John Smoltz
Pitcher
Born: (1967-05-15) May 15, 1967 (age 45) Warren, Michigan
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 23, 1988 for the Atlanta Braves
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 2009 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics
Win–loss record	213–155
Earned run average	3.33
Strikeouts	3,084
Saves	154
Teams
Atlanta Braves (1988–2008) Boston Red Sox (2009) St. Louis Cardinals (2009)
Career highlights and awards
8× All-Star (1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007) World Series champion (1995) Silver Slugger Award (1997) NL Cy Young Award (1996) NLCS MVP (1992) Roberto Clemente Award (2005) Branch Rickey Award (2007) NL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (2002)

John Andrew Smoltz (born May 15, 1967) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and active sportscaster. He is best known for his prolific career of more than two decades with the Atlanta Braves, in which he garnered eight All-Star selections and received the Cy Young Award in 1996. Though predominantly known as a starting pitcher, Smoltz was converted to a reliever in 2001, following his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and spent four years as the team's closer before returning to a starting role. In 2002 he became only the second pitcher in history to have had both a 20-win season and a 50-save season (the other being Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley). He is the only pitcher in major league history to top both 200 wins and 150 saves. He became the 16th member of the 3,000 strikeout club on April 22, 2008 when he fanned Felipe Lopez of the Washington Nationals in the third inning in Atlanta.

Smoltz threw a four-seam fastball that was clocked as high as 98 miles per hour, a strong, effective slider, and an 88–91 mph split-finger fastball that he used as a strikeout pitch. He also mixed in a curveball and change-up on occasion, and in 1999, he began experimenting with both a knuckleball and a screwball, though he rarely used either in game situations.^[1]

Minor leagues and trade to Atlanta[link]

John Smoltz was an All-State baseball and basketball player at Waverly High School in Lansing, Michigan and in college at Michigan State University before the Detroit Tigers drafted him in the 22nd round of the 1985 amateur draft.^[2] He was the 574th selection of the draft.^[3]

Smoltz played first for the Lakeland Tigers minor league team and then moved on to the Glens Falls Tigers in 1987.^[4] On August 12, 1987, he was traded to the Atlanta Braves. The 1987 Tigers were in a three-team race, chasing the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL East division lead. In need of pitching help, Detroit sent their 20-year-old prospect to the Braves for the 36-year-old veteran Doyle Alexander.

Major leagues[link]

Early years (1988–1997)[link]

Smoltz made his Major League debut on June 23, 1988. He posted poor statistics in a dozen starts, but in 1989, Smoltz blossomed. In 29 starts, he recorded a 12–11 record and 2.94 ERA while pitching 208 innings and making the All-Star team. Teammate Tom Glavine also had his first good year in 1989, raising optimism about the future of Atlanta's pitching staff.

Smoltz began the 1991 season with a 2–11 record. He began seeing a sports psychologist, after which he closed out the season on a 12–2 pace,^[5] helping the Braves win a tight NL West race. His winning ways continued into the 1991 National League Championship Series. Smoltz won both his starts against the Pittsburgh Pirates, capped by a complete game shutout in the seventh game, propelling the Braves to their first World Series since moving to Atlanta in 1966. Smoltz had two no-decisions against the Minnesota Twins, with a 1.26 ERA. In the seventh and deciding game, he faced his former Detroit Tiger hero, Jack Morris. Both starters pitched shutout ball for seven innings, before Smoltz was removed from the 0–0 game during a Twins threat in the eighth. Atlanta reliever Mike Stanton pitched out of the jam, getting Smoltz off the hook, but Morris would eventually pitch a 10-inning complete game victory.

The next year, Smoltz won fifteen regular season games and was the MVP of the 1992 National League Championship Series, winning two games. He left the seventh game trailing, but ended up with a no-decision as the Braves mounted a dramatic ninth-inning comeback win. In the World Series that year, Smoltz started two of the six games in the series, with a no-decision in Game Two and a win with the Braves facing elimination in Game 5.

Before the 1993 season, the Braves signed renowned control pitcher Greg Maddux, completing what many consider to be the most accomplished starting trio ever assembled on a single Major League team. Smoltz again won fifteen games, but suffered his first postseason loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS despite a 0.00 ERA.

Smoltz had a 6–10 record in the strike-shortened 1994 season, and during the break, had bone chips removed from his elbow.^[6] Returning as the Braves' #3 starter, he posted a 12–7 record in 1995. Smoltz had shaky postseason numbers, avoiding a decision despite a 6.60 ERA. But Smoltz and the Braves won the franchise's only World Series in Atlanta, thanks in great part to Maddux and Glavine, who had begun to overshadow Smoltz.

