Griffey, Vizquel, and Edgar on Opening Day 1989

I was thinking about Griffey and Vizquel about to become four-decade players (from the '80s into the '10s) once the season starts, along with Moyer, and went looking back at their first game, 21 years ago today, in Oakland vs. Mr. Dave Stewart starting (at first I typed staring) for the A's. I thought people might enjoy the trip back in time as we get ready for opening day, so here's some of the quotes I found:

Jim Levebvre on Junior: "We saw the debut of a great player tonight. That’s a great talent.

"He gets two quick strikes [in the eighth inning] and then fouls off some pretty tough pitches. He chokes up a half-inch on the bat with two strikes, does it instinctively, without us telling him. I’ve got guys who’ve played 10 or 12 years who won’t do that.

"The kid just has both God-given talent and a sense about him that comes, I guess, from being around the game. The great actors hang around the stage and learn what to do. Ken Griffey knows what to do."

Junior on his first at-bat, a double off Stew: "As I reached second, I said to myself, `So this is what it’s like.’ My dad had told me to have fun, and all of a sudden, I was having fun. I was trying to talk to him, knowing he couldn’t hear me."

Edgar, who I believe was on his first opening-day roster in '89, on Vizquel and Greg Briley, if people remember him: "They don’t say much. Good guys, but very, very quiet. Omar is as quiet in Spanish as he is in English."

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