Happy Birthday Ken Griffey Sr!!!!

Happy Birthday Ken Griffey Sr!!!!

Senior Griffey turns 64 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!!!

1990 HEADLINE: Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. Are First Father-Son Combo To Hit Back-To-Back Home Runs

1990 HEADLINE:  Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. Are First Father-Son Combo To Hit Back-To-Back Home Runs

On this day back in 1990, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. became the first ever Father & Son duo to hit back-to-back home runs in the major leagues.

An event that must have been extremely memorable and enjoyable for the duo, the Griffey men certainly had a great evening.

Ken Sr. went 2-for-5 on the day with a home run and 3 RBI.  The younger Griffey went 1-for-4 with his solo home run.  Their combined offensive output was not enough to hold of the Angels as the Mariners lost 7-5.

Still, a very memorable and historic night in Anaheim!!!

Congratulations to 2 class acts!!!

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.