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- 1976 World Series
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- 500 home run club
- Adrian Gonzalez
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Baltimore
Baltimore (
/ˈbɒltɨmɔr/, colloquially /ˈbɔl.mɔr/) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is located in the central area of the state along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The independent city is often referred to as Baltimore City to distinguish it from surrounding Baltimore County.
Founded in 1729, Baltimore is the largest seaport in the Mid-Atlantic United States and is situated closer to Midwestern markets than any other major seaport on the East Coast. Baltimore's Inner Harbor was once the second leading port of entry for immigrants to the United States and a major manufacturing center. After a decline in manufacturing, Baltimore shifted to a service-oriented economy.
At 620,961 residents in 2010, Baltimore's population has decreased by one-third since its peak in 1950. The Baltimore Metropolitan Area has grown steadily to approximately 2.7 million residents in 2010; the 20th largest in the country. Baltimore is also a principal city in the larger Baltimore–Washington combined statistical area of approximately 8.4 million residents.
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Cincinnati
Cincinnati (pronounced /sɪnsɨˈnæti/) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. Settled in 1788, the city is located north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits was 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's third-largest city. According to the 2011 Census Bureau estimate, the Cincinnati metropolitan area had a population of 2,138,038, the 27th most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in the United States, and the most populous in Ohio. Residents of Cincinnati are called Cincinnatians.
In the early 19th century, Cincinnati was the first American boomtown in the heart of the country to rival the larger coastal cities in size and wealth. As the first major inland city in the country, it is sometimes thought of as the first purely American city. It developed initially without as much recent European immigration or influence as took place in eastern cities. However, by the end of the 19th century, with the shift from steamboats to railroads, Cincinnati's growth had slowed considerably and the city became surpassed in population and prominence by another inland city, Chicago.
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Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, (
i/ˈkjuːbə/; Spanish: República de Cuba, pronounced: [reˈpuβlika ðe ˈkuβa] (
listen)) is an island country in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. To the north of Cuba lies the United States (140 km or 90 mi away) and the Bahamas, Mexico is to the west, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica are to the south, and Haiti and the Dominican Republic are to the southeast.
In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on and claimed the island now occupied by Cuba, for the Kingdom of Spain. Cuba remained a territory of Spain until the Spanish–American War ended in 1898, and gained formal independence from the U.S. in 1902. A fragile democracy, increasingly dominated by radical politics eventually evolved, solidified by the Cuban Constitution of 1940, but was definitely quashed in 1952 by former president Fulgencio Batista, and an authoritarian regime was set up, intensifying and catalyzing already rampant corruption, political repression and crippling economic regulations.Batista was ousted in January 1959 by the July 26 movement, and a new administration under Fidel Castro established, which had by 1965 evolved into a single-party state under the revived Communist Party of Cuba, which holds power to date.
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Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic (i/dəˌmɪnɨkən rɨˈpʌblɪk/; Spanish: República Dominicana [reˈpuβlika ðominiˈkana]) is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries. Both by area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation (after Cuba), with 48,442 square kilometres (18,704 sq mi) and an estimated 10 million people.
Taínos inhabited what is now the Dominican Republic since the 7th century. Christopher Columbus landed on it in 1492, and it became the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, namely Santo Domingo, the country's capital and Spain's first capital in the New World. Santo Domingo can boast of many firsts in the Americas, including the first cathedral, and castle, both in the Ciudad Colonial area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Eutaw Street
Eutaw Street is a major street in Baltimore, Maryland, mostly within the downtown area. Outside of downtown, it is mostly known as Eutaw Place.
The south end of Eutaw Street is at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. After this point, the street continues as a pedestrian walkway inside the stadium. A sign above this entrance is marked "Eutaw Street."
Eutaw Street is famously known as the location of Lexington Market.
The north end of Eutaw Street is at Dolphin Street. The street continues past this point under the name Eutaw Place through the communities of Bolton Hill and Reservoir Hill, and ends at Druid Park Lake Drive. Eutaw Street is prefixed with North or South depending on whether it is north or south of Baltimore Street. Eutaw Place does not have such a directional designation.
