Name	Vida Blue
Position	Pitcher
Bats	Switch
Throws	Left
Birth date	July 28, 1949
Birth place	Mansfield, Louisiana
Debutdate	July 20
Debutyear	1969
Debutteam	Oakland Athletics
Finaldate	October 2
Finalyear	1986
Finalteam	San Francisco Giants
Stat1label	Win–Loss record
Stat1value	209–161
Stat2label	Earned run average
Stat2value	3.27
Stat3label	Strikeouts
Stat3value	2,175
Teams	Oakland Athletics (–) San Francisco Giants (–) Kansas City Royals (–) San Francisco Giants (–)
Highlights	6× All-Star selection (1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981) 3× World Series champion (, , ) 1971 AL MVP 1971 AL Cy Young Award 1971 AL TSN Pitcher of the Year 1978 NL TSN Pitcher of the Year Pitched a no-hitter on September 21, 1970 }}

Vida Rochelle Blue Jr. (born July 28, 1949) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 17-year career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1969–77), San Francisco Giants (1978–81; 1985–86), and Kansas City Royals (1982–83) He won the American League Cy Young award and Most Valuable Player Award in 1971. He is a six-time all-star, and is one of only four pitchers in major league history to start the all-star game for both the American League (1971) and the National League (1978); Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson and Roy Halladay would later duplicate the feat.

Early life

Blue, the oldest of six children, was born and raised in Mansfield, Louisiana. His father worked as a laborer in an iron foundry. In high school he pitched for the baseball team and also was the quarterback for the football team. In his senior year of high school, he threw for 3,400 yards and completed 35 touchdown passes while rushing for 1,600 yards in football. Also in his senior year, Blue threw a no-hitter. In seven innings pitched, Blue had 21 strikeouts. He received several offers to play college football, but his father died suddenly. Soon after, Blue signed a contract with the Oakland A's.

Baseball career

Unlike many southpaws, Blue was a power pitcher that worked fast and pounded the strike zone. He possessed a breaking curveball that he threw on occasion and an above average change-up, but his signature pitch was a blistering fastball that dialed up to nearly 100 miles per hour. In The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers, all-time hits leader Pete Rose stated that Blue 'threw as hard as anyone' he had ever faced, and baseball historian Bill James cited Blue as the hardest-throwing lefty, and the second hardest thrower of his era, behind only Nolan Ryan.

In , after spending the season in the minor leagues with the Iowa Oaks of the American Association, Blue was called up in September, making two starts that provided a glimpse of what was to come. On September 11, he shut out the Kansas City Royals 3-0, giving up only one hit, to Pat Kelly in the eighth inning. Ten days later, he no-hit the Minnesota Twins, 6-0, at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, with the lone baserunner being Harmon Killebrew, who walked in the fourth inning.

Blue had a 24-8 record in 1971, winning both the Cy Young and MVP awards. He also led the American League in complete games (24), shutouts (8) and Earned run average (1.82). Only one other starting pitcher, Roger Clemens in , has since won the MVP and Cy Young Award the same year. That season, the Athletics won the American League West title for the franchise's first postseason berth since the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1931 World Series. He was the youngest American League player in the 20th Century to win the MVP Award. He was the starting pitcher for the American League in the 1971 All-Star Game, and for the National League in the 1978 All-Star Game.

In 1971, he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Time Magazine. In 1972, his success in baseball led Blue to a small role in the film ''Black Gunn'', starring Jim Brown.

After Blue's breakthrough season in 1971, he and Athletics owner Charles Finley clashed over his salary. Blue held out, missing much of the year, and ended up with a 6-10 record. He didn't make the Athletics' post-season starting rotation, instead pitching in relief against the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 World Series.

Blue returned to form to win 20 games in 1973, 17 games in 1974, and 22 games in 1975, as an integral member of the Oakland Athletics five straight American League Western Division pennants from 1971–1975, and three consecutive World Championships in 1972, 1973, and 1974.

In , baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn vetoed an attempt by Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley to sell Blue to the New York Yankees and in , Kuhn cancelled a proposed trade of Blue to the Cincinnati Reds. In both instances, Kuhn said the trades would be bad for baseball because they would benefit already powerful teams without making them give up any significant talent in return. At the end of the 1976 season, nearly the entire A's roster of star players from Oakland's championship teams left with Baseball's new free agency, or were traded off by Finley, leaving Blue, who was still under contract with Oakland, to mentor a new team of primarily rookies and other young players. In 1978, Blue was traded to the San Francisco Giants.

In 1978, Blue won 18 games as he led the Giants to 89 wins and a third-place finish in National League West Division, which was won by the Los Angeles Dodgers. His great year was rewarded as he won the Sporting News National League Pitcher Of The Year. He, along with Chili Davis, were the last players before Ichiro Suzuki to wear their given name on the back of their uniforms instead of their surname, both having done so with the Giants.

Blue battled drug addiction over the course of his career. After the 1983 season, he and former teammates Willie Wilson, Jerry Martin and Willie Aikens pleaded guilty to attempting to purchase cocaine. In 1985, he testified in the Pittsburgh drug trials. Blue also made a name and career after baseball for himself in the San Francisco Bay Area by donating his time to many charitable causes, mostly promoting baseball in the inner city. In 1971, Blue accompanied Bob Hope on his USO Christmas tour of Vietnam and other military installations. Vida currently lives in San Francisco, CA and is active in promoting the sport of baseball.

Career statistics

''Pitching'' {| cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=1 width=400 |- align=center | W | L | WP | GP | GS | CG | Sh | SV | IP | BB | SO | ERA | WHIP |- align=center | 209 | 161 | .565 | 502 | 473 | 143 | 37 | 2 | 3343.3 | 1,185 | 2,175 | 3.27 | 1.233 |}

Charity work

Blue remains active, working for numerous charitable causes including Safeway All Stars Challenge Sports, automobile donations, celebrity golf tournaments, and charities for the children.

See also

Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins

List of Major League Baseball ERA champions

Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time

List of Major League Baseball no-hitters

References

External links

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Kansas City Royals players Category:Oakland Athletics players Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:Cy Young Award winners Category:American League All-Stars Category:National League All-Stars Category:Baseball players from Louisiana Category:American League ERA champions Category:African American baseball players Category:People from De Soto Parish, Louisiana Category:Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Category:Burlington Bees players Category:Birmingham A's players Category:Iowa Oaks players

de:Vida Blue ja:ヴァイダ・ブルー

name	Nick Swisher
width	280
team	New York Yankees
number	33
position	Right fielder / First baseman
birth date	November 25, 1980
birth place	Worthington, Ohio
bats	Switch
throws	Left
debutdate	September 3
debutyear	2004
debutteam	Oakland Athletics
statyear	July 30, 2011
stat1label	Batting average
stat1value	.254
stat2label	Home runs
stat2value	176
stat3label	Runs batted in
stat3value	559
stat4label	Runs
stat4value	588
teams	Oakland Athletics (–) Chicago White Sox () New York Yankees (–present)
Awards	All-Star selection (2010) World Series champion (2009) }}

Nicholas Thompson "Nick" Swisher (born November 25, 1980) is an outfielder for the New York Yankees. Swisher is a switch hitter who throws left-handed.

He is the son of former major league catcher Steve Swisher, who played for various National League baseball clubs in the 1970s and 1980s. Swisher was born in Columbus, Ohio, but grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Prior to his career in the Major Leagues, Swisher played his collegiate ball for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Early life and career

Nick Swisher is the son of Steve Swisher, a former major leaguer of German descent, and an Italian mother. Swisher's parents divorced when he was 11 years old. He then went to live with his grandparents, who cared for him throughout his teenage years. He has said many times that his grandmother was the closest person to him and because of her, he has a great life and career in baseball. Swisher honors his grandparents, who have passed away, by looking up at the sky before every single pitch.

