Ken Griffey Jr- Class

[Crapshoot]

Grandpa stricken in stands, boy finds comfort on field
Reds rally around frightened child



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Bill Summee has been a police officer since 1992, but nothing prepared him for the situation he encountered Wednesday night.

Summee, now a security officer for the Reds, responded to an emergency call to Section 143 at Great American Ball Park during the seventh inning. A man had collapsed, and paramedics were working on him.

As they tried to revive the man, who did not survive the apparent heart attack, an officer handed the man's 6-year-old grandson to Summee.

Little Antonio Perez had come to the game with his grandfather, whose name the Reds did not release, to celebrate Tony Perez Bobblehead Night.

Over the next 2½ hours, Summee and numerous Reds players and coaches stepped up to comfort and entertain the boy.

"It was a bad situation," Summee said. "But I'm proud of the way we handled it as an organization."

Once he had the boy, Summee's first order of business was to get Antonio out of the stands.

He wanted to get him away from where his grandfather was being treated.

"With all the commotion, I wanted to get him out of there," Summee said. "I took him down to the concourse. He laid his head on my shoulder and asked, 'Is my Pawpaw going to be all right?' "

Summee knew by then the boy's grandfather would not recover.

"We didn't think we should be the ones to tell him," Summee said. "We didn't lie to him, but we thought his parents should tell him."

At one point, the child asked: "How am I going to get home?"

"I told him I'd take him home," Summee said. "But he knew his grandmother's name and phone number."

A call was made, but the boy is from Hamilton, and it would take awhile for his parents and grandmother to get to the ballpark.

Summee still wanted to get Antonio away from the stands, so he took him into the Reds' bullpen, where bullpen coach Tom Hume let him sit on the bench for the last two innings of the game.

Then Ken Griffey Jr. became aware of what was going on and took charge.

"Win or lose, he was coming in the clubhouse," Griffey said.

As the Reds wrapped up their 8-5 victory over the Braves, Griffey went to the bullpen and got the boy.

The players included Antonio in their high-five celebration. Then they took him into the clubhouse.

"We play a game," Griffey said later. "What he was going through doesn't compare.

"It was important that the little guy not be by himself."

Clubhouse manager Rick Stowe said the other players followed Griffey's lead and rallied around the boy.

"Jacob Cruz, Jason LaRue, Junior, they were all great with him," Stowe said. "They gave him bats, balls, wrist bands. Felipe Lopez signed the helmet he wore in the All-Star Game and gave it to him."

"Ken Griffey Jr. was extraordinary," Summee said. "He went completely out of his way to do everything he could."

Said Griffey: "We just tried to make a bad situation a little better."

Another reason I like Griffey - a good guy.

[Buzzbee]

How bittersweet. You get to meet a bunch of baseball stars, see the clubhouse, sit in the bullpen DURING the game, get balls, gloves, wristbands. Oh, but your grandfather dies of a heart attack.

[Buzzbee]

Dola - I wonder if the memoribilia will be a painful reminder of the day his grandfather died, or if they'll be treasured rememberances.

[gstelmack]

Good for Griffey and the Reds.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Buzzbee

Dola - I wonder if the memoribilia will be a painful reminder of the day his grandfather died, or if they'll be treasured rememberances.

I would say that they will be very important to him as he grows older and realizes the lengths that others went through to make him feel better and to look after him.

Good for the Reds.

[Solecismic]

Griffey's grown up a lot in the last few years. He's always been there for the kids, though.

[kcchief19]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Griffey's grown up a lot in the last few years. He's always been there for the kids, though.

I've heard stories that he will sign autographs for kids until the cows come home bute he has traditionally told adults to take a hike; given the amount of request he receives, I don't blame him.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I've heard stories that he will sign autographs for kids until the cows come home bute he has traditionally told adults to take a hike; given the amount of request he receives, I don't blame him.

I don't blame him either. I agree with Jim - Griffey has shown much more maturity over the past few years. Nice to see a positive story about a sports figure/team for a change.

[Buzzbee]

Actually, I blame the Reds. If they weren't winning, then grandpa wouldn't have had a heart attack in the first place.

*tongue planted firmly in cheek

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Griffey's grown up a lot in the last few years. He's always been there for the kids, though.

Over the years ? What did he ever do that was "bad" ?