This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

A rookie is a person in his or her first year of a sport, or someone that is new to a profession, training or activity such as a rookie cop, rookie pilot, a recruit, or occasionally a freshman.

Throughout sports[link]

This section requires expansion.

In some sports there are traditions in which rookies must do things or tricks are played on them. Some examples in baseball include players having to dress up in strange costumes, or getting hit in the face with a cream pie; a traditional rookie's "hazing" procedure in American football involves taping players to a goalpost and dousing them with ice water, Gatorade, and other substances.^[1]

Auto racing[link]

In NASCAR, rookies are denoted by a yellow stripe on the rear bumper of the car that is placed on both sides of the name or symbol of the manufacturer of the car.^{[citation needed]}

Baseball[link]

In order to qualify as a rookie in Major League Baseball, a player has to have had fewer than 130 at bats or 50 innings pitched in the majors, or 45 days on the active rosters of major league clubs (excluding time on the disabled list or any time after rosters are expanded on September 1), in their previous seasons. Major League Baseball awards the best rookie with the Major League Baseball Rookie of the Year Award, as voted upon by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Etymology[link]

Look up rookie in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The Oxford English Dictionary states that the origins are uncertain, but that perhaps it is a corruption of the word recruit. The earliest example from the OED is from Rudyard Kipling's Barrack-Room Ballads (published 1892): So 'ark an' 'eed, you rookies, which is always grumblin' sore, referring to rookies in the sense of raw recruits to the British Army.^[2] At least during the beginning of the 20th century, in the British Army the term "rookie" was typically used in place of "recruit" as exemplified in "Trenching at Gallipoli" by John Gallishaw (New York Century Co.:1916) and in "The Amateur Army" by Patrick MacGill (London,Herbert Jenkins:1915).

See also[link]

• Rookie of the Year (award) – an award given to an athlete following the first year of full competition, for more impressive performance and/or better results than all other rookies that season.
• Novice

References[link]

1. ^ NOTEBOOK: Panthers break camp - CarolinaGrowl.com
2. ^ John Simpson and Edmund Weiner (editors): Oxford English Dictionary, second edition, Clarendon Press, 1989, ISBN 0-19-861186-2.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2011)

James "Jimmy" Samuel Morris, JR (born January 19, 1964) is a retired American professional baseball player known for his brief Major League Baseball (MLB) career.

Early life[link]

He spent most of his childhood moving to different cities. He began playing baseball at the age of three. His father became a recruiter for the United States Navy and his family settled in Texas. He attended Brownwood High School, but as Brownwood did not yet have a baseball program, he played football for the Lions from 1979-82 and won the state championship as a wingback, punter and kicker with Gordon Wood as a head coach. Still, he never gave up on his dreams of becoming a professional baseball player.

Baseball career[link]

Morris was originally selected 465th overall in the January 1982 amateur baseball draft by the New York Yankees but did not sign. He would then later be selected fourth overall in the January 1983 amateur baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed with the organization. He suffered several arm injuries in the minor leagues, and was released during the 1987 season, never having progressed past the single-A minor leagues. He signed with the Chicago White Sox organization for 1989, but was again unable to rise past the single-A leagues

Unable to make anything of his career, Morris retired to become a high school physical science teacher and baseball coach at Reagan County High School in Big Lake, Texas, with his wife Lorri, his 9-year-old son and his five and one-year-old daughters.

While coaching baseball for the Reagan County Owls in the spring of 1999, Morris made a promise to his team that he would try out for Major League Baseball if his team won the District Championship, something the team had never accomplished before. His team won the title, and Morris kept his end of the bargain by attending a Tampa Bay Devil Rays tryout. The scout wasn't interested in Morris, but gave him a tryout solely to let Morris keep his promise to his players. Surprisingly, Morris discovered that in spite of his age, and having several surgeries on his arm, he was able to throw 12 consecutive 98-mph fastballs. After much debate with his family, Morris signed a professional contract with the Devil Rays organization at the age of 35. He started out with the Minor League Double-A Orlando Rays, but after a few appearances he moved up to a spot with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Thanks to solid pitching performances with Durham, Tampa Bay gave him a chance to pitch with the big club when the rosters expanded, and on September 18, 1999, against Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers, the 35-year old Morris made his debut, striking Clayton out on four pitches. His goal of pitching in the majors was finally realized, and he made four more appearances later that year.

