By Paul Daugherty
Enquirer staff writer
On Friday night, he gave us a bittersweet glimpse of the way he was. Ken Griffey Jr. lashed a line-drive home run to right field and threw out a runner at the plate with a textbook-perfect throw. The homer had the trajectory of a 2-iron, just like the ones Griffey claims he hits farther than his Orlando, Fla., neighbor, Tiger Woods. The throw was pure Hall of Fame talent and instinct, a laser just up the third base line.
In the middle of a season that's playing like a bad movie, Griffey is giving us a cameo of greatness. He could be Comeback Player of the Year. Nothing would be more deserving. Or ironic.
We've spent a lot of time questioning Griffey in the five years he has been here. Out of frustration or suspicion or both, we've pondered his desire, his work ethic, his commitment to and respect for his unsurpassed talent.
Well, forget that.
The previous Red to work so hard to come back from so much was rewarded with Comeback Player of the Year. That was Eric Davis, in 1996. Davis largely rewrote his Reds legacy that year, and he retired as one of Cincinnati's favorite baseball sons. Griffey is following E.D.'s flight path.
In case you don't recall Griffey's gruesome injury of August and the experimental, bionic-man surgery that ensued, here's the recap. (Don't read it if you're eating.