Eutaw Place was called Gibson Street until 1853. This area was known as a home to the wealthy.
Some major city landmarks are located on or near Eutaw Street. These include:
The Baltimore Metro Subway runs below a large part of Eutaw Street. Two of its stations, State Center and Lexington Market, are located along Eutaw Street.
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Japan
Japan
i/dʒəˈpæn/ (Japanese: 日本 Nihon or Nippon; formally 日本国 
Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku, literally the State of Japan) is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. The characters that make up Japan's name mean "sun-origin", which is why Japan is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Rising Sun".
Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands. The four largest islands are Honshū, Hokkaidō, Kyūshū and Shikoku, together accounting for ninety-seven percent of Japan's land area. Japan has the world's tenth-largest population, with over 127 million people. The Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the de facto capital city of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metropolitan area in the world, with over 30 million residents.
Archaeological research indicates that people lived in Japan as early as the Upper Paleolithic period. The first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other nations followed by long periods of isolation has characterized Japan's history. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War I allowed Japan to expand its empire during a period of increasing militarism. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Since adopting its revised constitution in 1947, Japan has maintained a unitary constitutional monarchy with an emperor and an elected parliament called the Diet.
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Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( /ˈnaɪkiː/; NYSE: NKE) is a major publicly traded clothing, footwear, sportswear, and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$18.6 billion in its fiscal year 2008 (ending May 31, 2008). As of 2008, it employed more than 30,000 people worldwide. Nike and Precision Castparts are the only Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state of Oregon, according to The Oregonian.
The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1978. The company takes its name from Nike (Greek Νίκη, pronounced [nǐːkɛː]), the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand, as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding, and subsidiaries including Cole Haan, Hurley International, Umbro and Converse. Nike also owned Bauer Hockey (later renamed Nike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of "Just do it" and the Swoosh logo.
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Ohio
Ohio (i/oʊˈhaɪ.oʊ/) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Ohio is the 34th most extensive, the 7th most populous, and the 10th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's capital and largest city is Columbus.
The name "Ohio" originated from Iroquois word ohi-yo’, meaning "great river". The state, originally partitioned from the Northwest Territory, was admitted to the Union as the 17th state (and the first under the Northwest Ordinance) on March 1, 1803. Although there are conflicting narratives regarding the origin of the nickname, Ohio is historically known as the "Buckeye State" (relating to the Ohio buckeye tree) and Ohioans are also known as "Buckeyes".
The government of Ohio is composed of the executive branch, led by the Governor; the legislative branch, which comprises the Ohio General Assembly; and the judicial branch, which is led by the Supreme Court. Currently, Ohio occupies 18 seats in the United States House of Representatives. Ohio is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections.
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Orlando, Florida
Orlando (/ɔrˈlændoʊ/) is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States. The Greater Orlando metropolitan area has a population of 2,134,411, making it the 26th largest metro area in the United States, the sixth largest metro area in the Southeastern United States, and the third largest metro area in Florida. Orlando is the fifth largest city in Florida, and the state's largest inland city.
Orlando is nicknamed "The City Beautiful" and its symbol is the fountain at Lake Eola. The current mayor is Buddy Dyer. The city is best known for the Walt Disney World Resort (located approximately 21 miles (34 km) southwest of Downtown Orlando in Lake Buena Vista), founded by the Walt Disney Company in 1971, and for the Universal Orlando Resort (which consists of two parks, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, as well as other attractions, including City Walk). Orlando is also home to the SeaWorld theme park, Gatorland, as well as Wet 'n Wild Water Park. With the exception of Walt Disney World, most major attractions are located along International Drive. The city's famous attractions form the backbone of Orlando's tourism industry, making the city the most visited American city in 2009. The city is also one of the busiest American cities for conferences and conventions. Like other major cities in the Sun Belt, Orlando grew rapidly during the 1980s and well into the first decade of the 21st century. Orlando is also home to the University of Central Florida, which is the second largest university in the United States in terms of enrollment (as of 2011).
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South Korea
South Korea ( listen), officially the Republic of Korea (Hangul: 대한민국; Hanja: 大韓民國; Daehan Minguk listen), is a sovereign state in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. The name "Korea" is derived from Goryeo, a dynasty which ruled in the Middle Ages (an initial "G" in Korean is pronounced like an English "K").
