Magglio Ordóñez
Ordóñez with the Tigers in 2008
Right fielder
Born: (1974-01-28) January 28, 1974 (age 38) Caracas, Venezuela
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
August 29, 1997 for the Chicago White Sox
Last MLB appearance
September 27, 2011 for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics
Batting average	.309
Hits	2,156
Home runs	294
Runs batted in	1,236
Teams
Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) Detroit Tigers (2005–2011)
Career highlights and awards
6× All-Star (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007) 3× Silver Slugger Award winner (2000, 2002, 2007) 2007 AL batting title

Magglio José Ordóñez Delgado ( /ɔrˈdoʊnjɛz/; born January 28, 1974) is a former Venezuelan Major League Baseball right fielder. He has played for the Chicago White Sox (1997–2004) and Detroit Tigers (2005–2011). Ordóñez is 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighs 215 lb (98 kg).

Professional career[link]

In a 15-year major league career (through the end of the 2011 season), Ordóñez was a .309 hitter with 294 home runs and 1,236 RBIs in 1,848 games. He has been selected for the All-Star Game six times (1999–2001, 2003, and 2006–07) and has won three Silver Slugger awards (2000, 2002, and 2007). In 2007, he won the American League batting title with an average of .363. He also established a career high with 139 runs batted in, and finished runner-up to Alex Rodriguez in the AL Most Valuable Player award voting.

Chicago White Sox (1997–2004)[link]

Ordóñez spent the first eight years of his major league career playing with the Chicago White Sox. In the five seasons prior to 2004, Ordóñez hit at least .300 with 29 home runs and 99 RBI, and reached the 30-home run, 100-RBI plateau in four of those seasons. He also collected over 70 extra-base hits from 2001 to 2003, but a collision with second baseman Willie Harris on Omar Vizquel's popup to right field during a May 19, 2004 game against the Cleveland Indians, cost him two trips to the disabled list and two surgeries on his left knee. He finished with .292, 9 home runs, and 37 RBI in 52 games.

Detroit Tigers (2005–2011)[link]

Ordóñez in May 2010

Ordóñez signed with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent on February 7, 2005. His five-year, $85 million contract was the second largest the Tigers had ever paid a player. Because of Ordóñez's knee injury from the 2004 season, the contract included a clause stating that if he were to spend more than 25 days on the disabled list due to the same injury, the contract could be bought out for $3 million at the discretion of the Tigers' management.

After he signed with Detroit, a minor war of words occurred between Ordóñez and Ozzie Guillén, his former manager and teammate in Chicago.^[1] Their apparent mutual dislike for each other was a contributing factor to Ordóñez's departure from the White Sox. However, the rivalry appears to have cooled, as Guillén actually requested Ordóñez for the 2006 All-Star Game.

In 2005, Ordóñez's first season for Detroit, he strained an abdominal muscle during the first week of the season and spent the next three months on the disabled list, as the strain turned out to be a hernia. This caused him to rest after corrective surgery for two months following the injury, after which he began a rehabilitation assignment at the Tigers' AAA minor league team in Toledo. He returned to the Tigers' lineup in early July, and once again became a star by hitting consistently over .300 while batting clean-up.

In 2006, Ordóñez returned to the All-Star form. He was selected to the 2006 All-Star game as an injury replacement for Red Sox OF Manny Ramírez. At the All-Star break, Ordóñez was hitting .312 with 16 HR and 62 RBI, and was a mainstay for a Tigers team that was a major-league best 59–29 at the break.

On October 14, 2006, Ordóñez completed the Tigers' sweep of the ALCS with a three-run homer against Huston Street of the Oakland Athletics, with two outs on a 1–0 count in the bottom of the 9th, the 8th time in MLB history that a post-season series has ended with a home run. The win sent the Tigers to their first World Series appearance since 1984. Coincidentally, it also happened 22 years to the day from when the Tigers won the World Series in that year.

