Happy Birthday Ken Griffey Sr!!!!

Happy Birthday Ken Griffey Sr!!!!

Senior Griffey turns 63 years old today.

Ken Griffey enjoyed a very successful 19-year major league career.  Littered with both team and individual achievements, the elder Griffey tasted success from his early twenties into his early forties.

At the team level, Griffey was a proud member of one of baseball’s grandest dynasties – Cincinnati’s ‘Big Red Machine’.  He competed in the playoffs 3 times during his 12-year stay with the Reds, and he walked away with 2 World Series championships!

On an individual level, Griffey was a 3-time All-star, with each appearance coming from his time in Cincy.  He sports a lifetime batting average of .296 with 2,143 career hits.  In total, he scored 1,129 runs, drove in 859 RBI, and crushed 152 home runs.  A solid base runner, Griffey stole 200 bases too.

A talented and speedy defender, Griffey spent time playing all three outfield positions as well as first base towards the end of his career.  He even did a little DH’ing when he played in the American League.

A marvelous 19-year baseball career!!  Congratulations and Happy Birthday to Ken Griffey!!!

And Now, I Can Officially Call My Ken Griffey Sr. Player Collection D-O-N-E!!!!

And Now, I Can Officially Call My Ken Griffey Sr. Player Collection D-O-N-E!!!!

Ok, a few weeks ago I published a story on ’30-YOC’ boasting that I had completed my Ken Griffey Sr, player collection.

And almost as soon as it was published, I received comments on the bog and emails in my ‘Inbox’ telling me that I had missed all of the cards from Griffey’s second stint with the Reds in 1989 and 1990.

So, what is an obsessive player collector to do??

Shop, of course!

So, I bought them all.  And I was lucky enough to find them all available from one seller on sportlots.com.

And Now, I Can Officially Call My Ken Griffey Sr. Player Collection D-O-N-E!!!!

Finally, I can rest.

After A Few Comments, I Had To Go Back And Grab Some More Ken Griffey Sr. Cards For The Collection…

After A Few Comments, I Had To Go Back And Grab Some More Ken Griffey Sr. Cards For The Collection…

A few weeks ago, I posted a story about completing my Ken Griffey Sr. player collection.  Congratulatory comments came my way, and a few that also told me that I was missing some cards for the PC.

So, the set was not complete.  After a quick review, I confirmed that I had indeed skipped the cards of Griffey in a Red uniform from 1989 and 1990.

And that was not going to cut it.  Not for me, and not for the readers of ’30-YOC’.

I set a plan in motion to add these missing cards to my checklist and then I began my hunt. 

And then I scored!!!

These are the cards that I needed – all 10 of them!!!

YES!!!

Hat-Tip to Jason and Ron for steering me in the right direction.

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1982 Topps

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #1 – 1982 Topps

Now that my Ken Griffey Sr. player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #1 – 1982 Topps

Well friends, here it is.  The card that I consider to be the best one of my newly completed player collection of Ken Griffey Sr.

Have a look:

This is Griffey’s base card from the 1982 Topps set.  And while it offers a posed, portrait-style image, it does bring us a new ‘Batting Cage Card’ to enjoy.

And you guys know how much I love cards that feature players around the cage!

 

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #2 – 1976 Topps

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #2 – 1976 Topps

Now that my Ken Griffey Sr. player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #2 – 1976 Topps

Ken Griffey had a lot to smile about in 1976.  His Reds team had won the 1975 World Series in dramatic fashion, and he was becoming a major component of one of the most talented and well-rounded offensive line-ups of all-time.

During the 1975 season, Griffey hit .305 while collecting 141 hits.  He was also able to showcase his speed with 15 doubles, 9 triples, and 16 stolen bases. 

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #3 – 1982 Topps ‘In Action’

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #3 – 1982 Topps ‘In Action’

Now that my Ken Griffey Sr. player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #3 – 1982 Topps, In Action

One of the things that I noticed about the cards of Griffey from his Reds days is the lack of action photos.

Yes, it is a small sample size, as the set is only 15 cards.  But, the majority of them feature posed, or close-up portait-style photography.

Thankfully, the 1982 Topps set blessed Griffey with a bonus ‘In Action’ card.

There is no way that this card was not going to crack the ‘Fab Five’.

Enjoy the action!

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #4 – 1978 Topps

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #4 – 1978 Topps

Now that my Ken Griffey Sr. player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #4 – 1978 Topps

 

Jeez, what a smile!!!

And Griffey certainly had reason to smile - his team was one of the best, and he was a winner.  A 2-time winner actually, of the 1975 and 1976 World Series championships.

Griffey was a big reason for the team’s success too – a solid contact hitter with a knack for scoring runs and stealing bases!!  Call him the spark plug of the machine!!

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1975 Topps

Ken Griffey Sr. ‘Fab Five’ – Card #5 – 1975 Topps

Now that my Ken Griffey Sr. player collection is complete, it is time to show of my favorite five cards from the set.

Card #5 – 1975 Topps

 

If you had asked me four years ago about the 1975 Topps baseball card design, I would have chuckled and told you that it was one of the worst I had ever seen.  Fast forward to today, and I have a lot of appreciation for the set and its place in baseball card history.

As for Griffey, the 1975 season was his breakout season.  Sure, he had suited up for the Reds in 1973 and 1974, but he became a full-time player in 1975.  His numbers were solid – .305 batting average with 141 hits, 95 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases.

My Ken Griffey Sr. Player Collection Is Complete!!! YES!!!

My Ken Griffey Sr. Player Collection Is Complete!!!   YES!!!

Of all of the player collections that I have compiled over the last 4+ years, the one that I have built of Ken Griffey Sr. is the smallest.

And when I say smallest, I am referring to the number of actual cards.  Griffey had 15 major brand baseball card releases while wearing his Cincinnati Reds uniform.

And now, I am the proud owner of all 15.

Here is a look at the full collection:

If ‘The Big Red Machine’ was an actual machine than Johnny Bench and George Foster would have been the engine.  And Pete Rose and Joe Morgan would have been the wheels.  And Tony Perez would have been the chassis.  And Ken Griffey would surely have been the spark plugs!!!  His ability to get on base and drive opposing pitchers nuts was supreme, especially for a young player.

I am thrilled to have built a collection that features each and every major-brand card of Griffey from his time with the Reds.  And while there are just 15 cards in the set, I will still follow suit and show off my ‘Fab Five’ starting next Monday.

Stay tuned.  And enjoy!

Ken Griffey Sr. 1975 Topps

Ken Griffey Sr. 1975 Topps

A 19-year veteran, Ken Griffey Sr. was an integral part of the Cincinnati Red’s ‘Big Red Machine’ during the mid-1970′s.  The first 9 years of his career were played with the Reds and Griffey became an All-star on their star-studded line-up 3 times.  During his time in Cincinnati, Griffey hit .300+ in 6 of his 9 seasons while also 80+ runs 5 times.  Ending his career with a very impressive .296 batting average, Griffey was also able to swipe 200 bases and score 1,129 runs.

A 2-time World Series winner on the Reds teams of 1975 and 1976, Griffey won championship rings in each of the World Series contests he participated in.