{"product_id":"ken-griffey-jr-signed-mariners-16x20-the-slide-photo-bas-witness-authenticated","title":"Ken Griffey Jr. Signed Mariners 16x20 \"The Slide\" Photo BAS Witness Authenticated","description":"\u003cp\u003eAdd the signature of The Kid on the most kinetic image of his Seattle \ncareer to your collection with this \u003cstrong\u003eKen Griffey Jr. Autographed \nSeattle Mariners 16x20 Photo \"The Slide\" — BAS Witnessed\u003c\/strong\u003e. \nTwo photographs exist from the same play. One captures the celebration — \nGriffey grinning from the bottom of the dogpile, the joy of the moment \nafter. The other captures the moment itself: Griffey in full sprint, body \nextended toward home plate, dirt rising, the throw arriving, the umpire \nwatching, the outcome still undecided. \u003cstrong\u003e\"The Slide\" is the action \nimage\u003c\/strong\u003e — the fraction of a second between Edgar Martinez's double \nreaching the left field corner and the umpire's safe call that sent every \nperson in the Kingdome into a noise the building had never heard before \nand would never hear again. It is a photograph of a decision being executed \nat full speed in the most consequential baserunning moment in Seattle \nMariners history, signed by the player who made the run.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cstrong\u003eSeattle Mariners 16x20 Photo \"The Slide\"\u003c\/strong\u003e has been \n\u003cstrong\u003ehand-signed by Ken Griffey Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e with a bold, clean autograph. \nAuthentication is provided by \u003cstrong\u003eBeckett Authentication Services \n(BAS)\u003c\/strong\u003e at their elevated \u003cstrong\u003eWitness tier\u003c\/strong\u003e — a Beckett \nrepresentative was physically present at the signing to verify the \nautograph's authenticity in real time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eProduct Highlights\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHand-signed by \u003cstrong\u003eKen Griffey Jr.\u003c\/strong\u003e — \"The Kid,\" Hall of \nFame Class of 2016, most important athlete in Seattle sports history \nper The Seattle Times (2018)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e16x20 photo — \"The Slide\"\u003c\/strong\u003e: the action image of \nGriffey scoring the series-winning run in Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS — \nthe decisive play in the most consequential game in Mariners history\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBAS Witnessed\u003c\/strong\u003e — Beckett representative physically \npresent at signing, verifying autograph in real time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe sprint home captured in action: Griffey running from first base \non Edgar Martinez's double, waved home by third-base coach Sam Perlozzo \nin the call Perlozzo later described as the most memorable of his \ncoaching career\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDave Niehaus's call\u003c\/strong\u003e — \"Griffey is coming around! \nHe's going to try to score! Here's the division championship! \nMariners win it!\" — the Ford C. Frick Award–winning broadcaster's \nmost celebrated radio moment, accompanying the action this \nphotograph captures\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCareer: \u003cstrong\u003e630 home runs (6th all-time), 10 Gold Gloves, \n13 All-Star selections, 1997 AL MVP\u003c\/strong\u003e; Hall of Fame 2016 \nwith 99.32% of the vote\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBacked by our \u003cstrong\u003eLifetime Authenticity Guarantee\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Action Image — What The Slide Captures That No Other Photo Does\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSports photography produces two categories of iconic image: the action \nphotograph, which captures a moment in the instant of its execution before \nthe outcome is resolved, and the reaction photograph, which captures the \nresponse after the outcome is known. The Dogpile is a reaction photograph — \nthe joy of the result. \u003cstrong\u003eThe Slide is an action photograph — the \nathletic execution of the moment while its outcome is still being determined.\u003c\/strong\u003e \nIn the fraction of a second the camera captures, Griffey is extended toward \nthe plate, the throw from the outfield is arriving, the catcher is positioned, \nand the umpire is watching. The safe call has not yet been made. \nThe Kingdome crowd has not yet erupted. The Mariners have not yet won. \nThe only thing in the photograph is Ken Griffey Jr. executing the most \nconsequential sprint of his career — body low, moving at full speed, \ncommitting completely to the slide that will determine whether Seattle \nadvances or goes home. That is the image. That is why it endures differently \nthan the celebration photograph that followed it by approximately \nfour seconds: one shows what it felt like, the other shows what it took.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSam Perlozzo's Wave — The Most Consequential Third-Base Call in Mariners History\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGriffey was on first base when Edgar Martinez hit his double down the \nleft field line. Joey Cora, on third, scored easily. Griffey, running \nfrom first, reached second and rounded third at full speed. \n\u003cstrong\u003eThird-base coach Sam Perlozzo had to make his decision in the \nfraction of a second available to a coach watching a ball reach the \nleft field corner with a runner rounding third: wave him home or hold him.\u003c\/strong\u003e \nPerlozzo waved. Griffey ran. The throw from left field arrived at home \nas Griffey slid — and the umpire called him safe. \n\"Within my coaching career, other than winning a World Series, \nthe single call that I've made that I'll never, ever forget is \nthat call to send Griffey home,\" Perlozzo said later. \nThe wave depended on two things simultaneously: the read on where \nthe ball was in the outfield and the specific confidence that \nthe runner coming around third — this runner, at this speed, \nwith this athleticism — could cover the distance to home \nbefore the throw arrived. Perlozzo knew his runner. \nThe Slide photograph captures the result of that knowledge: \nGriffey in full extension toward the plate, the wave validated, \nthe call about to be made. The 16x20 photo signed by Griffey \nis the image of that specific athletic trust made visible at \nfull speed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eDave Niehaus — The Voice That Immortalized the Moment\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Slide has a sound. It is the voice of Dave Niehaus, the Seattle \nMariners radio broadcaster who had been the franchise's voice since \nits first game in 1977 and who was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award — \nthe Baseball Hall of Fame's highest honor for broadcasters — in 2008. \nNiehaus called thousands of Mariners games across thirty-three seasons. \nHe called The Double and The Slide in October 1995 in the manner that \nevery Seattle fan who heard it has memorized since: \n\u003cstrong\u003e\"Right now, the Mariners looking for the tie... \nLine drive, we are tied! Griffey is coming around! \nIn the corner is Bernie. He's going to try to score! \nHere's the division championship! Mariners win it! \nMariners win it!