Its neighbors are China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the Korea Strait to the south. South Korea lies in the north temperate zone with a predominantly mountainous terrain. It covers a total area of 99,392 square kilometers and has a population of almost 50 million. The capital and largest city is Seoul, with a population of 9,794,304.
Archaeological findings show that the Korean Peninsula was occupied by the Lower Paleolithic period.Korean history begins with the founding of Gojoseon in 2333 BC by the legendary Dan-gun. Following the unification of the Three Kingdoms of Korea under Silla 668 AD, Korea went through the Goryeo Dynasty and Joseon Dynasty as one nation until the end of the Korean Empire in 1910, when it was annexed by Japan. After liberation and occupation by Soviet and U.S. forces at the end of World War II, the nation was divided into North and South Korea. The latter was established in 1948 as a democracy, though political turmoil and times of military rule and martial law characterized much of the period until the foundation of the Sixth Republic in 1987.
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United States
The United States of America (commonly abbreviated to the United States, the U.S., the USA, America, and the States) is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its forty-eight contiguous states and Washington, D.C., the capital district, lie between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The state of Alaska is in the northwest of the continent, with Canada to the east and Russia to the west, across the Bering Strait. The state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The country also possesses several territories in the Pacific and Caribbean.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) and with over 312 million people, the United States is the third or fourth largest country by total area, and the third largest by both land area and population. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The U.S. economy is the world's largest national economy, with an estimated 2011 GDP of $15.1 trillion (22% of nominal global GDP and over 19% of global GDP at purchasing-power parity). Per capita income is the world's sixth-highest.
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Adrian Gonzalez
Adrian Gonzalez (born May 8, 1982) is a Mexican-American professional baseball first baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.
Gonzalez was the first overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins. He was traded to the Texas Rangers, and later to the San Diego Padres, where he was an All-Star selection four times and two-time Gold Glove winner. The four-time Padres team Most Valuable Player (MVP) was traded to the Boston Red Sox before entering the final year of his contract during the 2010 offseason.
Gonzalez was born in San Diego, but played for Mexico in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. His nicknames include Gonzo and A-Gon.
Gonzalez was projected to be a late first-round pick out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California, but he advanced with his senior year performance. In June 2000, Gonzalez became the first infield position player to be drafted first overall since Alex Rodriguez in 1993. He was given a $3 million signing bonus by the Florida Marlins. While in the Marlins organization, Gonzalez played with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, Kane County Cougars, Utica Blue Sox, Portland Sea Dogs (2002), Albuquerque Isotopes (2003), and Carolina Mudcats (2003). With the A level Kane County Cougars in his 2nd professional season, Gonzalez hit .312 with 17 home runs and 103 RBI's in 127 games.
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Adrián Beltré
Adrián Beltré Pérez (born April 7, 1979) is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Texas Rangers.
The youngest player in the National League when he made his major league debut, he has also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1998–2004), the Seattle Mariners (2005–2009), and the Boston Red Sox (2010). He bats and throws right-handed. He is known for his signature home run swing, dropping to one knee when connecting with an off-speed pitch.
He was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1994. All-Star catcher Alex Avila's grandfather was the scout who signed him. Beltré attended Liceo Maximo Gomez High School, where he developed into one of the school’s top players. In 1994, while working out at Campo Las Palmas, the Los Angeles Dodgers facility, he was spotted by scouts Ralph Avila and Pablo Peguero. Though only 15 and weighing just 130 pounds, he had a lightning-quick swing and electric throwing arm. On the insistence of Avila and Peguero, the Dodgers signed Beltré in July. He received a $23,000 bonus. When it was revealed that Beltré had signed his initial contract at the age of 15, commissioner Bud Selig suspended the Dodgers' scouting operations in the Dominican Republic for a year, because signing a player at that age was prevented under MLB rules.
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Al Chambers
Albert Eugene Chambers (born March 24, 1961 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball player from 1983 to 1985 for the Seattle Mariners. Chambers was the first pick overall in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school by the Mariners, but proved a disappointment, as he only appeared in fifty-seven games in his career.