The following season, 1996, was the best of Smoltz's career. He went 24–8 with a 2.94 ERA and 276 strikeouts, including winning a franchise record fourteen straight decisions.^[6] He won the National League Cy Young with 26 of the 28 first-place votes. Smoltz's effectiveness in 1997 was only slightly less than his Cy Young season, but frugal run support limited him to a 15–12 record. Smoltz was also awarded a Silver Slugger Award for his batting.

Injuries and move to the bullpen (1998–2004)[link]

Smoltz continued to post excellent statistics in 1998 and 1999, but he was spending significant time on the disabled list and missed about a fourth of his starts. In 1999, Smoltz began experimenting with both a knuckleball and a three-quarters delivery, though he rarely used either in game situations.^[7]

He underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the 2000 season, missing the entire year.^[8] When he was unable to perform effectively as a starter in 2001, Smoltz made a transition to the bullpen, filling a void as Atlanta's new closer down the stretch, replacing John Rocker.

In 2002, his first full season as a closer, Smoltz broke the National League saves record with 55 saves (the previous record was 53; Éric Gagné would equal Smoltz's new record a year later). Smoltz finished third in the Cy Young Award voting. Injuries limited Smoltz slightly in 2003, but he still recorded 45 saves with a 1.12 ERA in 64.3 innings pitched. In 2004, Smoltz finished with 44 saves, but was frustrated with his inability to make an impact as a closer during another Braves' postseason loss.

By this point, Smoltz was all that remained of the once-dominant Atlanta Braves' rotation of the 1990s. Tom Glavine had moved on to play for the New York Mets, a divisional rival, while Greg Maddux returned to his old team, the Chicago Cubs.

Return to the rotation (2005–2008)[link]

After three years as one of baseball's most dominating closers, the team's management agreed to return Smoltz to the starting rotation prior to the 2005 season.

Smoltz's renewed career as a starter began inauspiciously. He allowed six earned runs in only 1 2/3 innings—matching the shortest starts of his career—as the Braves were blown out on Opening Day by the Florida Marlins. Poor run support contributed to an 0–3 start despite stronger pitching performances by Smoltz. After these initial difficulties, though, things fell into place. At the All-Star break, Smoltz was 9–5 with an ERA of 2.68 and was chosen for the 2005 NL All-Star team. Smoltz gave up a solo home run to Miguel Tejada in the second inning of the American League's 7–5 victory and received the loss. For his career, he is 1–2 in All-Star games, putting him in a tie for the most losses.

Smoltz finished 2005 at 14–7, with a 3.06 ERA with 169 strikeouts while allowing less than one hit per inning. Smoltz had answered the critics who doubted he would be able to reach the 200 inning plateau after three years in the bullpen. Nonetheless, Smoltz's increased workload caused him to wear down towards the end of the season.

Despite a sore shoulder, Smoltz pitched seven innings in the Braves' 7–1 win over the Houston Astros in Game Two of the 2005 NLDS. It was the only game the Braves would manage to win in the series against the eventual National League champions. The victory over Houston gave Smoltz a 13–4 record as a starter (15–4 overall) with a 2.65 ERA in the postseason. He has the second most postseason wins (15) behind only Andy Pettitte with 19. They are followed by Tom Glavine (14), and Greg Maddux (11).

In 2006, Smoltz finished the season with a record of 16–9, an earned run average of 3.49, and 211 strikeouts. He was tied for the National League lead in wins, and was third in strikeouts. The fact that the Braves bullpen blew six of Smoltz's leads in 2006 robbed him of a strong chance at a 20-win season.

Smoltz in 2007

On September 21, 2006, the Braves announced they had picked up Smoltz's $8 million contract option for the 2007 season. On April 26, 2007 Smoltz agreed to a contract extension with the Braves. The extension includes a $14 million salary for the 2008 season, a $12 million vesting option for 2009 dependent on Smoltz's ability to pitch 200 innings in 2008, and a $12 or $13 million team option for 2010 dependent on Smoltz's ability to pitch 200 innings in 2009.^[9]

2007 was a year of reunions and milestones for Smoltz. On May 9, he faced Greg Maddux for the first time since July 10, 1992. Smoltz earned a win in a 3–2 victory over the San Diego Padres; Maddux received a no-decision. On May 24, exactly eleven years to the day after recording his 100th win, Smoltz recorded his 200th win against Tom Glavine.^[10] He faced Glavine 3 other times faring 3–1 overall against him. On June 27, Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux all recorded wins on the same day. On August 19, 2007, Smoltz set the new Atlanta Braves strikeout record by striking out Arizona Diamondbacks' Mark Reynolds. It was his 2,913th strikeout and he passed Phil Niekro on the Braves all-time list; striking out a season-high 12 in the game.^[11] He finished the year 14–8 with a 3.11 ERA and 197 strikeouts. The stalwart pitcher was the only holdover on the Braves' roster from their 1991 worst-to-first season until Glavine returned to the Braves after an absence of several years following the 2007 season.