Ordóñez had the best season of his career in 2007. His .363 batting average, 28 home runs and 139 RBIs can be considered the second-best season by a Detroit Tiger batter in the past 60 years (with Norm Cash's .361-41-132 performance in 1961 being the best). Magglio's records and accomplishments in 2007 include:

• His .363 batting average was the highest in Major League Baseball. He finished the season as the AL batting champion, and was the first Tiger player to accomplish the feat since Norm Cash in 1961. The last Tiger to hit for a higher average was Charlie Gehringer in 1937.
• His 54 doubles was the most in Major League Baseball. It was the most by a Tiger since George Kell hit 56 in 1950.
• His 139 RBIs was the highest by a Tiger since Rocky Colavito had 140 in 1961. Colavito is the only Tiger batter with more RBIs than Ordóñez in the past 60 years.
• On August 12, 2007, Ordóñez hit two home runs in an eight-run second-inning of an 11–6 win over the Oakland Athletics, becoming the second batter in Tigers' history to achieve this feat; Al Kaline had done so on April 17, 1955 in a 16–0 win over the then-Kansas City Athletics.
• Ordóñez had an on base percentage of .434; only two other Tiger batters in the past 60 years have hit for a higher on base percentage: Tony Phillips in 1993 (.443) and Norm Cash in 1961 (.487).
• Only one Tiger in the past 60 years has had a higher slugging percentage than Magglio's .595: Norm Cash in 1961 had a slugging percentage of .662.

On April 29, 2010, Ordóñez got his 2000th career hit against the Minnesota Twins' Carl Pavano.^[2] On July 24 Ordóñez hurt his ankle sliding into home. X-rays revealed a fracture that was expected to heal in six to eight weeks, but some weeks after the injury it was reported Magglio would miss the rest of the season.^[3] Following the season, the Tigers declined Ordóñez's $15 million option for 2011.^[4]

On December 16, 2010, the Tigers re-signed Ordóñez to a 1-year, $10 million contract.^[5]

On October 8, 2011 during a playoff game with the Texas Rangers, Ordóñez re-fractured the ankle that he had fractured in 2010, he was then ruled out for the rest of the 2011 postseason.

On November 1, 2011, Tigers general manager David Dombrowski announced that the Tigers would "most likely" not offer Ordóñez a contract for the 2012 season, which makes Ordóñez a free agent.^[6] On May 29, 2012 it was reported that Ordonez would announce his retirement within the week.^[7]

Nicknames and family[link]

In Detroit's Comerica Park, some Tiger fans sported curly black wigs underneath their baseball caps in support of their long-haired right fielder. This ended in mid-2009 when he cut his hair. He is also sometimes referred to affectionately as "Maggs". In mid-2006, a group of bloggers began referring to Magglio as "The Big Tilde". This nickname has been referenced on Deadspin, MLB.com, and during a Fox Sports broadcast.^[8]

Magglio has three children: son, Magglio Jr. and daughters, Maggliana and Sophia. His wife's name is Dagly.

Political views[link]

Ordóñez is a supporter of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and in early 2009 appeared in a televised political ad which assured the Venezuelan people that "the best of the revolution is yet to come."^[9] As a result, during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Ordóñez was booed by anti-Chávez Venezuelan fans, during his at bats, and while he was on the field.^[10]

See also[link]

	Baseball portal
	Venezuela portal

• List of Major League Baseball batting champions
• List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
• List of Major League Baseball players with 2000 hits

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Magglio Ordóñez

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

Pastor Maldonado

Maldonado at the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.
Born	(1985-03-10) 10 March 1985 (age 27) Maracay, Venezuela
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Venezuelan
2012 team	Williams-Renault
2012 car #	18
Races	25
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	1
Career points	30
Pole positions	1
Fastest laps	0
First race	2011 Australian Grand Prix
First win	2012 Spanish Grand Prix
Last win	2012 Spanish Grand Prix
Last race	2012 Monaco Grand Prix
2011 position	19th (1 pt)

Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (born March 10, 1985 in Maracay^[1]) is a Venezuelan Formula One driver, currently with the Williams team. Before making his Formula One debut in 2011, he won the 2010 GP2 championship. He became the first Venezuelan to win a Formula One Grand Prix when he won the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix from his first pole position.^[2]

Career[link]

Formula Renault[link]

Maldonado's first experience of formula racing began in Italy in 2003. He competed in the Italian Formula Renault Championship with Cram Competition, and was classified seventh in the drivers' championship. His notable results included three podium finishes and one pole position.^[3] Cram Competition also entered one round of the German Formula Renault Championship at Oschersleben.^[4]

