Back in April of 2007, there was a minor dust-up between Ken Griffey Jr. and author Buzz Bissinger in the Cincinnati locker room. Nothing ever came of it, and shame on us for not remembering it and asking Buzz about it when we chatted with him. Another interviewer did (it’s down near the end) and as expected, the exchange was priceless. We’re surprised other reporters on the scene didn’t write about it:

Yes, it’s our time to interview athletes. It’s very very specified and Griffey spent most of that time talking with a representative of Nike who I don’t think was supposed to be in there at all. I don’t know what permission he had to be in there except he was a guest of Ken Griffey’s. There were four of us waiting around, waiting around, waiting around. He’s sitting there getting dressed. I’m not interested in watching athletes get dressed. Time was running out. Batting practice was 10 minutes away. After batting practice the clubhouse is closed, so I interrupted this conversation he was having and asked if I could talk to him for a few seconds. He said, “Who are you with?” and I said “The New York Times.€ He said, “What if I say no?” I said, “Well, I don’t really give a fuck.€ You know what, it was a senseless story and I didn’t give a fuck. I walked away and he ran after me and screamed “You disrespected me!” I said, “No you fucking disrespected me!” That’s the kind of person that I am. I don’t take shit from people. If it makes me look bad, it makes me look bad. I was not there to watch Ken Griffey have a conversation with some guy from Nike. He’s a professional ballplayer and he has an obligation to the media whether he likes it or not. If MLB doesn’t like it then take it away from us. If he really wanted to have that conversation, he could have gone into the cafeteria. That’s where they hide anyway when they don’t want to talk to us. I guess if anything, it proves that my appearance on Costas Now was not an act. If I feel what I feel I’m gonna articulate it. Obviously, he didn’t like being treated that way. He’s a superstar and you are supposed to treat superstars differently. Well, I don’t believe it.

Griffey’s probably one of our 20 or so favorite baseball players of all-time, but his image obviously takes a hit here. Could Buzz have handled it more tactfully? Certainly. But who is to say if we weren’t in the same spot, we’d act that way?

Buzz (Starting Five)