MLB Legend Ken Griffey Jr. Weighs in on Astros Sign-Stealing Scandal

Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. has never been shy around the media, as his effervescent personality shined through even in his early days as a teenage big-leaguer. And on Saturday, the celebrated outfielder gave his take on the Houston Astros cheating scandal.

"Not only are we representing the city we play in, but the entire baseball family," Griffey told the Tallahassee Democrat of the responsibility of a ballplayer. "This is my sport, and it's tough. You look at teams that have [sign-stealing] technology. Are they willing to sacrifice the integrity of baseball? It makes it tough for everybody."

Griffey, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016, admits that a certain level sign-stealing is a fact of life in baseball for better or worse, but the Astros took things to a completely unacceptable level by using electronics to help them intercept opposing teams' pitching signals.

"If I'm at second base and do it legit, there's no problem," Griffey said. "When you start relaying stuff and you're the only one with that advantage, it makes it tough. I was looking at some stats. There were guys were hitting .380 to .400 at home to .037 to .200 on the road."

Take it from The Kid. There's a right way to play the game, and there's a wrong way.