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Al Cowens
Alfred Edward Cowens, Jr. (October 25, 1951 – March 11, 2002) was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1974 through 1986, Cowens played for the Kansas City Royals (1974–79), California Angels (1980), Detroit Tigers (1980–81) and Seattle Mariners (1982–86). He batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Los Angeles, California, Cowens was a product of the Kansas City Royals farm system. He made his major league debut with the Royals in 1974 and played for them through 1979. His most productive season came in 1977, when he batted .312 with 23 home runs and 112 RBI, earned a Gold Glove, and finished second to Rod Carew in balloting for the American League MVP Award.
A notable feud started between Cowens and Chicago White Sox reliever Ed Farmer early in the 1979 season. On May 8 while playing at Chicago, a Farmer pitch thrown in the top of the 5th inning fractured Cowens' jaw and broke several teeth; Cowens would miss 21 games. Farmer also hit fellow Royal Frank White in the same game which broke his wrist and caused him to miss 33 contests. The next season on June 20‚ 1980 while playing Detroit‚ the now-Tiger Cowens hit an infield grounder against Farmer at Comiskey Park. While Farmer watched his infielder make the play, Cowens ran to mound and tackled the pitcher from behind, instead of running to first base; getting in several punches before the benches cleared and the two were separated. Cowens was suspended for 7 games and a warrant was issued for his arrest in Illinois‚ forcing him to skip the remainder of the series. Later Farmer agreed to drop the charges in exchange for a handshake‚ and the 2 players brought out the lineup cards before the game on September 1. However, future appearances for Cowens in Chicago were greeted with a "Coward Cowens" banner.
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Al Kaline
Albert William "Al" Kaline ( /ˈkeɪlaɪn/; born December 19, 1934 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Kaline played his entire 22-year baseball career with the Detroit Tigers. Immediately after retiring from playing, he became the Tigers' TV color commentator, a position he held until 2002. Kaline still works for the Tigers as a front office official. Because of his lengthy career and longtime association with the Tigers organization, Kaline's nickname is "Mr. Tiger."
For most of his career, Kaline played in the outfield, mainly as a right fielder, where he was known for his strong throwing arm. Near the end of his career, he also played as first baseman and, in his last season, was the Tigers' designated hitter.
Kaline bypassed the minor league system and joined the team directly from Baltimore's Southern High School as an 18-year-old "bonus baby" signee, receiving $35,000 ($304,030 as of 2012), to sign with the Tigers. He made his major league debut on June 25, 1953 in Philadelphia as a late-inning replacement for outfielder Jim Delsing. Kaline wore No. 25 during his rookie campaign, but asked teammate Pat Mullin for his No. 6 after the 1953 season ended. Kaline, who was also known simply as "Six" in the Tiger clubhouse, wore the number for the rest of his major league playing career.
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Al Leiter
Alois Terry "Al" Leiter ( /ˈlaɪtər/; born October 23, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is now a studio analyst for MLB Network, and a color commentator for the YES Network.
Leiter attended Central Regional High School. Leiter was a prospect with the New York Yankees along with his brother Mark. Leiter made his major league debut as the starting pitcher for the Yankees on September 15, 1987, earning the win in a Yankees 4–3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Leiter struggled with blisters on his pitching hand to such a degree that the Yankees gave up on him at the age of 23 and dealt him to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Jesse Barfield on April 30, 1989. Early in his Blue Jay career, he was able to overcome the blisters with an exotic liniment (that he used throughout his career) and was seen as a very promising prospect.[citation needed] Leiter has also mentioned on a YES Network broadcast that early in his career with the Yankees, manager Billy Martin would walk up to him and ask him why he was lifting weights. Leiter responded, "To strengthen my arm." Billy was quoted as saying, "If you want to strengthen your arm, do some long toss." In his final start for the Yankees during his first stint, Dallas Green left Leiter in to throw 162 pitches in a cold damp day in 1989.
