A conversation Ken Griffey Jr. had with Joe Buck on Friday during Buck's alternate broadcast on ESPN of the PGA Championship with Michael Collins gave Junior a chance to explain the smile he gave Buck during a game in St. Louis years ago when the National Baseball Hall of Famer and former Moeller High School standout played for the Reds - in addition to chatting about his long-time friendship with Tiger Woods.
Here's the back-and-forth between Buck and Griffey:
Buck: You and I have an interesting history, Ken. I don't know if you remember this. Do you remember when you were with Cincinnati, and you guys came through St. Louis and I was doing the Cardinals TV? And I think you were a little ticked off ...
Griffey: You mean when you told me that I don't smile? Yeah, I remember that.
Buck: Yeah, I said on the Cardinal broadcast - I said, 'You know, the guy has the greatest smile.' I don't know which was better - the smile or the swing? Both are 12s out of 10. And you were eyeing me during batting practice and you said, 'You know, I'm gonna smile for you.' And so that night in the first inning - I'm up there doing TV for the Cardinals. 'Now batting: Ken Griffey Jr.' And he walks three feet out of the on-deck circle and stops, looks up at me and gives me the biggest smile I've ever seen from any player. It was one of the best moments of my career that you were thinking of me going up to the plate that night in St. Louis.
Griffey: Nah, that wasn't the case. (Laughing.) But you can take it ...
Buck: Way to crush my dreams!
Griffey: Nah, that's OK. Actually, you know, being that I've got friends who are St. Louis fans - diehard St. Louis fans - and Cincinnati fans, they felt that you were a little unfair to me that day. Like I explain to people: When you're hurt and you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing, it's hard to smile. You're trying to grind through some things. And at that point, that's what it was. It wasn't personal. It was just that I was just getting back. The team was losing. And I wasn't where I needed to be physically at that time. And I will say this: St. Louis has probably - they're in the top 2 fans of baseball. Knowing the knowledge of the game, how they support their players, opposing players when they do great things. I mean I've never felt the warm feeling on Father's Day (in 2004) of hitting the home run for 500, and having the fans react the way they did was unbelievable.
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