| Griffey, who hit No. 600 on Monday night in Miami against
the Florida Marlins, now belongs to a club that includes such cherished
names as Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, along with two others
(Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa).
Griffey’s achievement brings with it huge applause. In fact, at
one time before some injuries slowed down his HR march, many baseball
observers felt he might be the chosen one to top Aaron’s all-time
mark of 714. But the fact that he joins just five others in baseball history
to get to 600 home runs is certainly a milestone that his native Cincinnati
fans can look upon with a lot of pride.
And now that he has reached that magic number, the accomplishment is
also going to put a lot of smiles on the faces at the Make-A-Wish
Foundation® of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, many of whom
face some life-threatening medical conditions.
Nikco Sports announced it will be distributing a limited edition, framed
and double-matted photograph of Griffey’s historic 600th home run.
The 15 x 17 inch collectible will be even more valuable because each one
will contain an actual piecGriffey uniform inset into the matting.
Only 2,008 framed photos, priced at $99 eache of a game-used , will be
produced, and $7.50 from each historic photo sold, as a result of this
media promotion, will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation®
of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. In recent years, Nikco Sports has raised
more than $1.6 million for children’s charities.
Fans can order the special Ken Griffey 600th home run framed photos by
calling toll-free 1-800-345-2868 or visiting www.nikcosports.com.
Each photo is numbered and comes with a certificate of authenticity to
enhance the value and collectibility of the product.
Griffey is one of only seven players in MLB history to have hit 40 or
more home runs in seven different seasons and he is one of seven players
to hit 40 or more HRs in five consecutive seasons. Since 1900, only 12
major league players have won three straight home run titles, and Griffey
did this in 1997-99.
Although most have focused on his long-ball achievements throughout a
career that began in 1989 with the Seattle Mariners, Griffey is also known
for his outstanding outfield defense, winning 10 Gold Gloves in succession
from 1990-99.
Griffey came to Cincinnati in 2000 and is in his 9th season with the
Reds. Three times he has hit 30 or more homers with the Reds, including
40 in 2000 and 30 last season. He also belted 35 for Cincy in 2005.
His best period of long ball came with the Mariners from 1996 through
1999 when he hit 49, 56, 56 and 48 in consecutive seasons, driving in
567 runs during that same 4-year stretch.
“Ken Griffey, Jr. will go down as one of the most exciting home
run hitters of all time, and the fact that he returned to his hometown
of Cincinnati to reach the 500 and 600 marks certainly has added meaning
to those who have followed the Reds,” noted Nikco Sports president
and CEO Craig Bidner, whose company has continued to give back to the
community since its inception in1990. “We’re very honored
to be a small part of this historic achievement, and at the same time
very pleased that we’ll be able to continue to raise even more funds
for the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana
so that some smiles can be put on the faces of many deserving
youngsters.”
During the past several years, Nikco Sports has almost $1.6
million for charitable organizations across the nation with
the issue of limited-edition sports memorabilia that has honored amateur
and professional teams, as well as select athletes such athletes as Dan
Marino, Brett Favre, Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning,
Jim Kelly, Carson Palmer, Steve Young, John Elway, David Robinson, John
Stockton, Magic Johnson, Roger Clemens, Ryne Sandberg, Paul Molitor, Kirby
Puckett, Edgar Martinez, Ichiro, Ozzie Smith, Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey
Jr., Nolan Ryan, Tony Gwynn, Craig Biggio and Cal Ripken Jr.
About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization
which fulfills the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses,
to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The Make-A-Wish
Foundation is headquartered in Phoenix, and got its start in 1980. There
are presently 67 chapters in the United States and its territories, along
with 27 international affiliates. More than 153,000 wishes have been
completed around the world.
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