Lexus car victimized by Griffey’s power homers

A Lexus IS-3000 parked outside the right field of the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium became a victim of one of the home run balls of future Hall-of-Famer and Manila visitor Ken Griffey Jr. that sailed outside the ballpark. In his second day in the country, the 41-year-old Griffey, the fifth all-time leader in home runs in Major League Baseball, showed his power game, this time to several members of the national team and players from Baseball Philippines. After conducting clinics alongside minor league team Orlando Reds coach Joe Logan, Griffey stepped up to the plate, took out a Louisville slugger wooden bat, and hit the baseballs pitched by Logan. It was a home run derby of sorts as he hit at least 10 homers, all of which went to right field, with some of them landing outside the ballpark and even hitting the walls of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. Then there ws the car, which suffered a dent on its roof, thanks to the big home run by the man they call “Junior." In a short interview with sportswriters, Griffey said he’s impressed with the players who attended the two-day clinics in Manila organized by the U.S. Embassy. “I’m actually more impressed with the young girls. They came up, threw the ball, and they were really focused. It’s an honor for me to be here," said Griffey, who played with the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox and Cincinatti Reds in the majors. Griffey added that he was also impressed with the enthusiasm of the Filipinos in the clinic, and sees that a Filipino can make it in the big leagues with the right attitude. “I saw the coaches and how energetic they are. I see that there is great potential here, they just need to learn and keep playing. From my point of view, one day, there will be someone out there in the big league. Hopefully, that person is here right now in this clinic," said Griffey. Griffey said that height isn’t a hindrance in baseball. “It doesn’t matter how big or small you are. If you have the heart, you’ll do well. That's how how the Japanese play, that’s why they won two World Baseball Classic titles. If you execute, you are going to win. It doesn’t matter if you are 6-foot-6 or 5-foot-6, all that matters is you can play," Griffey said. Logan said that there are a lot of advantages playing baseball, which is not that popular in the country. “There is no doubt that Filipinos should take a look at baseball, because baseball is like life. Everything that you do, you can be successful in it. But you have to work hard. I look at baseball as a life-learning lesson versus winning and losing," said Logan, a former player of the Montreal Expos. Griffey and Logan, along with Baseball Philippines’ Cebu Dolphins, will go to Cebu for two more days of clinics. - KY, RCJ, Reuben Terrado