In 2004, Maldonado ran a dual programme in Italian and European Formula Renault with Cram Competition. He won the Italian title, with eight wins and six pole positions from seventeen starts.^[5] In the European championship, he was classified eighth overall, with two wins.^[6] Maldonado also found the time to enter one round of the now defunct Formula Renault V6 Eurocup at Spa-Francorchamps, with a best finish of fifth place.^[7]

In November 2004, Maldonado was given an opportunity to test with the Minardi Formula One team at Misano in Italy.^[8] The team's former owner, Giancarlo Minardi, was present at the test and commented positively about Maldonado's performance.^[9]

Italian F3000[link]

In 2005, Maldonado progressed out of Formula Renault, but did not get the opportunity to complete a full season in any one series. He made four starts in the Italian F3000 Championship with Sighinolfi Auto Racing, in which one race win was enough to finish ninth overall.^[10] He also entered nine races (and made seven starts) in the Spanish-based World Series by Renault, with a best finish of seventh.^[11] However, his participation in the WSR was marred by a four-race ban for dangerous driving. He failed to slow down at the scene of an accident at Monaco, despite the presence of warning flags, and struck and seriously injured a marshal.^[12]

Formula Renault 3.5[link]

Maldonado secured a full-time drive in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series with Draco Racing in 2006. He was classified third overall, with three race wins, six further podium finishes, and five pole positions.^[13][14]

Controversy[link]

However, in a season that was marked by controversy, Maldonado could have won the title were it not for a disqualification from first place at Misano for a technical infringement.^[15] Draco Racing lodged an appeal and the results of the championship remained provisional until Italy's National Court of Appeal for Motorsport upheld the stewards' decision at a hearing in January 2007.^[16] The lost fifteen points would have been enough to move him up from third to first in the standings, ahead of Alx Danielsson and Borja García.

GP2 Series[link]

Maldonado driving for ART Grand Prix at the Turkish round of the 2009 GP2 Series season.

Maldonado's performances in FR3.5 were enough to attract the interest of GP2 teams, and he signed a contract to drive for Trident Racing in 2007 after a successful test in late 2006.^[17] He took his first victory in only his fourth race in the series with a commanding win at Monaco. However, he had to miss the final four rounds of the season after breaking a collarbone during training, leaving him outside the championship top 10.^[18] He moved to the Piquet Sports team for 2008, his second year in the series. At midseason he had two poles and two podiums. He had a farcical sprint race in the wet at Silverstone – he stalled on the dummy grid, picked up a penalty for speeding in the pitlane as he joined the race, another penalty for passing under yellow flags, and crashed into Adrián Vallés and Kamui Kobayashi on the final lap. He started at the back of the grid for the Hungary feature race, but he moved up to finish fifth after staying out for longer than any other driver, and setting a succession of quick laps on these worn tyres. Four podium finishes—including a win at Spa—in the final six races saw him rise to fifth place in the drivers' championship by the end of the season.

He signed to drive for the ART Grand Prix team during the 2009 season.^[19] As part of the deal, he also joined the team for three rounds of the 2008–09 GP2 Asia Series season.^[20] Maldonado was often overshadowed by team-mate and 2009 champion Nico Hülkenberg, but Maldonado still finished sixth overall, helping ART to the teams title.

He competed in the first round of the 2009 Euroseries 3000 season at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve to gain experience of the track for the GP2 Series finale. Maldonado won the first race, having started from second position.^[21]

Maldonado drove for the Rapax Team in the 2010 GP2 Series season alongside Luiz Razia. He clinched the Championship in the penultimate event at Monza.

Formula One[link]

Williams (2011–)[link]

Maldonado was a target for a Campos Meta seat in 2010. Campos team principal Adrian Campos said that Bruno Senna's team mate could be Pedro de la Rosa, Vitaly Petrov or Maldonado, but the team's financial problems and change of ownership changed the situation, and Karun Chandhok got the drive.^{[citation needed]} It was then reported that Maldonado was close to signing a deal to be test and reserve driver for the Stefan Grand Prix team, which attempted to compete in the 2010 season following the withdrawal of the US F1 Team, which left a theoretical space for another new team.^[22] Stefan was barred from competing in the 2010 season.