Swisher was a two-sport star at Parkersburg High School in football and baseball as well as a letterman in basketball. As a strong safety he was recruited by several Division I-A colleges, including Notre Dame, but chose to pursue baseball. Because he was not selected in the Major League Baseball Draft out of high school, he went to college and signed with Ohio State University, as that school and Ohio University were the only colleges to recruit him for baseball. He was named Big 10 Freshman of the Year in 2000, after hitting .299 with 10 home runs and 48 RBIs. He was an All-Big 10 selection at first base as a sophomore in 2001, after hitting .322 with 56 RBIs and a league-leading 15 home runs. He earned All-Big 10 honors in the outfield in 2002, after batting .348 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs. Swisher was selected by the A's with the Boston Red Sox first round pick in as compensation for the loss of free agent Johnny Damon.

Swisher, and the A's 2002 draft, are heavily featured in Michael Lewis' 2003 book ''Moneyball''. In a book whose key theme is the gulf between orthodox baseball thinking and the new sabermetric influenced system being implemented by Billy Beane, Swisher was notable as one of the few examples of a player who traditional scouts and Beane could agree upon.

Professional baseball career

Minor league career

Prior to moving up to the big leagues, Swisher played for the Visalia Oaks, Vancouver Canadians, Modesto A's, Midland RockHounds, and Sacramento River Cats--all Oakland farm teams. In 2005, he led the minor leagues with 102 walks.

Major league career

Oakland Athletics (2004–2007)

Swisher played in only 20 games during the 2004 season, and consequently was still considered to be in his rookie year in . He finished 6th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting. His teammates Huston Street and Joe Blanton finished 1st and 7th, respectively.

Following his rookie season, Swisher improved in most offensive categories. During the regular season, Swisher compiled a .254 batting average with 35 home runs. He also improved his on base percentage by raising it to .372, as well as boosting his slugging percentage to .493. Swisher finished second for the team in on base plus slugging behind the veteran slugger Frank Thomas. Swisher spent about half of his playing time in left field, and the other half at first base. The Oakland A's lacked both Dan Johnson and Erubiel Durazo for a large portion of the 2006 season, leaving room for Swisher to move back into his preferred position on a temporary basis. During the season, Swisher had a column for ESPN.com about his various baseball experiences called ''Sophomore Year''. This included multiple articles that pertained to his early MLB playing experiences, as well as the MLB Draft of 2002.

Swisher has also exemplified a good amount of durability in contrast to his teammates who have spent a large portion of time on the disabled list.

On September 16, Swisher initiated a brawl when he charged the mound after getting hit by a pitch from Texas Rangers pitcher Vicente Padilla. Earlier in the plate appearance, Padilla (who had hit Swisher the prior year) threw two inside pitches with the apparent intention of hitting Swisher. Both players were ejected following the brawl.

Chicago White Sox (2008)

Swisher was traded on January 3, to the Chicago White Sox for minor leaguers Ryan Sweeney, Gio Gonzalez, and Fautino De Los Santos as part of what Athletics general manager Billy Beane termed a "rebuilding effort". While Swisher quickly established himself as a fan favorite on his new team he struggled offensively, batting just .219 through the season (the lowest batting average in the majors), though he improved his home run total from 22 in 2007 to 24 in 2008. He also led the majors in pitches per plate appearance, with 4.51. Because of his poor offensive play White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen benched Swisher for most of September, saying publicly that "I have to put the best lineup out there to win the game ... To me, the best lineup right now is without (Swisher)."

New York Yankees (2009–present)

On November 13, 2008, Swisher and minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira were traded to the New York Yankees for utility man Wilson Betemit and minor league pitchers Jeffrey Marquez and Jhonny Núñez. Swisher was acquired to be the Yankees starting first baseman. However, the Yankees signed Mark Teixiera later in the offseason, who took the starting role. At the end of spring training, manager Joe Girardi announced that Xavier Nady would be starting in right field while Swisher would be a bench player. Due to the perceived logjam, many teams reportedly pursued Swisher, but the Yankees opted to keep him as a reserve outfielder and first baseman.