Morris made 16 major league appearances in 2000, during which his arm problems recurred. His final appearance came on May 9, 2000, at Yankee Stadium. He entered a tie game in the bottom of the 10th inning with the bases loaded, and issued a game-ending bases-loaded walk to his first batter, Paul O'Neill, after which the Rays released him. He was not the losing pitcher in the game as the runner who scored on the walk was actually put on base by the previous pitcher, who was tagged the loss. Morris never recorded any wins or losses in any of his major league appearances.

Morris was signed in December 2000 to a minor-league contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was released during spring training. At the end of his major league career he was 0-0 with an ERA of 4.80 and 13 strikeouts.^[1][2]

Morris has released an autobiography, The Oldest Rookie. He often appears as a motivational speaker, and currently receives $9000–$15000 for each appearance.^[3][4]

A feature film made by Disney called The Rookie was released in 2002 about Morris's climb to the big leagues. He was portrayed in the film by veteran actor Dennis Quaid.

References[link]

External links[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• Career statistics and player information from ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• [1] Official Jim Morris site
• MLB historical statistics
• Retrosheet statistics
• Retrosheet boxscore of his major league debut

Robert P. Griffin
United States Senator from Michigan
In office May 11, 1966 – January 3, 1979 Serving with Philip A. Hart (1966-1975) and Donald W. Riegle, Jr. (1975-1979)
Preceded by	Patrick V. McNamara
Succeeded by	Carl Levin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th district
In office January 3, 1957 – May 10, 1966
Preceded by	Ruth Thompson
Succeeded by	Guy Vander Jagt
14th Minority Whip of the United States Senate
In office September 7, 1969 – January 3, 1977
Leader	Hugh D. Scott, Jr.
Preceded by	Hugh D. Scott, Jr. (R)
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens (R)
Personal details
Born	(1923-11-06) November 6, 1923 (age 88) Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Alma mater	Central Michigan College University of Michigan Law School
Religion	Congregationalist
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1943–1946
Unit	71st Infantry Division
Battles/wars	World War II

Robert Paul Griffin (born November 6, 1923) was a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan and Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

Griffin was born in Detroit, Michigan and attended public schools in Garden City and Dearborn. During the Second World War, he enlisted in the 71st Infantry Division in 1943 and spent fourteen months in Europe. After the war, he graduated from Central Michigan College (now Central Michigan University) at Mount Pleasant in 1947. He received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1950. He commenced the practice of law in Traverse City.

Griffin was elected as a Republican to U.S. House of Representatives from the Michigan's 9th congressional district in 1956, unseating incumbent Ruth Thompson in the Republican primary. He served in the Eighty-fifth United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1957, until his resignation May 10, 1966. He was appointed by Governor George Romney on May 11, 1966, to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Patrick V. McNamara. He was elected November 8, 1966, to a full six-year term, defeating former Governor Soapy Williams by a 56% to 44% margin, commencing January 3, 1967 and was reelected in 1972, winning a tough race against state Attorney General Frank J. Kelley, and served from May 11, 1966, to January 2, 1979. He was Republican Whip 1969–1977. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1978, narrowly defeated by Democrat Carl Levin. He was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court 1987–1994. His son, Richard Allen Griffin, was a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from 1989 to 2005, until he was appointed by President George W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 2005.

During Griffin's first Senate campaign in 1966, a suburban Detroit rock band, Doug Brown and the Omens, released a promotional flexidisc in support of his candidacy. The song, "Give Bob The Ball" (which extolled Griffin's "youth and experience") has been included on the garage rock compilation album Friday At The Hideout.