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Al Oliver
Albert Oliver, Jr. (born October 14, 1946 in Portsmouth, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball player. Over the course of his 18-year career, he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1968–77), Texas Rangers (1978–81), Montreal Expos (1982–83), San Francisco Giants (1984), Philadelphia Phillies (1984), Los Angeles Dodgers (1985) and Toronto Blue Jays (1985). Nicknamed "Scoop", Oliver batted and threw left-handed.
Oliver was a center fielder who also played left and right as well as first base. He was signed by the Pirates as an amateur free agent in 1964. From 1970 to 1976 he played on five Pirates division champions, including the team that defeated the Orioles in the 1971 World Series.
Oliver was called to the Major Leagues on September 14, 1968, which was the day his father, Al Oliver, Sr., died. He appeared in 4 games that season. In his official rookie season, Oliver batted .285 with 17 home runs and drove in 70 runs, placing second in the 1969 National League Rookie of the Year voting. The following season, 1970, Oliver hit .270 and was fifth in the NL with seven sacrifice files. He also finished second in the league with the 14 times he was hit by a pitch (the previous year he was plunked 12 times, fourth in the league). The Pirates won the National League East title for their first trip to the postseason since winning the 1960 World Series. However, they lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS.
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Al Rosen
Albert Leonard Rosen (born February 29, 1924), nicknamed "Al", "Flip", and the "Hebrew Hammer", is a former American professional baseball player who was a third baseman and right-handed slugger in the Major Leagues for ten seasons in the 1940s and 1950s.
He played his entire 10-year career (1947–1956) with the Cleveland Indians in the American League, where he drove in 100 or more runs 5 years in a row, was a 4-time All-Star, twice led the league in home runs and twice in RBIs, and was an MVP. Rosen was extremely muscular, and had tremendous power and excellent bat control.
Rosen was a .285 career hitter, with 192 home runs and 717 RBIs in 1,044 games. He was selected for the All-Star Game every year between 1952 and 1955. Rosen appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1955.
Rosen was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He and his family moved to Miami, Florida when he was three years old. He grew up in the southwest section of Miami, which is now the heart of Little Havana. Rosen grew up without a father, and was raised by three women: his grandmother, mother and aunt.
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Albert Belle
Albert Jojuan "Joey" Belle (born August 25, 1966) is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles. Standing at 6'2 and weighing in at 225 lbs, Albert was one of the leading sluggers of his time, and in 1995 he became the first player to hit 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a single season.
Belle was also considered a model of consistency, compiling a .295 career batting average, averaging 37 home runs and 120 RBIs a season over the ten prime years of his major league career from 1991 to 2000. Belle is also one of only six players in major league history to have nine consecutive 100-RBI seasons. However, his combative personality combined with occasional angry outbursts created a reputation for surliness that often overshadowed his on-field hitting performance.
Albert Belle, and his fraternal twin, Terry, were born on August 25, 1966, in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of Albert Belle Sr., a high school baseball and football coach, and Carrie Belle, a former math teacher. A former Boy Scout, he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Belle attended Huntington High School in Shreveport, where he was a star baseball and football player, a member of the National Honor Society and vice president of the local Future Business Leaders of America. He also played little league baseball with future PGA Tour player David Toms. He graduated sixth in his high school class and made the all-state baseball team twice. In 1984, he was selected to play for the USA in the Junior Olympics[disambiguation needed
], in which the U.S. won a silver medal. He played outfield and pitched, winning one game. After graduation, Belle was offered many football and baseball scholarships, including one to the University of Notre Dame; he was also offered an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. However, Belle decided to stay close to home, and accepted a baseball scholarship to Louisiana State University.
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Alex Gordon
Alex Jonathan Gordon (born February 10, 1984 in Lincoln, Nebraska) is a Major League Baseball Outfielder for the Kansas City Royals.
Alex was born into a baseball-loving family in Lincoln, NE. Anecdotes indicate that all four of the Gordon Boys, Eric, Alex, Brett and Derek were named after famous baseball players. All of the boys played baseball from a very early age.
Gordon was a two-time Gatorade Nebraska Player of the Year after hitting .483 with 25 home runs and 112 RBI at Lincoln Southeast High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, from which he graduated in 2002.