On April 22, 2008, Smoltz became the 16th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to reach 3,000 career strikeouts. He is one of four pitchers to strike out 3,000 batters for one team, joining Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton.

On April 28, 2008, Smoltz was placed on the 15 day disabled list due to an inflamed right shoulder.^[12]

Return to relief (2008)[link]

On May 1, 2008, Smoltz indicated that he intended to return to being a relief pitcher. After coming off the disabled list on June 2, 2008, he blew his first save opportunity in three years. Two days later, the Braves placed him back on the disabled list. John Smoltz underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on June 10, 2008.^[13] His contract expired at the end of the season, and the contract offer from the Braves was not sufficient to keep him.^[14]

Boston Red Sox (2009)[link]

Smoltz with the Boston Red Sox

In December 2008, several members of the Boston Red Sox organization, including pitching coach John Farrell, Vice President of Player Personnel Ben Cherington, and assistant trainer Mike Reinold, flew to Atlanta, Georgia to participate in a 90-minute workout with Smoltz. Throwing for only the second time since having surgery on a torn labrum in his pitching shoulder, Smoltz threw a 50-pitch side session and showcased not only his tremendous progress since the surgery, but an arsenal of well-developed pitches which has made him so successful throughout his career. Smoltz impressed the Red Sox members enough during the workout that less than a month later, a one-year contract was offered by the organization.^[15]

On January 13, 2009, Smoltz signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox for a reported base salary of $5.5 million with roster time incentives and miscellaneous award incentives which could net as much as $10 million.^[16] He made his first start in the Boston Red Sox rotation June 25, 2009, allowing seven hits and five runs through five innings.^[17][18] Smoltz struggled his entire time with the Red Sox posting a 2–5 record over eight games with an 8.32 ERA and no quality starts. He was designated for assignment on August 7, 2009, after a 13–6 loss to the Yankees, giving the Red Sox 10 days to release, trade, or send him to the minors.^[19] The Red Sox offered Smoltz a minor league stint in order to prepare him to be placed in the bullpen, but he rejected the offer, leaving the Red Sox the options of either releasing or trading him.^[20] On August 17, 2009 the Red Sox released Smoltz.^[21]

St. Louis Cardinals (2009)[link]

On August 19, 2009, Smoltz signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. Smoltz made his debut against the San Diego Padres on August 23, 2009. In his first game for the Cardinals, Smoltz went five innings, striking out nine and walking none, while setting a Cardinals franchise record by striking out seven batters in a row.^[22]

That win against the Padres with the Cardinals was his only win with them that season. Smoltz finished 1–3 with an ERA of 4.26 with the Cardinals. He was 3–8 with an ERA of 6.35 overall with the Red Sox and Cardinals. In Game 3 of the 2009 NLDS, Smoltz finished with a 4.50 ERA after pitching 2 full innings, giving up 4 hits.

Broadcasting career (since 2010)[link]

Smoltz made his debut as a baseball commentator on August 16, 2008. He was the commentator alongside Joe Simpson. On March 16, 2010 it was announced that Smoltz would serve as a color analyst alongside Joe Simpson for the 45 Braves games on Peachtree TV. Smoltz also tells a joke once a game on Peachtree. John is an analyst for MLB Network and he would also serve as a guest analyst, from time to time, on TBS Sunday Afternoon Baseball.^[23]

Number Retired[link]

It was announced on April 16, 2012 that the Atlanta Braves will retire Smoltz's number 29 before the June 8, 2012 game against the Toronto Blue Jays. [2]

Personal life[link]

Smoltz pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals on September 3, 2009.

Smoltz met his first wife Dyan at the Omni Hotel in downtown Atlanta; the couple had four children before divorcing in 2007 after 16 years of marriage.^[24] Smoltz lives in Alpharetta and also has a home at Sea Island, Georgia, a golf resort. On May 16, 2009, Smoltz married the former Kathryn Darden at his home with 70 friends and family in attendance.^[25] Smoltz is a born-again Christian, has served as Chairman of the Board at Alpharetta-based King's Ridge Christian School, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America. He has also been involved in the development of a new Christian school in the metropolitan Atlanta region.

Smoltz is a good friend of professional golfer Tiger Woods. The two often golf together.^[26] Woods has stated that Smoltz is the best golfer outside of the PGA Tour that he has observed.^[27] He is said to have a plus 4 handicap.

Smoltz is also involved in the sport of bowling.^[28]

Smoltz counts Doc Rivers as a personal friend dating back to Rivers' playing days in Atlanta. In the January 12, 2008 edition of the Boston Globe, Rivers is quoted as saying, ″I offered him my apartment. .... I just told him about Terry (Francona) and the Red Sox organization. I told him it's a no-brainer.″

Smoltz is also an accomplished accordionist (accordion player) and also starred in a commercial for The Home Depot.