On April 9, 2009 against the Baltimore Orioles, Swisher was started for the first time as a Yankee in right field, replacing Xavier Nady who was playing DH to give Hideki Matsui a rest. Swisher capitalized on this opportunity and had a great game, going 3 for 5 with a home run and tying his career high of five RBIs. Just five days later, Nady suffered a season ending elbow injury - allowing Swisher to become the regular starter for the Yankees in right field.

On April 13, 2009, in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Swisher pitched one inning in relief, allowing one hit and one walk before retiring the next three batters in a row, including a strikeout against Gabe Kapler in his first pitching appearance in the major leagues. He was the first Yankee position player to pitch since Wade Boggs in 1997 and the first Yankee to homer and pitch in the same game since Lindy McDaniel did it in Detroit on September 28, 1972.

Due to a .128 batting average in the 2009 postseason, Swisher worked with hitting coach Kevin Long to reinvent his swing for the 2010 season. Swisher was a contestant in the 2010 All-Star Final Vote from July 4 to July 8. Swisher lobbied for the post with a promotion commercial of him with a surf board to indicate that he would be surfing in Southern California since the game was to be hosted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In what was to that date the closest vote in Final Vote history, he won the final place on the AL roster ahead of Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis. Additionally, Swisher participated in the Home Run Derby. Swisher finished the season with a career-high .288 batting average and 29 home runs.

During the Bleacher Creatures' roll call at the top of the first inning, Swisher is known to come to attention and salute the bleachers.

Personal life

Swisher's father, Steve Swisher, played 509 games in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs (1974–77), St. Louis Cardinals (1978–80), and San Diego Padres (1981–82). He was a .216 lifetime hitter with 20 home runs and 124 RBIs. His father was also a first round draft pick, as he was selected by the Chicago White Sox with the 21st selection of the 1973 draft.

Swisher was very close to his paternal grandmother, Betty Lorraine Swisher, who raised him after his parents' divorce and died from brain cancer in 2005; he has her initials tattooed on his chest surrounded by angel's wings and a halo. To honor her further, he let his hair grow for eleven months and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a program that creates free wigs for cancer patients. On May 19, 2007, he cut his hair with assistance from his father. His website, nickswisher.net, is also dedicated to his grandmother. He is well-known for touching his lips and pointing to the sky in her honor after he gets a hit as well as inking her initials on the bottom of his bats' knobs and kissing the letters when he comes to home plate. Also, while at bat, he looks into the sky before every pitch he receives in tribute to his grandparents. After his grandfather Don died in November 2008, Swisher began adding his initials to his bats as well. When Nick is up at bat, he looks up to the sky to honor his parents and grandparents. He later stated that he planned on getting another tattoo on his back in the same style as his existing one after the 2009 season to honor his grandfather.

In August 2009, ''People'' reported that Swisher was dating actress Joanna García. Swish and García became engaged in May 2010, and married on December 11, 2010 at the Breakers Hotel & Resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

In 2011 Swisher guest starred as himself on two episodes of his wife Joanna Garcia's sitcom ''Better with You.'' The first episode aired February 16 and the second aired February 23. He also appeared on the February 1, 2010 episode of ''How I Met Your Mother''.

Swisher is releasing a kids music album titled "Believe" on August 9, 2011. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to "Swish's Wishes", a charity started by Swisher for children who are facing health crises. The twelve song album features guest appearances from former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams and current San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito. All of the songs recorded on the album are cover songs that were selected by Swisher.

The album peaked at #3 on the chart of iTunes Children's Albums.