Alex was a member of the 2004 U.S. National Team which had players from 15 different colleges. He helped lead Team USA to an 18–7 overall record, seeing the majority of his playing time at first base. He hit .388 with 4 home runs, 12 RBI and 18 runs scored in 24 contests and was named the top offensive player at the World University Baseball Championship in Tainan, Taiwan after leading all players with a .524 average (11-for-21) with 2 homers, 5 RBI and 8 runs scored in 8 games.
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Alex Johnson
Alexander Johnson (born December 7, 1942, in Helena, Arkansas is a former professional baseball player. He was an outfielder and designated hitter over parts of 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. While playing for Cincinnati in 1968 and 1969, he batted over .300 both times, finishing 4th and 6th, respectively, in batting average in the National League. However, in both years, he led National League outfielders in errors. Following the 1969 season, Johnson was traded with Chico Ruiz to the California Angels for pitchers Pedro Borbon‚ Jim McGlothlin, and Vern Geishert. Johnson had his best season in 1970, winning the American League batting title by a fraction of a percentage point over Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox, although he led league outfielders in errors and was 2nd in grounding out into double plays. He played with 4 other teams before retiring, always with a potent bat but being a liability in the field.
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Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez (born July 27, 1975) is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.
Rodriguez is considered one of the best all-around baseball players of all time. He is the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs, breaking the record Jimmie Foxx set in 1939, and the youngest to hit 600, besting Babe Ruth's record by over a year. Rodriguez has fourteen 100-RBI seasons in his career, more than any other player in history. On September 24, 2010, Rodriguez hit two home runs, surpassing Sammy Sosa's mark of 609 HRs, and became the all-time leader in home runs by a player of Hispanic descent.
In December 2007, Rodriguez and the Yankees agreed to a 10-year, $275 million contract. This contract was the richest contract in baseball history (breaking his previous record of $252 million).
In February 2009, after previously denying use of performance-enhancing drugs, including during a 2007 interview with Katie Couric on 60 Minutes, Rodriguez admitted to using steroids, saying he used them from 2001 to 2003 when playing for the Texas Rangers due to what he called "an enormous amount of pressure" to perform.
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Andre Dawson
Andre Nolan Dawson (born July 10, 1954 in Miami, Florida), nicknamed "The Hawk", is an American former center fielder and right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played for four different teams, spending most of his career with the Montreal Expos (1976–1986) and Chicago Cubs (1987–1992).
An 8-time National League (NL) All-Star, he was named the league's Rookie of the Year in 1977 after batting .282 with 19 home runs and 65 runs batted in (RBI), and won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1987 after leading the league with 49 homers and 137 RBI; he had been runner-up for the award in both 1981 and 1983. He batted .300 five times, drove in 100 runs four times and had 13 seasons of 20 home runs. A strong baserunner early in his career, he also stole 30 bases three times. He is one of six MLB players with at least 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases during his career.
Dawson was a center fielder until knee problems – worsened by the artificial surface at Olympic Stadium – forced his shift to right field, followed by his move to a team which played on grass. He led the NL in outfield putouts three consecutive years (1981–1983), and won eight Gold Glove Awards for fielding excellence. Upon his retirement, his NL totals of 409 home runs and 962 extra base hits both ranked tenth in league history; he also ranked seventh in NL history in games as an outfielder (2,303), and sixth in both outfield putouts (5,116) and total chances (5,366). He set Expos franchise records for career games, at bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, runs batted in, extra base hits, total bases and steals, all of which have since been broken variously by Tim Raines, Tim Wallach and Vladimir Guerrero. Dawson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 2010.
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Andrés Galarraga
Andrés José Padovani Galarraga (Spanish: [anˈdɾez ɣalaˈraɣa]; born June 18, 1961 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Montreal Expos (1985–1991 and 2002), St. Louis Cardinals (1992), Colorado Rockies (1993–1997), Atlanta Braves (1998, 2000), Texas Rangers (2001), San Francisco Giants (2001 and 2003) and Anaheim Angels (2004). He batted and threw right-handed.
