Harold Reynolds and Cincinnati Reds legend Ken Griffey Jr. prep for impactful All-Star week
Harold Reynolds was a Seattle Mariners All-Star second baseman and Gold Glove winner when Ken Griffey Jr. burst onto the scene at the age of 19, and now three decades later, these two best friends are making an indelible impact in the game of baseball.
Reynolds, 62, the gregarious three-time Emmy Award winner for MLB Network who is one of the most popular figures in the sport, is teaming up with Griffey, the Hall of Famer who has become perhaps the game’s greatest ambassador.
Together, they’ll return home to Seattle for the 93rd All-Star Game, where they’ll have their footprint on virtually everything that happens for the next six days.
Seattle is where Reynolds spent 10 of 12 years of his major-league career, earning two All-Star selections and three Gold Gloves. This is where Griffey spent 13 years, becoming the greatest player in franchise history, earning 10 of his 13 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves and four home-run titles before becoming a part-owner.
Now, the two will be practically inseparable the next week. It begins Thursday night when Reynolds will help host Griffey’s inaugural HBCU Swingman Classic. Reynolds will broadcast the event on the MLB Network featuring 50 players from nine Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Griffey and Reynolds will speak together at the banquet Thursday night before the Friday tournament at 7:30 p.m. (PT) at T-Mobile Park.
“I’m pumped, it’s so important when Griffey puts his name to it,’’ Reynolds tells USA TODAY Sports. “He’s been talking about this for a number of years, trying to raise the number of African-Americans, and the exposure for HBCUs. It has already changed lives, and made an impact without anyone taking a swing yet.’’
Griffey, hired two years ago as a senior advisor to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, has a special emphasis on youth baseball development, particularly improving diversity at amateur levels. He was the hitting coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. And now he has launched the HBCU Swingman Classic.
“He’s like the Piped Piper,’’ Reynolds says. “When he walks, when he talks, people follow. Junior is so humble, but just his accomplishments, and who he is, he realizes the power of his platform. That’s why he’s doing all of this.
“He understands his role and that the baton has been passed to him. Willie Mays (92) is older now. Joe Morgan is gone. Frank Robinson is gone. Hank Aaron is gone. He understands that it’s now his turn. It’s on him now. He’s next.’’
Swingman Classic provides showcase of HBCU talent
The Swingman Classic provides most of these kids their first opportunity to be seen on a national stage, showcasing their skills, and opening the door to opportunity that previously didn’t exist.
“These kids at HBCU schools don’t have the data, the exit velocity, the spin rates to give to teams,’’ Reynolds says. “The Power Five schools have all of the information. You’ve got to give these kids the same opportunity. I don’t care if you’re Andre Dawson or Rickie Weeks (who attended Florida A&M and Southern University, respectively), if you don’t have the information they’re looking for, you’re not going to get picked.
“This is so important for so many reasons.’’
The HBCU Classic is just the beginning of a dizzying, whirlwind schedule for Reynolds.
THURSDAY
4:30 p.m. (PT): Reynolds will be at the Swingman workout at the University of Washington.
8 p.m. (PT): HBCU banquet.
FRIDAY
7:42 p.m. (PT): MLB Network analyst for the HBC Swingman Classic.
SATURDAY
9 a.m. (PT): Breakfast for the Futures Game participants.
Noon: Arrive for the Futures Game and batting practice.
3 p.m. (PT): Manage the American League Future Game against Raul Ibanez of the National League.
SUNDAY
3 p.m. (PT): Analyst for the MLB amateur Draft.
MONDAY
1 p.m. (PT): Emcee Play Ball Park Panel: Access Innovation Fund Legacy Initiative
3 p.m. (PT): MLB Tonight appearance on the Home Run Derby.
TUESDAY, JULY 11
11 a.m. (PT): Host the Red Carpet Show.
8:30 P.M. (Approximate) MLB Network postgame show.
WEDNESDAY, July 12
8 a.m. (PT): Flight back home to New Jersey and collapse in bed.
“Sleep,’’ Reynolds says, “is going to have to wait.’’
It’s going to be a challenge, mentally and physically draining, but the most enjoyable part of the week, at least for Reynolds, should be the Futures Game on Saturday.
He gets the chance to manage for the first time with a coaching staff that includes Mariners legends Jay Buhner, Jamie Moyer, Alvin Davis, Mike Cameron and Dave Valle. He’ll face former Mariners outfielder Raul Ibañez, who will have King Felix Hernandez, Adrian Beltre, Dan Wilson, Joel Piñeiro and Dan Otero.
“You look at the Mariners, there hasn’t been a lot of winning,’’ Griffey says, “but man, look at the talent that has come out of that organization.’’
For a team that has been to the postseason just once in the last 21 years, and has never made a trip to the World Series, the organization is flush with former greats, providing plenty of candidates for Reynolds and Ibañez to choose for their coaching staff.
Reynolds and Ibañez, after being chosen as managers, made a pact that Hall of Famers Griffey, Edgar Martinez and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki were all off-limits. They agreed to wait two weeks before making calls to see who’d be interested.
“I decided I was going to snake him,’’ Reynolds says. “I waited a week, and then called King Felix to be my pitching coach. I called him two or three times before he finally picked up. I told him, “Hey, I need you on my staff. He said, “Too late, Raul called me a week ago, I’m already his guy.’
“So we were both cheating.’’
The strategy for the game, Reynolds says, is simple. There will be no signs. No bunting. Everybody has a green light to steal or hit when they want. Just have fun.
Reynolds, 62, can’t wait to see Baltimore Orioles prized catcher Adley Rutschman, who’s from Portland and played for Oregon State, and is now a first-time All-Star.
Reynolds took Rutschman to the flagship Nike Store in Portland during the Thanksgiving holidays, and talked about playing in the All-Star Game near his hometown.
“If I make only one All-Star Game in my career,’’ Rutschman told Reynolds, “this is it, being from the Pacific Northwest.’’
A chance to say thank you
Certainly, times are different now than when the All-Star Game was first in Seattle in 1979 at the Kingdome. Reynolds, whose older brother, Don, played with All-Star Dave Winfield, was with his high-school legion team that weekend in Seattle. No one had tickets, so Reynolds called the team hotel. He asked for Winfield’s room. Winfield answered. Reynolds identified himself as Don’s little brother. Nervously made his request.
Thirty minutes later, Reynolds had tickets for his entire team.
“Can you imagine trying to do something like that now,’’ Reynolds says.
This time around, Reynolds is bringing in a special guest of his own: Mickey Bowers, 74, former manager of the Mariners’ Class AA Lynn Sailors team. Bowers was the first Black manager to earn a Manager of the Year award in 1982. He helped develop former Alvin Davis, Jim Presley, Spike Owen, Jerry Don Gleaton, and Reynolds into major-league players.
Reynolds hasn’t seen Bowers in perhaps 30 years, but wanted to pay back the man who helped make this all possible.
“You don’t get to say thank you to those many people along the way,’’ Reynolds says. “I wanted to make him an honorary coach, but I couldn’t do that. But this is a way to thank him for everything he did for me, and for so many others.
“It’s going to be a great week, something I know I’ll never forget.’’
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2023 MLB All-Star Game: Harold Reynolds, Ken Griffey Jr. team up again
