$10 Things You Didn\'t Know About Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.$

10 Things You Didn't Know About Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.

By Jason Fletcher

Last night, former Seattle Mariners center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. got the news that he would be immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. He received a record 99.3 percent of the available votes during his first year of eligibility. We all know about Griffey Jr.’s accolades on the field, but here are 10 things that you might not know about the player nicknamed “The Kid”.

$10 Things You Didn\'t Know About Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.$

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Appeared On A Number Of TV Shows — Junior appeared on a number of hit television shows in the early 90s, including 'Harry and the Hendersons', 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' and, most notably, 'The Simpsons'.

Quit Baseball In The Middle Of Series With Twins In 2010 — Frustrated by his lack of production, Junior up and left the Mariners during the middle of a series with the Twins on June 2, 2010. Without alerting anyone, he jumped in his car and drove cross country to his home in Florida.

Started Tradition Of MLB Players Wearing No. 42 For Jackie Robinson's Debut — In 1997, Junior requested and received special permission from MLB commissioner Bud Selig and Jackie Robinson's widow, Rachel, to wear the No. 42 on April 15 to honor the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut. It led to the current tradition of all players wearing No. 42 on April 15.

Son, Trey, Plays Wide Receiver For University Of Arizona — Junior has three kids, Trey, Taryn and Tevin, and all of them have chosen athletic paths other than baseball. Trey is a wide receiver for Rich Rodriguez and the Arizona Wildcats' football team, Taryn is a guard on the Wildcats' women's basketball team and 12-year-old Tevin has shown zero interest in baseball.

Joined His Father To Become First Father-Son Combo To Play On Same Team — In 1990, Ken Griffey Sr. and Junior became the first father and son combo to play in the majors at the same time, on the same team and hit back-to-back home runs. This feat is unlikely to ever be matched.

Owns 100 Copies Of His Own Upper Deck Rookie Card — Junior's Upper Deck rookie card was the first card of the first set by Upper Deck. He also says that the card was altered: "That baseball card was me in a San Bernardino (Minors) uniform, they just photoshopped it. If you notice, the Mariners had a blue stripe down the center of the shirt. That one didn't have it. And if you look at the hat close enough, you'll see the trim of the red where the yellow is."

Attended Same High School As Future Teammate Barry Larkin — While Junior spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners, he grew up in Cincinnati as his father was a member of the Cincinnati Reds. He ended up attending Archbishop Moeller High School which happened to be the same high school that Barry Larkin attended, and both would end up playing together on the Reds once Junior left the Mariners following the 1999 season.

Only Player To Hit Warehouse at Camden Yards — During the 1993 Home Run Derby, Junior became the only player to ever hit the warehouse in right field at Camden Yards on the fly. To this day, no one else has ever hit it on the fly.

Attempted Suicide In 1988 — Junior attempted to commit suicide in 1988 by swallowing 277 aspirin after he was depressed and overwhelmed by his 1987 season in the minors.

Allergic To Chocolate — Because of his allergy to chocolate, Junior wasn't able to eat his own candy bar, The Ken Griffey, Jr. Milk Chocolate Bar.

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