Robert Griffin is currently (as of 2010^[update]) a resident of Traverse City.

Bibliography[link]

• Griffin, Robert P. "The Landrum-Griffin Act: Twelve Years of Experience in Protecting Employee Rights." Georgia Law Review 5 (summer 1971): 622–42
• Griffin, Robert P. "Rules and Procedure of the Standing Committees." In We Propose: A Modern Congress, edited by Mary McInnis, pp. 37–53. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1966.

External links[link]

• Presentation of the Portrait of the Honorable Robert P. Griffin
• Robert P. Griffin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

v t e United States Senate Minority Whips Wadsworth • Curtis • Gerry • Sheppard • Hebert • Wherry • Lucas • Saltonstall • Clements • Saltonstall • Dirksen • Kuchel • Scott • Griffin • Stevens • Cranston • Simpson • Ford • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Nickles • Reid • Durbin • Lott • Kyl

v t e United States Senators from Michigan Class 1 Lyon Porter Cass Fitzgerald Cass Chandler Christiancy Chandler Baldwin Conger Stockbridge Patton Burrows Townsend Ferris Vandenberg Moody Potter Hart Riegle Abraham Stabenow Class 2 Norvell Woodbridge Felch Stuart Bingham Howard Ferry Palmer McMillan Alger Smith Newberry Couzens Brown Ferguson McNamara Griffin Levin

Trent Richardson

Richardson rushing towards the end zone in the 2011 season opener vs. Kent State.
No. 33     Cleveland Browns
Running Back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1991-07-10) July 10, 1991 (age 20)
Place of birth: Pensacola, Florida
Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Weight: 228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school: Pensacola (FL) Escambia
College: Alabama
NFL Draft: 2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
Cleveland Browns (2012–present)
Roster status: Unsigned draft pick
Career highlights and awards
BCS National Championship (2010, 2012) Unanimous All-American (2011) Doak Walker Award (2011) SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2011) First-team All-SEC (2010, 2011) SEC Championship (2009) SEC All-Freshman Team (2009)
Career NFL statistics as of 2012
Rushing Yards 0 Rushing Average 0.0 Rushing TDs 0 Stats at NFL.com

Trent Richardson (born July 10, 1991) is an American football running back for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. The Cleveland Browns traded up one spot to select him with the third overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.^[1] He has been dubbed perhaps the best running back out of the college ranks since Adrian Peterson.^[2][3]

Early years[link]

Richardson was born in Pensacola, Florida. He attended Escambia High School in Pensacola, where he finished his senior season with 2,090 yards on 228 carries scoring 25 touchdowns. In a game against Milton High School in September 2008, Richardson rushed for 419 yards on 29 carries and scored six touchdowns, a performance that earned him a selection as the first ESPN RISE National Football Player of the Week.^[4]

As a junior, Richardson also reached the 400-yard plateau, as he ran for 407 yards in his opening game against Tate High School. He finished his junior season (8 games) with 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns, and received FSWA All-State 5A second team honors. He sat out his sophomore year due to an injury.

He made the FSWA 5A All-State First Team as a senior, and was named 5A Florida Player of the Year and a finalist for the 2008 Mr. Football. Richardson also received consensus All-American honors and was named to the Orlando Sentinel′s All Southern Team (Florida).

Richardson is frequently compared to Emmitt Smith, who also starred at Escambia (1987 graduate), but his physique and running style are more similar to Earl Campbell.^[5] Richardson also drew comparisons to Michael Turner and O.J. Simpson.^[6] Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Richardson was listed as the No. 2 running back prospect in the nation (behind only Bryce Brown).^[7] He chose Alabama over Florida, Florida State, and LSU, among others.

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Trent Richardson RB	Pensacola, Florida	Escambia HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.5	Jun 2, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 2 (RB)   Rivals: 2 (RB)  ESPN: 1 (RB)
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Alabama Football Commitments". Rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/commitments/2009/alabama-73. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "2009 Alabama Football Commits". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=14&p=9&c=8&yr=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "ESPN". ESPN.com. http://espn.go.com/college-football/recruiting/school/_/id/333/class/2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=14&p=9&c=14&yr=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.  "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. http://www.rivals.com/TeamRank.asp?type=0&sort=0&year=2009. Retrieved 2011-12-13.

