Ken Griffey Jr. Says Upper Deck Rookie Card Was Photoshopped

Future baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. told the Sporting News this week that the photograph on his famous Upper Deck rookie card was completely Photoshopped.

Griffey made the comment when asked about his favorite baseball cards. The former Seattle Mariner star talked about his first one, when he was still in the minor leagues at San Bernardino. 

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"That was actually the first, pretty much," Griffey said. "That baseball card was me in a San Bernardino uniform, they just photoshopped it. If you notice, the Mariners had the blue stripe down the center of the shirt. That one doesn't have it. And if you look at the hat closely enough, you'll see the trim of the red where the yellow is."

The son of Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey, Griffey Jr. told the Sporting News that he decided to invest in his own rookie card, understanding the value of baseball memorabilia.

"I got a few ... over 100," Griffey Jr. said. "I have the bigger version of that."

Griffey said that he still runs into fans who want him to sign his baseball cards, sometimes when he is attending the sporting events of his sons Tevin and Trey, a football player at the University of Arizona.

"They'll bring it, but the funny thing is to see the look on my kids' faces," Griffey said. "When they see the hair on my head, and the lack of hair, the shaved sides, but not a Mohawk look. The hairstyles are what really get them."

Griffey's 630 career home runs rank him sixth all-time, according to the Baseball Hall of Fame website. He won 10 Gold Gloves and seven Silver Slugger awards during his 22-year career with the Mariners, Cincinnati Red and Chicago White Sox.

He was named to 13 All-Star teams and won the 1997 American League Most Valuable Player award. Four other times he finished in the top five for the MVP award. He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2016.

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