Teams are no longer afraid to go one on one with Ken Griffey Jr..  The most feared hitter in the decade of the 90's is being taunted by the opposition.  They challenge him to beat them by going the opposite way.  Junior's stubbornness to adapt his swing, by choking up on the bat, has allowed teams to thrive in an overloaded shift to the right side of the infield.  Griffey Jr.'s reluctance to adjust has made his adaptability a liability.

The hitting charts are almost identical in every park he plays in.  All his ground outs are pulled to the right side of the infield, nothing on the ground to the left.  His fly outs are all to left and left-center field.  All his homers are exclusively to right and right-center field.  Teams have dared him to beat them the opposite way and he has fallen into their trap.  Hell even the Phillies elected to intentionally walked Jeff Keppinger to load the bases and take their chances with Griffey Jr. and they won the battle.  That's really all you need to know about what little respect is left for Junior. 

What is even more depressing is his hearty but hollow late inning average of .429 BUT he has 0 extra base-hits, 0 RBI's and 0 runs scored.  He is a weak 2-13 with RISP.  This is a pattern that has been going on for two years.  Now it's really beginning to fester. 

The difference between a good hitter and a great hitter is the ability to adjust throughout their careers.  Until Griffey Jr. learns to choke up on the bat and take the ball to the left side of the field the team and his numbers are going to suffer miserably.  Junior is no longer at an age where he can rely on his athleticism.  It is what knowledge he has retained between his ears that will make him a legend in his twilight.  Sometimes you just scratch your head and wonder why it doesn't sink in with him.