Smoltz also owns a house at the now bankrupt Snake River Sporting Club outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Politics and philanthropy[link]

Smoltz produced an automated campaign phone recording on behalf of the candidacy of Ralph E. Reed, Jr. for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia during the 2006 primary.^[29]

It was speculated that Smoltz would run for Congress in 2010 as a Republican candidate to fill the departing John Linder's seat in Georgia's 7th congressional district.^[30]

Smoltz and his good friend Jeff Foxworthy teamed up for the charity event "An Evening With Smoltz and Friends" on November 9, 2008 at the Verizon Amphitheater in Alpharetta, Georgia to raise money for the John Smoltz Foundation, which has supported numerous charitable endeavors in the Atlanta area over the past decade.^[31]

Accomplishments[link]

Fans at Turner Field stand and applaud after Smoltz's 3000th career strikeout on April 22, 2008.

• Eight-time All-Star (1989, 1992–93, 1996, 2002–03, 2005, 2007)
• National League Championship Series MVP (1992)
• Led the National League in Strikeouts (1992, with 215)
• National League Cy Young Award winner (1996)
• Holds Atlanta Braves record for most wins in a season (1996, with 24)
• Led the National League in wins (1996, with 24)
• Counting his wins in the playoffs and All-Star Game, John Smoltz amassed 29 wins in 1996. The only higher such total in the last 70 years is Denny McLain who had 32 in 1968.
• Holds Atlanta Braves record for most strikeouts in a season (1996, with 276)
• Led the Major Leagues in strikeouts (1996, with 276)
• Led the National League in win percentage (1996)
• Silver Slugger Award Winner for Pitcher (1997)
• Finished 4th in National League Cy Young Award voting (1998)
• Led the Major Leagues in Win Percentage (1998)
• National League Rolaids Relief Man of the Year Award winner (2002)
• Finished 8th in National League MVP voting (2002)
• Finished 3rd in National League Cy Young Award voting (2002)
• Holds Braves record for most saves in a career (154)
• Holds Braves record for most saves in a season (2002, with 55)
• Led the National Leagues in saves (2002, with 55)
• Tied for National League lead in wins (2006, with 16)
• Only pitcher to compile 200 wins and 150 saves
• Holds Braves record for most strikeouts in a career (3,011)
• Given the Branch Rickey Award for exceptional community service (2007)^[32]
• First pitcher in modern era (since 1900) to pitch exactly five shutout innings, strike out ten, and get the win (April 17, 2008 in the Braves' 8–0 win at Florida)^[33]
• 16th pitcher in the major leagues to reach 3,000 strikeouts (April 22, 2008)
• Holds Cardinals record for most consecutive strikeouts (7) in a single game (August 23, 2009)
• Only MLB pitcher with more than one postseason stolen base (3)
• Awarded Roberto Clemente Award (2005)

See also[link]

• 3000 strikeout club
• Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders
• List of Major League Baseball strikeout champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions
• List of Major League Baseball saves champions

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Smoltz

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

Jeff Foxworthy
File:Jefffoxworthy2.jpg Foxworthy at the red carpet of the 2007 American Idol season finale
Birth name	Jeffrey Marshall Foxworthy
Born	(1958-09-06) September 6, 1958 (age 53) Hapeville, Georgia, United States medium = Stand-up, television, film, radio
Nationality	American
Years active	1984–present
Genres	Southern comedy, country comedy
Subject(s)	Culture of the Southern United States, everyday life, family, rednecks
Spouse	Pamela Gregg (1985–present) (2 children)
Notable works and roles	The Jeff Foxworthy Show (1995–1997), Blue Collar Comedy Tour (2003–2006), Blue Collar TV (2004–2006), Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (host, 2007–2009)
Signature
Website	http://www.jefffoxworthy.com/

Jeffrey Marshall "Jeff" Foxworthy (born September 6, 1958) is an American comedian, television and radio personality and author. He is a member of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also comprises Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Ron White. Known for his "you might be a redneck" one-liners, Foxworthy has released six major-label comedy albums. His first two albums were each certified 3×multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Foxworthy has also written several books based on his redneck jokes, as well as an autobiography entitled No Shirt, No Shoes... No Problem!.

Foxworthy has also made several ventures into television, first in the mid-1990s as the star of a sitcom called, The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He has also appeared alongside Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy in several Blue Collar television specials, most notably Blue Collar TV. Since 2007, he has been the host of the quiz show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Fox (2007–2009) and syndication (2009–2011). Foxworthy hosted a nationally syndicated radio show called The Foxworthy Countdown from April 1999 to December 2009.