See also

List of second-generation Major League Baseball players

''Moneyball'' by Michael Lewis

References

External links

NickSwisher.net

Baseball Almanac

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Oakland Athletics players Category:Chicago White Sox players Category:New York Yankees players Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Baseball players from Ohio Category:People from Columbus, Ohio Category:American people of Italian descent Category:People from Parkersburg, West Virginia Category:Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players Category:Ohio State University alumni Category:Vancouver Canadians players Category:Modesto A's players Category:Sacramento River Cats players Category:Visalia Oaks players

de:Nick Swisher fr:Nick Swisher ko:닉 스위셔 ja:ニック・スウィッシャー pt:Nick Swisher simple:Nick Swisher zh:尼可拉斯·史威瑟

name	Sergio Romo
width	240
team	San Francisco Giants
number	54
position	Pitcher
birth date	March 04, 1983
birth place	Brawley, California
bats	Right
throws	Right
debutdate	June 26
debutyear	2008
debutteam	San Francisco Giants
statyear	2010 season
stat1label	Win-loss record
stat1value	13–6
stat2label	Earned run average
stat2value	2.63
stat3label	Strikeouts
stat3value	144
teams	San Francisco Giants (–present)
awards	World Series champion (2010) }}

Sergio Francisco Romo (born March 4, 1983) is a American right-handed professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League baseball.

Early life

Romo was born in Brawley, California to Mexican immigrant parents. He graduated from Brawley Union High School in 2001, having played shortstop and third baseman on the baseball team.

College career

After transferring from Arizona Western College, Romo played NCAA Division II baseball at two colleges: the University of North Alabama (2004) and Mesa State College (2005). Romo was named to the All-Region I second team of the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in 2002 and 2003. In 159 innings, Romo made a 16-4 overall record with a 2.79 earned run average (ERA). He was named First-Team All-Gulf South Conference in 2004 while playing for North Alabama and was 10-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 97.1 innings. In his senior year with Mesa State, he was the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year. In 2009, the RMAC named Romo "All-Time Top Pitcher."

Professional career

Romo was drafted by the Giants in the 28th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.

Romo had his contract purchased from Double-A Connecticut by the San Francisco Giants on June 24, 2008. He made his debut on June 26, 2008, against the Cleveland Indians, striking out two in an inning pitched. Romo was designated for assignment on August 6, and was eventually sent to the minors, but was recalled on August 16, 2008. He played winter baseball with the Mexicali Eagles of the Mexican Pacific League. In nine relief appearances, Romo made six of seven attempted saves and a 2.89 ERA.

Romo started the 2009 season on the disabled list, and was activated on May 30, 2009. He completed his first major league save on July 7, 2009 against the Florida Marlins. He got the last two outs of the game, both of which were via the strikeout.

In 2010, Romo was part of the San Francisco World Series team, acting as the team's primary setup man through much of the season. He gained notoreity for being one of the team's "Beards", along with closer Brian Wilson. In the National League Division Series, Romo gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning pitched, but through the National League Championship Series and World Series, he pitched 3 scoreless innings.

In 2011, Romo became the fifth reliever to throw 9 or more consecutive perfect innings, retiring thirty straight batters in 10 innings over a span of fourteen games. His 2011 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) of 0.91 remains the best of all Major League relief pitchers for the season.

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Águilas de Mexicali players Category:American baseball players of Mexican descent Category:American expatriate baseball people Category:American expatriates in Mexico Category:Baseball players from California Category:Junior college baseball players in the United States Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Mesa State College alumni Category:People from Imperial County, California Category:San Francisco Giants players Category:University of North Alabama alumni

fr:Sergio Romo pt:Sergio Romo

name	Edie Brickell
background	solo_singer
birth name	Edie Arlisa Brickell
birth date	March 10, 1966
origin	Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas, United States
genre	Alternative rockFolk rockJangle popJam rockNew waveNeo-psychedeliaPop rock
occupation	Singer-songwriter, guitarist
years active	1985–present
label	Geffen
associated acts	Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, The Heavy Circles, The Gaddabouts
website	www.ediebrickell.com
notable instruments	}}

'' Edie Arlisa Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter best known for 1988's ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'', the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went #4 on the US Albums Chart.

