for a hit. And if we caught it, we’d pop up quickly and fire it as hard as we could to the infield.

These were easier to accomplish than his swing, but still, it made you feel amazing if you timed it perfectly. There were other major leaguers that could make the awesome nabs in the field as well as Junior could, but the flair and cool factor just wasn’t there.

How cool was Junior to us? He had his own video game, and not just one either. What John Madden did for football games, Junior did for baseball.

My favorite was Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run. He was the only active Major League Baseball player in it and I think that helped his popularity even more. Who wouldn’t want their name on the video game and be the only marketable guy in it?

He also was on popular TV shows for kids, like “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and more famously, “The Simpsons,” where he grows a swelled head after a hilarious addiction to brain and nerve tonic.

Mention that baseball-themed episode to any “Simpsons” fan and the line they’re likely to utter is Junior’s memorable, “Wow, it’s like there’s a party in my mouth and everyone’s invited.”

He was also in the movie “Little Big League.” He participates in a funny bit and makes a spectacular catch to win a playoff game for the Seattle Mariners. Easy-going guy, funky swing that hits homers, flashy moves in the field.

He was even in Nike commercials with his own line of shoes and his own Nike logo, the Swingman. He was the baseball equivalent of Michael Jordan. What kid wouldn’t like him?

The big thing for me was Junior’s rebellion against the traditions of baseball, most famously with his backward hat and earrings. The fact that it bothered middle-aged white columnists and managers was so hilarious to us.

Junior’s popularity caused kids to turn their hats backwards and it’s become commonplace in the majors today. My folks would shake their heads at me for doing it when I was younger, but I’ve been doing it for 20 years now, so they’ve grudgingly accepted it, just like those columnists were forced to do.

When I went on a trip with my family to Seattle a few years ago, we took in a Mariners game. Junior had come back to Seattle from the Cincinnati Reds in sort of a farewell tour and was stuck on the bench.

I was hoping I’d get a chance to see him play one more time and after 14 innings of scoreless baseball, I got the opportunity. Junior came off the bench with the chance to give Seattle a walk-off win and after two quick strikes, I was hoping he wouldn’t whiff.

Instead, he sent the fans home happy, cranking a double off the wall, just a couple feet short of clearing the fence, to win the game. As I watched him get mobbed by his teammates at second base, I smiled at the scene. Even in the twilight of his career, he could still come through in the clutch.

So last Sunday, I watched Junior get inducted into the Hall of Fame on TV. He was dressed in what looked like a typical suit, but in his typical fashion, he brought his own sense of style. The pinstripes were tiny teal letters that spelled out “Hall of Fame Class of 2016.” His shoes were Nikes based on his line back in the day and the heels were made out of his game-used bats. Finally, he wore a bright gold tie with his Swingman logo on it.

Each player likes to end their Hall of Fame speech in their own way, but Junior’s was perfect.

After disappointing his fans by having his plaque sport a frontward facing hat, he made up for that. To wrap it up, he reached under the podium and pulled out a hat. He then put it on backward, causing his fans to thunderously applaud.

Junior definitely knew how to leave his mark on the league whether it was his swing, his personality or his backward cap. Baseball fans are all kids at heart, but he will always be “The Kid.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal. net.