Early life[link]

Foxworthy was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the first child of Jimmy Abstance Foxworthy, an IBM executive, and Carole Linda (Camp) Foxworthy, both of English descent.^[1][2][3] His grandfather, James Marvin Camp, was a fireman in Hapeville for more than 30 years.^[1]

Foxworthy graduated from Hapeville High School. He attended Georgia Tech in Atlanta, but left just before graduating.^[4] He worked for five years in mainframe computer maintenance at IBM (where his father also worked). At the urging of IBM co-workers, he entered and won the Great Southeastern Laugh-off, at Atlanta's Punchline comedy club, in 1984.

Career[link]

Comedy albums[link]

Foxworthy received the award for "Best Stand-Up Comic" at the 1990 American Comedy Awards.^[5]

In 1993, he released You Might Be a Redneck If…, which started the "You Might Be a Redneck" fad, topped the comedy album charts and sold more than three million copies.

His July 1995 release, Games Rednecks Play, received a 1996 Grammy nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album".^[6]

Totally Committed was released in May 1998. In conjunction with the CD was a one-hour HBO stand-up special by the same name. The CD reached "gold" status and received a 1999 Grammy Award nomination.^[7] The video of the song, Totally Committed featured frequent references to then-Atlanta Braves pitcher, Greg Maddux as well as an appearance at the very end by Maddux himself (along with teammate, John Smoltz).

In 2001, he received a nomination for "Best Spoken Comedy Album" at the 43rd Annual Grammys.^{[citation needed]}

Foxworthy hosted Country Weekly's ""TNN Music City News Country Awards" show for 1998, 1999 and 2000.^[8]

Television[link]

In 1995, he starred in The Jeff Foxworthy Show, a sitcom created out of his stand-up comedy persona. It aired on ABC, but was canceled after one season. NBC subsequently picked up the show, but it was again canceled after one season. Foxworthy later remarked that the network did not understand how to properly market his humor; thinking his routine was "too Southern" for a national network ("Has anyone heard me talk?", he commented in one of his stand-up routines), they based the first season of his sitcom in Bloomington, Indiana. The show later aired on Nick at Nite and CMT in 2005 and 2006. He also appeared in Alan Jackson's video for I Don't Even Know Your Name in 1995.

Foxworthy hosted the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? on Fox in prime time. He hosted the syndicated version of the show from September 21, 2009 until its cancellation on March 24, 2011.^[9] In addition, he is a host on The Bucks of Tecomate which airs on Versus with Alabama native David Morris.

Jeff will also be a potential investor on about half of the next edition of the ABC reality series, Shark Tank, where moneyed entrepreneurs decide if they will invest in new products, ideas and the like from those requesting funding in exchange for a percentage of ownership.^[10]

He was the subject of a Comedy Central Roast in 2005.

In March of 2012, GSN announced an upcoming game show based on the Bible, The American Bible Challenge, to which Foxworthy will be host and a producer.^[11]

Blue collar comedy[link]

In the early 2000s, Foxworthy had a career resurgence as a result of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, in which he and three other comedians (Larry the Cable Guy, Ron White, and Bill Engvall), specializing in common-man comedy, toured the country and performed for record crowds. The tour lasted three full years, constantly being extended after an initial run of 20 shows.

In 2004, he launched a new television show called Blue Collar TV on The WB Television Network, Comedy Central, and Comedy Network (2007). He served as executive producer, and starred alongside Blue Collar Comedy Tour-mates Larry the Cable Guy and Bill Engvall. (Ron White turned the show down but made occasional guest appearances). The show was relatively successful compared to the anemic performance of the WB's other sitcoms^{[citation needed]}. On Larry the Cable Guy's website, he posted that the show was canceled on October 17, 2005 by WB. Reruns of Blue Collar TV continued until the network merged with UPN to form The CW.

Jeff resurrected the Blue Collar TV format (albeit with only himself participating along with some of the Blue Collar TV co-hosts) on Country Music Television (CMT) with Foxworthy's Big Night Out. The show began airing in summer 2006 and was cancelled after one season.

Books[link]

Foxworthy has authored several books, including You Might Be a Redneck If... (1989), as well as his autobiography, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem! (1996). Artist Layron DeJarnette provided illustrations for the Redneck Dictionary books. R. David Boyd has been the exclusive illustrator for most of Foxworthy's books and album covers.

He also has released a cookbook entitled The Redneck Grill, co-authored with Newnan, Georgia artist R. David Boyd, and "Redneck Extreme Mobile Home Makeover" (2005), a book with some of his redneck jokes.

His books are:

• Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary: Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2005)
• Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II: More Words You Thought You Knew the Meaning Of (2006)
• Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary III: Learning to Talk More Gooder Fastly (30 Oct 7)
• Rednecks In College

In February 2008, Foxworthy released his first children's book, Dirt On My Shirt. This was followed by Silly Street in 2009 and Hide!!! in 2010, both of which were illustrated by Steve Bjorkman.

