Griffey Belts No. 600, Reds Belt Marlins 9-4

The Reds salvaged a split and a 3-5 road trip with a 9-4 win over the Marlins Monday night.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th career homer highlighted the Reds' 31st win of 2008, and Paul Bako provided two dingers to power the Reds offense.

Junior getting to 600 is something that just makes me feel old. I was seven when he broke in with Seattle, had a Griffey poster in my room as a kid and as a senior in high school couldn't sleep that unforgettable night the Reds traded for him. It just didn't seem real, and like so many things that seem too good to be true, Griffey's stint in Cincinnati hasn't worked out the way it was supposed to work out. Still, lots of guys with his continued injury problems would have hung it up a long time ago, particularly after 2004, when he finally had his power stroke and again lost half the year to injury. He never really seemed happy until later in his time with the Reds, when he seemed to get comfortable in his old-man role, adjusted to not being able to run anymore, and just did the best he could and wasn't so hard on himself. I remember seeing him late in 2000 or possibly sometime in 2001 and telling someone, "he looks happy today," and thinking, wait, this is a baseball player, we aren't supposed to psychoanalyze him. He just looked so miserable in his early times in Cincinnati, with the pressure, the death threats, the booing, the Phil Nevin trade rumours.

But he's adjusted, and now he is what he is, a constant reminder for some of the promising future that never was, but I've come to just appreciate him for what he is, a legend in his time, the former best player in the game, one of the only untainted surefire Hall of Famers of his era and one of the only dominant players from my childhood and teenage years left in baseball (he's one of the only ones still playing, along with Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux and Frank Thomas, and I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting). Despite it all, and despite all the years of frustration, I'm glad he's been a Red. 2005 through 2007 have been such bittersweet redemption for all the frustration from 2001 to 2004, and it's hard not to think that if he'd just been healthy and played 140 games those years with normal regression, he would have been the first to pass Aaron, and do it the right way. But what happened happened, and it's silly to wonder what might have been.

More than anything, I think about where I was in 2000 and that huge contract was signed, and where I am now compared to then. It's hard to believe that this is the last year of that deal if the Reds don't pick up the option (and they most certainly won't). It seemed so long at that time it was almost incomprehensible. I've seen players from my childhood baseball cards show up on coaching staffs all around the league but The Kid hitting his 600th homer may take the cake for baseball showing you how quickly life moves. He's not a kid anymore, and neither am I. But for both of us, it's been a great ride.

Edinson Volquez held the Floridians hitless through four before running into trouble, allowing three in the fifth before ending his night with a scoreless sixth. He was good-but-not-great and picked up another win.

As far as the Philly series and the rest of the Florida series go, it was a mixed bag. I said going in that I wouldn't be too crestfallen with a 3-5 trip. That isn't a ringing endorsement of the Reds, but such is the state of their play on the road. A 1-7 or 2-6 trip wouldn't have shocked me in the least. I'm really glad the Reds are done with the Phillies for the year. That lineup continues to be scary, and if I never see Chase Utley terrorize Reds pitching again I won't be crying. Volquez was their only salvation at Philly, although they did keep two of the other games close. Of course they couldn't salvage the split against Cole Hamels, a really good lefty.

As for the rest of the Marlins series, really the Reds should have won three of four but the Cordero blown save in the second game was epic. Really, it happens, and what can you do about it? Nothing. Chalk it up and move on, and I'm glad they got the split.

Big homestand coming up. The Reds have won thirteen of fifteen at home and need these games coming up. Three vs. second-place St. Louis, three vs. defending World Champion Boston, then the Dodgers. Some dude named Mitchell Boggs goes for Luigi against Homer Bailey for the Reds, who was very good against the Phils in his first start despite losing. He was clearly a victim of poor defense, and deserved better. Let's see how he does his second time out. Certainly he looked like more of a pitcher than he did last year, just trying to toss rising fastballs past everyone. Seems to have filled out a bit as well, although that may be my imagination. Game time is 7:10 for the Reds and Cards tomorrow, 4:10 here in California. Peace.