\"\u003c\/strong\u003e \nNiehaus's voice broke as Griffey scored. The call is inseparable \nfrom the image — the photograph that sports photographers captured \nin that moment and the radio voice that transmitted it simultaneously \nto every Mariners fan listening across the Pacific Northwest. \nThe 16x20 Slide photo signed by Griffey is the visual half of \na moment that its audio half made permanent. \nNiehaus died in November 2010. The call endures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eThe Kid vs. The Yankees — The Most Personal Series of His Career\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen Ken Griffey Jr. was a child, he visited his father Ken Griffey Sr. \nin major league clubhouses throughout Sr.'s career. \n\u003cstrong\u003eAt Yankee Stadium, manager Billy Martin would kick young Junior \nout of the clubhouse — believing that children did not belong there.\u003c\/strong\u003e \nGriffey never forgot. As an adult professional, he was explicit about it: \nhe would never play for the New York Yankees. \nThe 1995 ALDS was therefore not simply a playoff series — it was \nthe specific playoff series between Ken Griffey Jr. and the franchise \nthat had dismissed him as a child in a clubhouse. \nHe responded by hitting five home runs in five games, becoming \nonly the second player in postseason history (after Reggie Jackson \nin the 1977 World Series) to hit five home runs in a single series, \nbatting .391, scoring nine times, and finally scoring the \nseries-winning run on the slide the photograph captures. \nIf the Mariners' 1995 ALDS victory was one of the great upset stories \nin playoff baseball — and it was — the most personal available \ndimension of it belonged to the player who grinned from the \nbottom of the dogpile and slid home in the photograph that preceded it. \nThe 16x20 Slide photo signed by Griffey is the image of a player \nwho had every personal reason to win this specific series \nand did exactly that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eBAS Witness — The Elevated Authentication Tier\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis photo carries \u003cstrong\u003eBAS Witness authentication\u003c\/strong\u003e — \nthe most complete verification level available from Beckett Authentication \nServices. At the BAS Witness tier, a \u003cstrong\u003eBeckett Authentication \nrepresentative is physically present at the signing\u003c\/strong\u003e — watching \nthe autograph being applied in real time and verifying its authenticity \nat the moment of creation. The BAS Witness hologram on this 16x20 Slide \nphoto represents the highest available confidence in the autograph's \nauthenticity, providing collectors with the most complete chain of \nverification in the signed memorabilia market.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthenticity\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis photo is certified by \u003cstrong\u003eBeckett Authentication Services \n(BAS) at the Witness tier\u003c\/strong\u003e. A Beckett representative was \nphysically present at the signing to verify the autograph in real time. \nThe tamper-proof BAS Witness hologram is affixed directly to the photo \nand verifiable at Beckett's official website.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlayer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKen Griffey Jr.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTeam\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSeattle Mariners\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eItem Type\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAutographed 16x20 Photo\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhoto Subject\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\"The Slide\" — Griffey scoring the series-winning run, Game 5, 1995 ALDS\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthentication\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBAS Witness — Beckett Rep Physically Present at Signing\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIncludes\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTamper-proof BAS Witness hologram\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHall of Fame\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eClass of 2016 — 99.32% of vote; broke Tom Seaver's 24-year record\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1995 ALDS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 HR, .391 avg, 9 runs scored; series-winning slide in Game 5\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCareer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e630 HR (6th all-time), 10 Gold Gloves, 13 All-Stars, 1997 AL MVP\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eExcellent\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthenticity Guarantee\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery signed piece at GameDay Sports Memorabilia is backed by our \u003cstrong\u003eLifetime \nAuthenticity Guarantee\u003c\/strong\u003e. If your item is ever determined to be inauthentic, \nwe will replace or refund it — no questions asked.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gameday Sports Memorabilia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53237443330347,"sku":"262146","price":299.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0983\/6124\/5995\/files\/STOCK_4_13_26_1041__01120.jpg?v=1776112719","url":"https:\/\/gamedaysportsmemorabilia.com\/products\/ken-griffey-jr-signed-mariners-16x20-the-slide-photo-bas-witness-authenticated","provider":"Gameday Sports \u0026 Memorabilia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}