Towards the end of the 2010 season, Maldonado was linked to the Williams team for 2011, replacing former GP2 team-mate Nico Hülkenberg alongside Rubens Barrichello. He took part in the end-of-season young driver test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, driving for Williams and Hispania Racing (the rebranded Campos team). On November 15, Williams confirmed that Hülkenberg had been dropped from the team's 2011 line-up, and Maldonado was duly announced as his replacement on December 1.^[23][24] In addition to his on-track record, Maldonado also brings sponsorship from the Venezuelan government (through the state-owned PDVSA oil company) to the team.^[25]

2011[link]

Maldonado driving for Williams at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Maldonado retired from his first race, the Australian Grand Prix, due to transmission problems. In the Malaysian Grand Prix, he failed to reach Q2 in qualifying and again dropped out of the race. He recorded his first finish in China, in 18th place. At the Spanish Grand Prix he reached Q3 for the first time, eventually qualifying in ninth position for the race. He made it into Q3 again in Monaco, qualifying eighth, and in the race was lying sixth with five laps remaining, when he collided with Lewis Hamilton, taking him out of the race. He then spun out of a very wet race in Canada. He then continued to have impressive qualifying pace with poor race pace at Britain, Germany, and Hungary, including a drive-through penalty at the latter for speeding in the pit lane. At the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa in qualifying, Maldonado was involved in an incident with Lewis Hamilton on an in-lap after Hamilton squeezed by him when both were on a hot lap. Maldonado appeared to swipe across Hamilton as they headed down to Eau Rouge. Maldonado received a five-place grid penalty for his actions and Hamilton a reprimand. But in the race he scored his first point in Formula One with a 10th place finish. Maldonado did not score any more points for the rest of the season, nor did he reach Q3 for the rest of the season. His poor end to the season was magnified in Abu Dhabi; where he qualified 17th and started 23rd (after a 10-place grid penalty for using a 9th engine), and served a drive-through, and later a 30-second time penalty after the race, both for ignoring blue flags.

Maldonado finished 19th in the Drivers' Championship and on 1 December 2011, it was confirmed that he would be retained by Williams for the 2012 season.^[26]

2012[link]

Maldonado driving for Williams at the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix.

Maldonado began the 2012 season alongside fellow South American racer, Bruno Senna, for Williams. He started the season with promising pace, qualifying eighth for the Australian Grand Prix. In the race, he was running strongly until he crashed out on the final lap, fighting with Fernando Alonso for fifth position. In the Malaysian Grand Prix, Maldonado retired in the closing stages of the race while running in the points. He scored his first points of the season by finishing eighth in China. A puncture ended his race in Bahrain, after he qualified in seventeenth position. At the Spanish Grand Prix, Maldonado qualified second, next to Lewis Hamilton on the front row of the grid after strong pace from his Williams car during the race weekend. Maldonado was later promoted to his first pole position in his Formula One career after Hamilton was excluded from the results of qualifying, due to having insufficient fuel in his car.^[27] Maldonado was beaten to the first corner by Fernando Alonso, but regained the lead after the second round of pit stops. Maldonado held his lead after the third pit-stop phase, and held off Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen to win, becoming the first Venezuelan driver to finish on a Grand Prix podium in the process.^[28] During post-race celebrations, a fire engulfed the Williams pit, and Maldonado was seen carrying his cousin to safety.^[29] At Monaco, he received a 10-place grid penalty for causing an avoidable collision with Sergio Pérez during a practice session and an additional five-place penalty for a gearbox change, meaning he started 24th on the grid. He retired due to an accident at the start of the race, when he ran into the back of Pedro de la Rosa's HRT who also retired with rear wing damage.

Racing record[link]

Complete GP2 Series results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete GP2 Asia Series results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula One results[link]

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

^† Did not finish, but was classified as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance.
^* Season in progress.

