Junior will always be a favorite player of mine, and was almost singularly responsible for my renewed love of the game (with "Extra Innings" getting an honorable mention...). After the Astros let Ryan go to the Rangers and the 1990 lockout, etc., etc., etc., I'd mostly lost interest in baseball. I'd still watch/listen to games that Ryan pitched in (on occasion), but that was about it. By the end of the 1994 debacle I'd had it.
Moved to Seattle in 1995 and went to a Mariners game with some folks because it was something to do. Can't tell you who the Mariners played or if the Mariners won, but remember being absolutely amazed by watching Junior play. His swing appeared effortless, his defense amazing. Watching him play that game was truly "poetry in motion." It was clear watching him that he loved the game, and by the time it was over I did again as well.
While it was hard watching him struggle with injuries while with the Reds and the "what could have beens," I have remained a Junior fan and will always continue to be. So while he may be "the Red Messiah" here at SnS, he'll always be the kid that brought me back to the game to me.
Congrats Junior!