In May 2008, Foxworthy released How to Really Stink at Golf, with co-author Brian Hartt and illustrations by Layron DeJarnette. In May 2009 he released How to Really Stink at Work, A Guide to Making Yourself Fire-Proof While Having the Most Fun Possible. This book was also co-authored with Brian Hartt.

Radio work[link]

In April 1999, Foxworthy began The Foxworthy Countdown, a nationally syndicated, weekly radio show, which featured the top 30 country hits of the week, as reported by Mediabase. He received a Country Music Association nomination, in 2001, for "Broadcast Personality of the Year". The program's last broadcast, the 2009 year-end countdown, aired the weekend of December 27, 2009.^[12] Blue Collar Comedy Radio airs on Sirius Satellite Radio channel 97 and is associated with Raw Dog Comedy on Sirius 99.

Outdoor Living[link]

Foxworthy's most recent venture is the creation of Foxworthy Outdoors. Jeff combines his love of family and friends with the great outdoors. From backyard barbecues to wild life management, Foxworthy Outdoors partners with innovative outdoor companies introducing products to enjoy all aspects of outdoor living.

Personal life[link]

Foxworthy met his wife, Pamela Gregg, at the Punchline in Atlanta, GA and they married on September 18, 1985. They have two daughters, Jordan (born in 1992) and Julianne (born in 1994).^[13] A noted hunting enthusiast, beginning when he was a teen hunting on his father's farm property in middle Georgia, Foxworthy has appeared as host and featured guest on several programs on the Outdoor Channel and Versus.^[14] Foxworthy is also a devout Christian, and performed stand-up at a Young Life conference.^[15]

In 2012, Foxworthy endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, explaining, "I avoided politics for 53 years of my life. I have been doing stand-up comedy for almost 30 and never wanted to be political. Selfishly, I wanted to make everyone laugh. But it got to the point that this is too important."^[16]

Discography[link]

Foxworthy has released five comedy albums for Warner Bros. Records as well as one for DreamWorks Records. One of his albums included the novelty Christmas song "Redneck 12 Days of Christmas", which reached number 18 on the Hot Country Songs charts in late 1995-early 1996.

See also[link]

• List of stand-up comedians
• List of game show hosts

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeff Foxworthy

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jeff Foxworthy

• Official website
• Jeff Foxworthy on Myspace
• Jeff Foxworthy at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeff Foxworthy Interview on The Big Idea w/Donny Deutsch
• The Jeff Foxworthy Show on The WB

Albert Pujols
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – No. 5
First baseman
Born: (1980-01-16) January 16, 1980 (age 32) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 2, 2001 for the St. Louis Cardinals
Career statistics (through May 27, 2012)
Batting average	.325
Hits	2,117
Doubles	465
Home runs	452
Runs batted in	1,355
OPS	1.026
Teams
St. Louis Cardinals (2001–2011) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2012–present)
Career highlights and awards
9× All-Star (2001, 2003–2010) 2× World Series champion (2006, 2011) 3× NL MVP (2005, 2008, 2009) 2× NL Hank Aaron Award (2003, 2009) 6× Silver Slugger Award (2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010) 2× Gold Glove Award (2006, 2010) NL Rookie of the Year (2001) 6× NL Player of the Month 11× NL Player of the Week Award NLCS MVP (2004) Roberto Clemente Award (2008) NL Batting champion (2003) NL home run champion (2009, 2010) NL RBI champion (2010)

José Alberto Pujols Alcántara (born January 16, 1980), better known as Albert Pujols (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈalβert puˈxols]), is a Dominican-American professional baseball first baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. Pujols is considered one of the top players in Major League Baseball,^[1][2] and was the most feared hitter in baseball in 2008, according to a poll of all 30 MLB managers.^[3]

During his eleven seasons as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2001, was selected as an All-Star nine times, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times. He has also twice won the National League Hank Aaron Award, and has two World Series rings from the Cardinals' 2006 and 2011 titles.

At the end of the 2011 season, he led all active players in batting average (.328),^[4] slugging percentage (.617),^[5] and OPS (1.037),^[6] and ranked 37th in number of home runs in Major League Baseball history.^[7] He was selected by ESPN.com as the greatest player of the decade from 2000–09.^[8] He stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall, weighs 230 pounds (100 kg), and bats and throws right-handed.