Life and career

Brickell was born in Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas. She attended high school at the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. She attended Southern Methodist University for a year and a half. In 1985, she made the decision one night in a bar to get up on stage with a local folk rock group, New Bohemians. She would join the band as lead singer. After the band was signed to a recording contract, the label changed the group's name to Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. Their 1988 debut album ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' became a critical and commercial success, with the big hit, "What I Am." The band's follow-up album, ''Ghost of a Dog'' (1990), did not fare as well. As a solo artist, Brickell released ''Picture Perfect Morning'' (1994) and ''Volcano'' (2003). In 2006 she reunited with some of the original members of New Bohemians and they released the album ''Stranger Things''.

In late 2007, Brickell and her stepson Harper Simon formed the band The Heavy Circles. They released a single on iTunes entitled "Hands On." The Heavy Circles released a debut album on February 12, 2008, featuring Sean Lennon, Martha Wainwright, and members of Cibo Matto.

In 2010, Brickell became a founding member of new band The Gaddabouts, consisting of Steve Gadd - drums, Edie Brickell - lead vocal, guitar, Andy Fairweather Low - electric & acoustic guitars, background vocals, Pino Palladino - bass, guitar, also featuring Dan Block, Ronnie Cuber, Joey DeFrancesco, Gil Goldstein, Marcus Rojas.http://www.thegaddabouts.com/the-band/

Brickell had a role as a folk singer in the 1989 film, ''Born on the Fourth of July''. Her version of Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" is featured on the film's soundtrack. She also sang a cover version of Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side in the 1990 film Flashback. Her "Good Times" video was included as part of the multimedia samples on the Windows 95 installation CD-ROM.

Her father, Eddie Brickell, "the Fort Worth Southpaw", was posthumously inducted into the Texas State Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1988.

Brickell married singer-songwriter Paul Simon on May 30, 1992. Brickell was performing on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' on Saturday November 5, 1988 when she noticed Simon standing in front of the cameraman. "He made me mess the song up when I looked at him," she said with a smile. "We can show the kids the tape and say, 'Look, that's when we first laid eyes on each other.'" Brickell and Simon have three children - Adrian, Lulu and Gabriel.

Discography

''It's Like This...'' (1986)

''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'' (1988) US #4, 2x platinum

''Ghost of a Dog'' (1990)

''Picture Perfect Morning'' (1994)

''The Live Montauk Sessions'' (2000)

''The Ultimate Collection'' (2002)

''Volcano'' (2003)

''Stranger Things'' (2006)

''The Heavy Circles'' (2008)

''Edie Brickell'' (2011)

''The Gaddabouts'' (2011)

Other contributions

''Microsoft Windows 95'' (1995) - "Good Times" Video

''WFUV: City Folk Live VII'' (2004) - "Take a Walk"

References

External links

Edie Brickell official website

New Bohemians official website

[ Edie Brickell] in Allmusic

Category:1966 births Category:American female singers Category:American pop singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:Songwriters from Texas Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Dallas, Texas

af:Edie Brickell da:Edie Brickell de:Edie Brickell es:Edie Brickell fr:Edie Brickell it:Edie Brickell hu:Edie Brickell nl:Edie Brickell no:Edie Brickell pl:Edie Brickell pt:Edie Brickell fi:Edie Brickell sv:Edie Brickell

name	Alejandro Muñoz Moreno
names	Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul''), El Manotas (''The Big Handed One''), The ProfessorTosco Muñoz
birth date
birth place	Rinconada, Nuevo León, Mexico
death date	December 16, 2000
trainer	Rolando Vera
debut
retired	1988 }}

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno (April 24, 1922 – December 16, 2000), better known as Blue Demon (''Demonio Azul'' in Spanish), was a Mexican luchador Enmascarado (Masked professional wrestler) who was widely considered to be one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of his time. He was affectionately referred to as "Blue" and was known for his signature blue wrestling mask.

