Ken Griffey Seattle's Son

(Flashback 20 Years) The year was 1989 and I was the ripe old age of 11 years old. Those were the simpler times of school, hanging out with friends and in my case baseball cards. I wasn't the type of kid who just bought a pack of baseball cards to get the stale piece of gum, I was an avid collector. My collection succeeded even many of the local trading card shops in town. The kind of collection only a true OCD victim would possess.

I remember the day clearly as if it was yesterday. A classmate of mine (who was also quite the baseball card enthusiast) brought in a pack of new baseball cards called Upperdeck. These cards were magical. They were heavily glossed with special hologram seals. Nothing like the Topps and Fleer cards we were used to. Within the pack of Upperdeck cards was one of a very young player still in his minor league uniform. I had heard of him, as he was the Seattle Mariners number one draft pick. This was the first time I met Griffey.

Years passed and Griffey became more of a legend not only in my world but also to many Seattlelites. His talent was on the field as well as off. He was dubbed "The Kid" by local media because of his young age (19) entering the league, but also because he was truly a kid at heart. His antics in the clubhouse as well as his time spent playing video games won over the hearts of fans around the world.

(Present Day) When the news came that Griffey was coming back to Seattle I think all of the Northwest felt the same as I did, whether or not they felt the same about him for the past two decades, we all knew what this meant to the city. No he isn't the same Griffey he was in '95 when he slid into home plate to beat the Yankees in the Playoffs in one of the most memorable moments in baseball history, but his heart remained the same as it did many years ago when he would share his time and money with countless charities and foundations.

Over the past twenty years I never had the opportunity to meet the man I so vividly remember spending a majority of my childhood with through the glare of a TV screen or on the baseball cards I so avidly collected. However, through the very company I helped create I was finally given the opportunity to meet him.

It was a sunny afternoon in mid-summer of Seattle. My staff and I were invited to a charity event hosted by Griffey for his Chateau Ste. Michelle launch of the Junior 600 wine that would be benefiting Seattle Children's Hospital. We were armed with cameras in hand to cover the event but what would transpire was something none of us could describe with a simple photograph.

After waiting for a short time Griffey shyly made his way to the media room. A couple select news cameras and reporters filled the small space and quickly started questioning Griffey about his declining baseball statistics. Griffey shortly responded, "It's just a batting average." He wanted this event to be about the 600 bottles of wine Chateau Ste. Michelle CEO Ted Baseler donated to the event to help raise the most money for the charity and all the help that The Seattle Mariners and Plum Creek (Rick Holley and Tom Lindquist) put behind making it all come together.

Griffey has always been a big charity proponent. His first involvement with The Boys and Girls Club of America started after he won the All Star Game MVP and donated the mini-van he won to the club. His charities and those he supports now span from Seattle to Cincinnati and Florida. Griffey elaborated on them by saying "The Ken Griffey Jr. Family Foundation is about giving back. So far we have hosted six separate charity events, including the Junior 600 Night. In total the foundation has raised approximately $500,000 for the Boys&Girls Clubs of America, Seattle Children's Hospital, Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Florida Children's Hospital. My entire family is involved with the foundation and the effort to give back."

Family is a huge part of Griffey's life. It is kind of ironic that "The Kid" now has kids that are nearly his age when he was initially given the iconic nickname. His kids (Trey, Taryn and Tevin) are a big part of his inspiration to do a lot of the charity work he does with children.

"One of my favorite things is being a Dad. Melissa and I are very fortunate to have three fantastic, healthy children. My goal is to help other young people develop to their full potential."

He has not only accomplished his goal of helping other less fortunate children, but he has passed on the philanthropist bug to his family.
"My entire family supports our foundation. My children have participated in several of our charitable events. I expect that they will continue to do so in the future as well."

As the night progressed, everyone had the rare opportunity to have a photo moment with Griffey in the stands at Safeco. He graciously signed memorabilia and took an individual pictures with every person that attended the event. Many emotional moments were had when guests shared their fond memories of Griffey and what he meant to their lives. One Seattle Children's Hospital employee even came to tears when whispering something into Griffey's ear in a very sentimental moment. It was at that time that I realized that the immense impact Griffey had on me as a sports star, he equally had on those who looked at him as another kind of star, the kind that has no end to his caring for children and those who are significantly in a harder position in life than he is.

Griffey also recently has taken up work with The Colon Cancer Awareness foundation. "My mother was stricken with colon cancer and my father with prostate cancer during the last three years" he noted.

With all the work he puts into his Foundation and affiliate charities Griffey still manages to make it happen in good spirits. "We are trying to have fun and raise money for children and healthcare causes. Each of these causes are ones that I really believe in." he said. He continued by saying "Up to this point, we have done three Celebrity Golf Tournaments, one Celebrity Bowling Event and two Charity Wine Events."

His smile and his humor were infectious throughout the night. From poking fun at teammates to his banter with the evening's MC Rick Rizzs it was apparent that he hadn't lost his youthful charm.

The evening concluded with an inspiring auction of personal memorabilia from Griffey and his long-term friends Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and many others. Thousands of dollars were graciously being given by the guests in attendance to help with the fundraising.

After the conclusion of the event we hung back for a moment hoping to get a quick group picture in with the man of the evening. After a few minutes of awkward hovering, Griffey quickly looked over and gathered us all around. What was supposed to be a quick photo op turned into ten minutes of stories and laughs. Eddie, Griffey's childhood friend, acted as our photographer. Griffey shared his golf stories with us. "His golf swing is almost as good as his baseball swing if you can imagine that." said Eddie. Griffey thinking Eddie was belittling his golf game quickly pointed out that he slam dunked on Eddie in a friendly basketball game they recently played. "Did I not dunk on you?" asked Griffey with a stern yet humorous look. "Yah yah, you did." said Eddie. Griffey then huddled us around and said "I dunked on him with just my socks on!" We all broke into hysterical laughter.

There are still autographed bottles of the Ken Griffey Jr. 600 Home Run wine available for $250 per bottle. The wine is a Chateau Ste. Michelle Ethos 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Ethos is the Greek word for character and integrity which really describes the way in which Ken has conducted himself throughout his career. If you would like to purchase a bottle please contact Seattle Children's Hospital

Seattle Ave