At six-foot-three and 235 pounds (1.91 m, 117 kg), Galarraga began his professional career in Venezuela at the age of 16. Despite several injuries that plagued Galarraga throughout his career, he was a very popular player both for his achievements on the field, and for his big and bright smile. He was nicknamed The Big Cat (textually translated from English as El Gran Gato, although his nickname in his native Venezuela was El Gato) for his extraordinary quickness at first base in spite of his big frame. Galarraga was a five time All-Star, won two National League Gold Glove Awards and two NL Silver Slugger awards, and won the MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award after his successful return to baseball following cancer treatment.
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Andy Benes
Andrew Charles Benes (born August 20, 1967 in Evansville, Indiana) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 14-year career from 1989 to 2002. Benes played for four different teams: the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks. His brother Alan also pitched in the Major Leagues, and was his teammate in 1996–97 and 2000–01. He and his brother Alan attended Evansville Lutheran School and Evansville Central High School.
Benes was the first person selected in the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft after playing college baseball at the University of Evansville. Benes pitched well enough in his first year to make it to the majors and be named National League Rookie Pitcher of the Year by The Sporting News. Benes was an All-Star in 1993 after a 15–15 season with the Padres, and led the Majors in losses with 14 and in strikeouts with 189 the next season. Benes finished third in the Cy Young Award balloting in 1996 after a 18–10, 3.83 earned run average season. After the 1997 season, Benes agreed to sign a 5-Yr / 30 Million dollar contract to return to the Cardinals. Unfortunately, the contract was signed after the deadline for players to re-sign with their 1997 teams. Benes would then have to wait until May 1 to re-sign Instead, Benes became one of the first players in Diamondbacks history when he signed as a free agent prior to the 1998 season and threw out the first pitch in the history of the franchise.
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Angie Mentink
Angie Mentink (born in Norfolk, Virginia October 18, 1973) is an anchor for the Northwest Sports Report, and serves as a co-anchor of Mariners Live.
Mentink joined FSN in 1997, reporting on the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks and the Detroit Tigers for FSN Detroit and FSN Northwest. Prior to entering the broadcast profession, Mentink was a three-time college All-America softball player at the University of Washington from 1991 to 1995 and later played professional baseball as an original member of the Colorado Silver Bullets.
She was formerly on FSN Detroit. Mentink's Maiden name is Marzetta but her original on-air name Angie Arlati was from her first marriage to her college sweetheart.
She is now married to Jarrett Mentink and they have two sons.
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B. J. Surhoff
William James "B. J." Surhoff (born August 4, 1964 in the Bronx, New York City) is a former catcher, outfielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter in Major League Baseball. Over his 18-year major league career, he played every position except pitcher. After playing for the Orioles from 1996 to 2000, he rejoined the team in 2003 and played through the 2005 season. He started his career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1987–1995) and also played for the Atlanta Braves (2000–2002). Surhoff began his career as a catcher, and after playing third base in the mid-1990s, shifted to become primarily a left fielder.
Surhoff attended Rye High School in Westchester, New York and hit a monstrous home run as a visitor at Somers High School which cleared route 139 and hit the firehouse. The homerun was dubbed "The Killer," and is infamous in high school baseball lore as it bounced off the firehouse and killed a small squirrel. The spot the homerun landed is still marked to this day. After high school he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was honored as the 1985 ACC Male Athlete of the Year, and played on the very first (1984) U.S. Olympic baseball team. He was a two time first team All-American at UNC and his career batting average of .392 was a school record until Dustin Ackley set the mark at .412 in 2009.
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Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948), best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American baseball player who spent 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) playing for three teams (1914–1935). Known for his hitting brilliance, Ruth set career records for home runs (714), slugging percentage (.690), runs batted in (RBI) (2,217), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164). Ruth originally entered the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but after he was sold to the New York Yankees in 1919, he converted to a full time right fielder. He subsequently became one of the league's most prolific hitters and with his home run hitting prowess, he helped the Yankees win seven pennants and four World Series titles. Ruth retired in 1935 after a short stint with the Boston Braves, and the following year, he became one of the first five players to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Ruth was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season (1927), a mark first eclipsed by Roger Maris in 1961 with 61. Ruth's lifetime record of 714 home runs stood until 1974 when it was surpassed by Hank Aaron. Unlike many power hitters, Ruth also hit for a high batting average: his .342 lifetime average is the tenth highest in baseball history, and in one season (1923) he batted .393, a Yankee record. Ruth dominated the era in which he played. He led the league in home runs during a season twelve times, slugging percentage and OPS thirteen times each, runs scored eight times, and RBIs six times. Each of those totals represents a modern record.