Biography

Early life

Alejandro Muñoz Moreno was born April 24, 1922 in Rinconada, Nuevo León Mexico. He was the child of farmers and was the fifth of twelve children. At a young age, Alejandro dropped out of school and moved to Monterrey, where his uncle gave him a job working on the National Railroad. His co-workers there gave him the nickname 'Manotas', referring to his large, powerful hands.

Professional wrestling career

A chance meeting with the famous Mexican wrestler Rolando Vera piqued his interest in Lucha Libre, Vera even offering to tutor him and help him start a career. He began wrestling without a mask in Laredo, Texas. His first match was against Chema Lopez on March 12, 1948, which he won handily. Adopting the mask and persona of The Blue Demon, he headed back to Mexico to start a real career. His first appearance as The Blue Demon was in Mexico City in September 1948, where he fought Benny Arcilla. Blue began his career in the ring as a rudo. From there, he formed a famous tag-team with another well-known masked luchador named The Black Shadow, and the two became known as ''Los Hermanos Shadow'' (The Shadow Brothers).

In 1952, the famous wrestler Santo beat and unmasked Black Shadow in the ring, which triggered Blue's decision to become a técnico in the ring, and a legendary feud between The Blue Demon and Santo that culminated in Blue's beating el Santo in a well-publicized series of matches in 1952 and another in 1953. In 1953, Blue won the NWA World Welterweight Championship from Santo, and held it until 1958. Their rivalry never entirely abated in later years (although they co-starred over the years in a number of Mexican horror films) since Santo always remembered his defeat at the Blue Demon's hands.

During the 1960s, one of Blue Demon's greatest rivals was el Rayo de Jalisco. In 1988, the year he retired, Blue Demon finally beat Jalisco in a mask vs. mask match, taking the mask of another of Mexico's wrestling legends.

Film career

Blue Demon first appeared in cameos in a couple of luchador films made in 1961, where he was one of several wrestlers who appeared in the background. But in 1964, Enrique Vergara, the producer of the then-successful Santo movies, decided to diversify by allowing the 42-year-old Blue Demon to star in a series of luchador films of his own. The plots of the Blue Demon films are thought to be extremely similar to those of Santo's films. Santo was asking for a salary increase at the time and Vergara wanted to cultivate a second movie star.

From 1964 to 1977, Blue Demon starred in a total of 25 luchador films, and more recently was the subject of a feature-length Mexican documentary entitled ''Blue Demon, the Champion'' (1989). Of those 25 films, Santo co-starred with him in nine of them, though the two were never good friends in real life. In three of his films, Blue Demon starred as the leader of a squadron of masked superheroes known as ''Los Campeones Justicieros'' (The Champions of Justice). Membership in the Champions included such legendary Mexican wrestling figures as Mil Máscaras, Tinieblas, Rayo de Jalisco, El Medico Asesino, El Fantasma Blanco, El Avispon Escarlata and Superzan.

Retirement and death

Blue Demon retired from the ring in 1988 at the Monterrey Arena, where he appeared in a final match, teaming up with his son, Blue Demon Jr., who has had a successful career of his own.

Blue Demon died just before noon on Saturday, December 16, 2000 from natural causes. Apparently Blue Demon suffered a fatal heart attack on a park bench near a subway kiosk while on his way home from his regular morning training session at The Blue Demon Instituto Atletico, where he enjoyed teaching others his fighting skills. Although an attempt was made to get him to a hospital, he was unable to be revived. He was 78 years old. Blue Demon was buried wearing his trademark blue mask, the mask he never removed in public as he always kept his true identity a secret.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

:*Octopus hold

Championships and accomplishments

Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre

:*Mexican National Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Black Shadow :*Mexican National Welterweight Championship (3 times) :*NWA World Welterweight Championship (2 times)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

:*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 1996)