Politics[link]

Maldonado is an outspoken political figure, which is rare in the racing world. He considers himself a socialist and is a friend of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez.^[30]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pastor Maldonado

• Official site
• Pastor Maldonado on Twitter
• Pastor Maldonado at the Internet Movie Database

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Todd Jones
Pitcher
Born: (1968-04-24) April 24, 1968 (age 44) Marietta, Georgia
Batted: Left	Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 7, 1993 for the Houston Astros
Last MLB appearance
August 15, 2008 for the Detroit Tigers
Career statistics
Games pitched	982
Win–loss record	58–63
Earned run average	3.97
Strikeouts	868
Saves	319
Teams
Houston Astros (1993–1996) Detroit Tigers (1997–2001) Minnesota Twins (2001) Colorado Rockies (2002–2003) Boston Red Sox (2003) Cincinnati Reds (2004) Philadelphia Phillies (2004) Florida Marlins (2005) Detroit Tigers (2006–2008)
Career highlights and awards
All-Star selection (2000) 2000 AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year

Todd Barton Jones (born April 24, 1968 in Marietta, Georgia) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was an effective middle reliever for a variety of teams, and he had an up-and-down career as a closer.^{[citation needed]} On September 16, 2007, Jones became the 21st member of the 300-save club and later ended his career as the Detroit Tigers' all-time leader in saves.

Baseball career[link]

Jones graduated from Osborne High School in Marietta, Georgia and attended Jacksonville State University in Alabama. He was drafted by the Houston Astros in the first round of 1989 Major League Baseball Draft and made his major league debut during the 1993 season.

Initially used mainly as a setup man, Jones soon became a closer for the Astros. His best years came with the Detroit Tigers from 1997–2001, when he logged 142 saves. On April 22, 1999, Jones earned career save number 100.^[1] On September 27, 1999, Jones threw the last official pitch at Tiger Stadium, striking out Carlos Beltran as the Tigers defeated the Kansas City Royals 8–2.^[2][3]

While playing for the Colorado Rockies in April 2003, Jones made remarks criticized as anti-gay comments during a discussion of the play Take Me Out. Jones publicly apologized, but did not retract his comments.^[4]

Jones signed a one-year contract with the Florida Marlins during the 2004 offseason. After an injury to incumbent closer Guillermo Mota, Jones took on the role for the first time since being traded to the Minnesota Twins in 2001. He finished the 2005 season with a 2.10 ERA and 40 saves. On December 8, 2005, Jones signed a two-year contract to return to the Tigers. In 2006, he also participated in the inaugural World Baseball Classic.

Jones was a finesse pitcher and showed good durability. He threw a low-90s fastball as his main pitch, usually aiming for contact. In every year from the strike-shortened 1994 season to 2007, he pitched in at least 51 games. On May 21, 2006, he became the Detroit Tigers' all-time leader in saves, passing Mike Henneman.^[5] On July 27, 2008, Jones lost the closer role to Fernando Rodney. On September 25, 2008, Jones announced his retirement from Major League Baseball.^[6]

Personal[link]

Jones is a devout Christian, and is known for using Contemporary Christian music when entering from the bullpen. During the 2006 playoffs, he entered to "Last One Standing" by MercyMe.^[7]

Since 2002, Jones has been writing a weekly column, "The Closer," for The Sporting News and Jones was on the cover of the baseball preview issue with the caption "Don't Tell columnist Todd Jones but (Beware of The Tigers)".

Jones currently resides in Pell City, Alabama with his wife Michelle and his son Alex (born 10-7-94) and daughter Abby (born 5-22-97). He currently works as an adviser for the local high school and middle school boys baseball teams. He is active in the community as a fundraiser for several charities.

Awards and accomplishments[link]

• All-Star (2000)
• AL Relief Man of the Year (2000)
• Led American League in saves (42 in 2000), which also established a Detroit Tigers' single-season record. The record stood until 2011, when it was broken by Jose Valverde.
• Along with Juan Rincón, led MLB with 11 relief wins (2004)
• Leads Florida Marlins in consecutive saves (27, 2005)
• Ranks 14th in all-time saves (318)
• Made first World Series appearance in second stint with Tigers (2006)
• Appeared on the cover of The Sporting News (March/April 2007)

See also[link]

Baseball portal

• Best pitching seasons by a Detroit Tiger
• List of Major League Baseball saves champions
• List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

References[link]

External links[link]

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Column at SportingNews.com