Early life and career[link]

Born on January 16, 1980, Pujols (an only child) was raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, mostly by his grandmother America Pujols and 10 of his uncles and aunts. His father, Bienvenido Pujols, was a softball pitcher, but he was also an alcoholic, and Albert often had to drag him back home from games.^[9] Pujols, his father, and his grandmother immigrated to New York City in 1996, but after Albert witnessed a shooting at a grocery store, they moved to Independence, Missouri, two months later.^[9][10]

At Fort Osage High School, Pujols was named All-State twice for his baseball skill.^[11] As a senior, he was walked 55 times (partly because opposing coaches believed he was older than 18), but he hit 8 home runs in 33 at bats.^[9] After graduating from high school one semester early in December 1998, he was given a baseball scholarship to Maple Woods Community College.^[11] In his only college season, Pujols hit a grand slam and turned an unassisted triple play in his first game.^[12] Playing shortstop, he batted .461 with 22 home runs as a freshman before deciding to enter the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft.^[9]

Professional baseball career[link]

Minor League career[link]

Few teams were interested in Pujols because of uncertainty about his age, which position he would play, and his build.^[9][12] Thus, he was not drafted until the 13th round of the 1999 MLB Draft, when the St. Louis Cardinals selected him with the 402nd overall pick.^[13] Pujols initially turned down a $10,000 bonus and spent the summer playing for the Hays Larks of the Jayhawk Collegiate League; his total of 48 runs batted in (RBI) with the team is still tied for ninth with Tyler Wasserman in Larks' history.^[14] Once the Cardinals increased their bonus offer to $60,000, he signed.^[12]

Pujols began his minor league career in 2000 playing third base with the Peoria Chiefs of the single-A Midwest League. He batted .324 with 128 hits, 32 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, and 84 RBI in 109 games. He finished second in the league in batting (behind Ryan Gripp), tied for ninth in doubles (with Andrew Beattie and Justin Leone), tied for fourth in triples (with six other players), tied for sixth in home runs (with Shawn McCorkle and Lance Burkhart), and sixth in RBI.^[15] He was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and named to the All-Star team.^[16] Pujols also played 21 games with the Potomac Cannons in the high-A Carolina League that year, batting .284 with 23 hits, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, and 10 RBI. He finished the season with the Memphis Redbirds in the AAA Pacific Coast League (PCL), and after appearing in three regular season games with them, he batted .367 in the playoffs and was named the postseason Most Valuable Player (MVP) as the Redbirds won their first PCL title.^[9][17][18]

Major League career[link]

St. Louis Cardinals[link]

2001[link]

During spring training in 2001, Mark McGwire told Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa "If you don't put [Pujols] on the roster for the 2001 season, it might be one of the worst moves you make in your career."^[19] Although they did not have a particular position they needed him at, the Cardinals put Pujols on their Opening Day roster, and he started all season at either third base, right field, left field, or first base.^[20] On Opening Day (April 2), he got his first career hit, a single against Mike Hampton, in an 8–0 loss to the Colorado Rockies.^[21] Four days later, he had three hits and three RBI, including a home run (his first) against Armando Reynoso, as the Cardinals defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 12–9.^[22] In an 11-inning 6–5 loss to the New York Mets on April 28, he his eighth home run of the month against John Franco, which tied a rookie record for home runs in April shared by Kent Hrbek and Carlos Delgado.^[11][23] Pujols won the National League (NL) Rookie of the Month Award in April after he batted .370 with 8 home runs and 27 RBI.^[11][20] He won the Rookie of the Month Award again in May after he batted .333 with 8 home runs and 24 RBI.^[11] At midseason, he became the first Cardinals' rookie since Luis Arroyo in 1955 to make the MLB All-Star Game.^[11] From July 28 to September 22, Pujols had an on-base streak of 48 consecutive games.^[20] He hit a game-winning single on September 17 against Rubén Quevedo in a 2–1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.^[24] The next day, he homered and had five RBI in a 9–4 victory over the Brewers.^[25] Three days later, he had five RBI again and hit his first career grand slam (a game-winner against Omar Olivares) as the Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 9–5.^[26] For his accomplishments, Pujols was named the NL co-Player of the Week along with José Mesa from September 17 to 23.^[11][27] He finished the season batting .329 (sixth in the league) with 194 hits (fifth in the league), 47 doubles (fifth in the league), 37 home runs, and 112 runs. He was named the NL Silver Slugger Award winner for the third base position, and he finished fourth in NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting, behind Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Luis Gonzalez.^[11][28] He was unanimously named the NL Rookie of the Year after setting an NL rookie record with 130 RBI (fifth in the league) and becoming the fourth MLB rookie to hit .300 with 30 home runs, 100 runs, and 100 RBI.^[29]

Pujols reached the playoffs for the first time as the Cardinals won the NL Wild Card in 2001.^[30] In Game 2 of the NL Division Series (NLDS) on October 10, Pujols hit a game-winning two-run home run against Randy Johnson in the Cardinals' 4–1 victory over the Diamondbacks.^[31] However, Pujols had 2 hits in 18 at bats in the series as the Cardinals were eliminated in five games.^[11][32]