Lucha de Apuesta record

{|class="wikitable" width=100% |- !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=5%|Wager !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Winner !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Loser !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Location !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=15%|Date !style="background: #e3e3e3;" width=20%|Notes |----- align="center" |Hair || Blue Demon || Jorge Allende || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || Blue Demon || Moloch || Monterrey, Nuevo León || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || Blue Demon || Baby Olson || Unknown || Unknown ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || Blue Demon || Tony Borne || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Hair || Blue Demon || Cavernario Galindo || Unknown || ||   |----- align="center" |Beard || Blue Demon || Conde Giuseppe Daidone || Mexico City, Mexico || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || Blue Demon || Espectro II || Tijuana, Baja California || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || Blue Demon || Máquina Salvaje || Mexico City, Mexico || ||   |----- align="center" |Mask || Blue Demon || Rayo de Jalisco || Monterrey, Nuevo León || || |----- align="center" |Mask || Blue Demon || Matemático || Monterrey, Nuevo León || || |----- align="center" |Hair || Blue Demon || Matemático || Mexico City, Mexico || || |}

Filmography

;1964

''Blue Demon: El Demonio Azul''

''Blue Demon contra el poder satánico'' (Blue Demon vs Satanic Power) Santo had a brief cameo appearance in this film

;1966

''Blue Demon en la sombra del murciélago'' (Blue Demon in "Shadow of The Bat")

''Blue Demon contra las aranas infernales'' (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Spiders) Demon's last B&W; film

''Blue Demon contra cerebros infernales'' (Blue Demon vs The Infernal Brains) Demon's first Color film

''Blue Demon contra las diabólicas'' (Blue Demon vs The Diabolical Women)

;1967

''Blue Demon destructor de espías''(Blue Demon, Destroyer of Spies)

''Blue Demon en pasaporte à la muerte'' (Blue Demon in "Passport To Death")

;1968 ''Blue Demon contra las invasoras''(Blue Demon vs. The Women Invaders) also known as ''Blue Demon y las seductoras'' (Blue Demon and the Seductresses)

;1969

''Santo contra Blue Demon en la Atlántida'' (Santo vs Blue Demon in Atlantis)

''Santo el enmascarado de plata y Blue Demon contra los monstruos'' (Santo and Blue Demon vs The Monsters)

''Santo y Blue Demon en "El Mundo de los Muertos"'' (Santo and Blue Demon in "World of the Dead")

;1970

''Los campeones justicieros'' (The Champions of Justice)

''Las momias de Guanajuato'' (The Mummies of Guanajuato) co-stars Santo and Mil Máscaras)

;1971

''Blue Demon y Zovek en "La invasión de los muertos"'' (Blue Demon and Zovek In "The Invasion of The Dead")

;1972

''La noche de la muerte'' (Blue Demon in "Night of Death")

''Blue Demon en la mafia amarilla'' (Blue Demon in "The Yellow Mafia")

''Vuelven los campeones justicieros'' (The Champions of Justice Return)

''Santo y Blue Demon contra Drácula y el Hombre Lobo'' (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dracula and The Wolfman)

''Santo y Blue Demon en "Las bestias del terror"'' (Santo and Blue Demon In "The Beasts of Terror")

;1973

''El triunfo de los campeones justicieros'' (Triumph of The Champions of Justice)

''Santo y Blue Demon contra el doctor Frankenstein'' (Santo and Blue Demon vs Dr. Frankenstein)

;1974

''Blue Demon en "El hijo de Alma Grande"'' (Blue Demon in "The Son of Alma Grande")

;1975

''La mansion de las siete momias'' (Mansion of The Seven Mummies) co-starring Superzan

;1977

''Misterio en las Bermudas'' (Mystery In Bermuda) co-stars Santo, Blue Demon and Mil Máscaras

;1989

''Blue Demon, el campeón'' (Blue Demon, The Champion) Documentary, video release only

Footnotes

References

;General sources - Championship Information ;General sources - Career ;Specific

External links

Blue Demon wrestling profile

Category:1922 births Category:2000 deaths Category:Mexican professional wrestlers Category:Mexican film actors Category:People from Monterrey

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