College career[link]

2009[link]

In his first year at Alabama, Richardson stepped in quickly for the departed Glen Coffee, and shared time at the tailback position with Roy Upchurch and Mark Ingram, Jr.^[8] When recruited, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban called Richardson, "the real key to the class," and "an outstanding player at a position that a young player can contribute next year."^[9]

Richardson was named SEC Freshman of the Week for Week 2 ^[10] and Week 4.^[11] Richardson was also named to the 2009 SEC All-Freshman team alongside Barrett Jones and Nico Johnson.^[12] He also contributed significantly in the 2010 BCS National Championship with 109 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns.^[13] For the season he had 145 carries for 751 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns.^[14] He also had 126 yards receiving on the season.^[14]

2010[link]

Richardson started the first two games of the season with Mark Ingram sitting out due to an injury. In the season opener, he had 10 carries for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 3 receptions for 46 yards. The following week against Penn State, he ran for a career-high 144 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. He also had 4 catches for 46 yards. Trent was named Co-SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.^[15]

For the season he had 112 carries for 700 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns and 266 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns.^[16] Richardson also has 634 kick return yards with a touchdown.^[16]

2011[link]

With the departure of Mark Ingram to the NFL, Richardson took over the starting role at running back. During the season Trent ran for over 100 yards in nine games. He tied Shaun Alexander with six consecutive 100 yard rushing games. He scored two or more touchdowns in seven games. He set a career high against Ole Miss running for 183 yards and four touchdowns. In the Iron Bowl, Trent ran for a new career high of 203 yards. He won the Doak Walker Award becoming the first player from Alabama to win.^[17] He finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting behind eventual winner Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck.^[18] In the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, Richardson rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown to secure his second national championship with the Crimson Tide.^[19]

For the season Trent had 1,679 rushing yards, breaking Mark Ingram's record for most rushing yards in a season, and 21 touchdowns.^[20] He also had 338 receiving yards with three touchdowns.^[20] On January 12, 2012, Richardson declared for the 2012 NFL Draft, thus forgoing his final year of collegiate eligibility.^[21] At the time of his announcement, he was projected as a first round pick and the top running back prospect in the draft.^[21]

College career statistics[link]

Professional career[link]

2012 NFL Draft[link]

Entering his junior season, Richardson was consensually regarded as the best running back available in the 2012 NFL Draft, projected to go as high as the No. 4 pick.^[22][23][24] His strong performance on the field, replacing Mark Ingram, solidified his status. In October 2011, Sports Illustrated′s Tony Pauline ranked him as the No. 3 prospect on his midseason draft board, noting his "outstanding combination of quickness, power and speed."^[25] After undergoing a minor knee surgery in February 2012, Richardson did not participate in drills at the 2012 NFL Combine.^[26] He later also decided to skip workouts at the Alabama Pro Day on March 7.^[27] Richardson held his own Pro Day on March 27.^[28]

In March 2012, Richardson was widely projected to be a top-6 draft choice,^[30][31][32] with the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and St. Louis Rams rumored to be most interested in selecting him.^[33][34] Former Colts vice chairman Bill Polian called one of the "three sure-thing players" in the 2012 draft.^[35]

Richardson was eventually selected third overall by the Cleveland Browns, after they had traded picks with the Minnesota Vikings to prevent the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from doing the same transaction. Richardson is the highest selected running back since Reggie Bush in 2006.

Personal[link]

Richardson has two daughters who are three and five years old.^[36]

On April 13, 2012, he took leukemia survivor Courtney Alvis to her senior prom at Hueytown High School.^[37]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Cleveland Browns bio
• Alabama Crimson Tide bio
• Highlights of Trent Richardson by Takkle on YouTube