2002[link]

In 2002, Pujols spent most of the season in left field.^[33] On June 11, he hit a grand slam against James Baldwin as the Cardinals beat the Seattle Mariners 7–4.^[34] He had a game-winning home run and two RBI against Kevin Jarvis on July 2 as the Cardinals beat the San Diego Padres 3–0.^[35] On July 5, he hit his 20th home run of the season against Odalis Pérez in a 6–5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first player in Cardinals' history to start his career with back-to-back seasons of at least 20 home runs.^[36] Two days later, Pujols had three hits, a game-winning three-run home run against Giovanni Carrara, and four RBI in a 12–6 victory over the Dodgers.^[37] He was named the NL Player of the Week for July 1 through 7 after hitting five home runs and accumulating 12 RBI.^[11][33] On August 27, in a 5–4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, Pujols hit his 30th home run and got his 100th RBI of the season against Brian Moehler, making him the sixth Cardinal to have back-to-back 30 home run seasons and the second Cardinal (the other was Ray Jablonski) to start his career with back-to-back 100 RBI seasons.^[11][38] On September 20, Pujols hit a game-winning two-run single against Pete Munro in a 9–3 victory over the Houston Astros that gave the Cardinals the NL Central title.^[39] Pujols finished the year batting .314 (seventh in the NL) with 185 hits (tied for fourth in the NL with Luis Castillo), 40 doubles (eighth in the NL), 34 home runs (10th in the NL), 118 runs scored (second in the NL to Sosa's 122), and 127 RBI (second in the NL to Lance Berkman's 128).^[40] He became the first player in major league history to hit over .300 with at least 30 home runs, 100 runs scored, and 100 RBI in his first two seasons. Pujols finished second in MVP voting to Bonds, becoming the first Cardinal since Stan Musial to finish in the top four in MVP voting for consecutive seasons.^[11]

In the 2002 NLDS, Pujols had 3 hits and 3 RBI as the Cardinals swept the Diamondbacks. He had 5 hits, 1 home run, and 2 RBI in the 2002 NL Championship Series (NLCS), but the Cardinals lost in five games to the San Francisco Giants.^[41]

2003[link]

Pujols at an All-Star Game

On April 30, 2003, Pujols hit two home runs and had three RBI against Pedro Astacio in a 13–4 victory over the Mets.^[42] Three days later, he hit a game-winning two-run home run against Claudio Vargas in a 3–1 victory over the Montreal Expos.^[43] He was named the NL Player of the Week from April 28 to May 4 after batting .458 with 3 home runs, 11 runs scored, and 8 RBI.^[44] He was named the NL Player of the Month in May after batting .345 with 10 home runs, 25 runs scored, and 26 RBI.^[45] On June 6, he had four hits and four RBI, including a game-winning three-run double against Jorge Julio, as the Cardinals beat the Baltimore Orioles 8–6.^[46] He won the Player of the Month award again in June after hitting .429 with 8 home runs, 29 runs scored, and 28 RBI, becoming the first player to win back-to-back NL Player of the Month awards since McGwire in 1997-98.^[47] Pujols was named to the All-Star Game in 2003 after leading all NL players in votes.^[48] From July 12 to August 16, he had a 30-game hitting streak, tied for the second-longest in Cardinals' history with Musial and behind only Rogers Hornsby's 33-game streak.^[49][50] On July 20, Pujols hit his 100th career home run, a game-winner against Pérez in a 10–7 victory over the Dodgers, becoming the fourth major leaguer to hit his 100th home run in his third season (along with Ralph Kiner, Eddie Matthews, and Joe DiMaggio).^[51] On September 20, Pujols hit a game-winning home run in the 13th inning against Dan Miceli, helping the Cardinals beat the Astros 3–2. The home run was his 114th of his career, which tied him with Kiner for most home runs by a player in his first three seasons.^[52] In 157 games, Pujols hit 43 home runs (fourth in the league, behind Jim Thome, Richie Sexson, and Bonds) and had 124 RBI (tied with Sexson for fourth and behind Preston Wilson, Gary Sheffield, and Thome).^[53] He became the youngest player since Tommy Davis in 1962 to win the NL batting title after batting .359, and he led the league in runs (137), hits (212), and doubles (51).^[11][53][54] Pujols joined Rogers Hornsby as the only players in Cardinals' history to record 40+ homers and 200+ hits in the same season.^[11] He finished second to Bonds again in MVP voting, and he won the Silver Slugger Award.^[55][56] He was also named the Player's Choice Player of the Year (as well as the NL's Most Outstanding Player), and he won the Sporting News Player of the Year Award and the Hank Aaron Award.^[57][50][58]

2004[link]