'Great One' visited Great American today(don't get too excited mission ;) )

[CincyRedsFan30]

'Great One' visits Great American

By Doug Harris

Dayton Daily News

The Cincinnati Reds' Jacob Cruz drew some curious looks when he toted two hockey sticks into the clubhouse Sunday, but he shrugged them off.

Cruz knew hockey legend Wayne Gretzky would be making an appearance at the stadium and wanted something appropriate for the Great One to sign.

"I don't have a clue about hockey, but I knew this was probably the only chance I'd ever get to meet him," Cruz said.

Gretzky is making a whirlwind tour of Major League parks with his wife, actress Janet Jones, and three of their five children to raise awareness for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. And although he spent much of his life on ice, he's not out of his element on a baseball field.

He rooted for the Detroit Tigers while growing up in Brantford, Ontario, and is a former high school shortstop.

"People probably don't realize this, but I grew up more of a baseball fan than a hockey fan," Gretzky said while his sons shagged fly balls during batting practice. "I would have loved to have been a baseball player, but I was a little bit better in another sport."

Oh, just a little.

Gretzky, who retired in 1999, is the NHL's all-time leading scorer with 2,857 points — some 1,000 more than anyone else in the game. He also holds the season record for goals (92), assists (163) and points (215).

He has raised money for cancer research for about 10 years, and the disease has hit close to home.

His mother, Phyllis Gretzky, has lung cancer and has gone through five bouts of chemo. She has one to go.

"Every cause is important, but cancer is a big one because so many people are affected by it," Gretzky said.

The Phoenix Coyotes' managing partner is vexed that NHL owners and players canned an entire season because they couldn't put their differences aside.

"It's really quite bad for our sport," he said. "We're having enough trouble as it is in this country trying to get positive exposure in the media. We're lagging behind football, basketball and baseball. And to take a whole year off hurts us a lot.

"The good news is I think the owners and players understand that we need to be on the ice by September."

Gretzky, 44, was scheduled to do some commentary during the Reds game on radio and TV before flying with his clan to Chicago to watch the Dodgers play the White Sox on Sunday night.

The 10-city blitz concludes in San Diego today. And while Pop has enjoyed the action, his family is starting to sag.

"The 4-year-old hit the wall the other day," Gretzky said. "I told him if he wanted to be a professional athlete, he had to get tougher."

Short hops

• Second-baseman Luis Lopez left the game in the fourth inning after straining his right hamstring on an RBI double.

• Ken Griffey Jr. was robbed of an RBI single in the sixth when his liner was speared by pitcher Kevin Gryboski just before it nailed him in the noggin.

• Rich Aurilia went 3-for-5 and is 15-for-37 (.407) in his last 11 games.

[missionhockey21]

I loved seeing the Great One. He's really one of the best athletes to represent a sport ever IMO. He loves the game he played, uses his position to help other causes like this one, a great family man and does it all while staying out of trouble. A class act all the way.