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Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. Bonds played from 1986 to 2007, for the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants. He is the son of former major league All-Star Bobby Bonds. He debuted in the Major Leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986 and joined the San Francisco Giants in 1993, where he stayed through 2007.
Bonds' accomplishments during his baseball career place him among the greatest baseball players of all-time. He has a record-setting seven Most Valuable Player awards, including a record-setting four consecutive MVPs. He is a 14-time All-Star and 8-time Gold Glove-winner. He holds numerous Major League Baseball records, including the all-time Major League Baseball home run record with 762 and the single-season Major League record for home runs with 73 (set in 2001), and is also the all-time career leader in both walks (2,558) and intentional walks (688).
Bonds has led a controversial career, notably as a central figure in baseball's steroids scandal. In 2007, he was indicted on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice for allegedly lying to the grand jury during the government's investigation of BALCO, by testifying that he never knowingly took any illegal steroids. The trial began March 21, 2011; he was convicted on April 13, 2011 on the obstruction of justice charge.
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Ben McDonald
Larry Benard McDonald (born November 24, 1967 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
McDonald prepped at Denham Springs High School, which is about 10 minutes east of Baton Rouge, and was both a basketball and baseball standout.
A collegiate star at Louisiana State University in both basketball and baseball, McDonald, who stands 6'7", led the 1988 US Olympic Team to a gold medal, winning complete games against host South Korea and Puerto Rico. During his three-year college career at LSU, McDonald twice helped his team reach the College World Series. His best collegiate season came in 1989, which he finished with a 14–4 record, a 3.49 ERA, and a Southeastern Conference record 202 strikeouts. That year, he was selected as a member of the All-America team, and he won the Golden Spikes Award.
That summer, the Baltimore Orioles made McDonald the first overall selection in the June draft. He had earlier been chosen by the Atlanta Braves in the 27th round of the 1986 draft, but decided to go to college at that time instead of signing. He signed with the Orioles on August 19, and on September 6, he made his major league debut. McDonald was the second member of his draft class to reach the majors, coming up three days after his Olympic teammate John Olerud.
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Ben Oglivie
Benjamin Ambrosio Oglivie Palmer (born February 11, 1949 in Colón, Panama) is a former Major League Baseball left fielder for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1973), Detroit Tigers (1974–1977), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1986). He also played two seasons in Japan for the Kintetsu Buffaloes (1987–1988). He batted and threw left-handed.
Oglivie debuted on September 4, 1971 for the Red Sox and played his final game on October 5, 1986 for the Brewers. Oglivie hit for power fairly well, breaking the 40-home run mark in 1980 with 41, which was good for a tie (with Reggie Jackson) for the league lead. Oglivie hit 3 home runs in a game, three times. In the process, Oglivie became the first non-U.S. born player to lead the American League in home runs.
In a 16-year career, he posted a .273 batting average with 235 home runs and 901 RBIs in 1754 games. He had 87 career stolen bases and 784 runs scored. Oglivie picked up 1615 hits in 5913 at bats.
Oglivie played for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan after retiring from MLB and hit 46 home runs in two seasons. He then returned to attempt a comeback in the minors, but never made it back to the majors again.
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Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. (born September 13, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.
Growing up, Williams played classical guitar as well as baseball. He was also active in track and field, winning medals at an international meet at the age of 15. He was one of the world's best 400-meter runners for his age.
On his 17th birthday, he signed a professional contract with the New York Yankees organization.
Playing for the Yankees' Double-A team in Albany, he continued to develop his athletic skills — particularly as a switch hitter. Although viewed as a great prospect by Yankee management, his rise to the Majors was delayed by the solid outfield that the team had developed in the early 1990s.
Williams managed to break into the majors in 1991 to replace the injured Roberto Kelly for the second half of that season. He batted .238 in 320 at bats. He was demoted to the minors until Danny Tartabull was injured, and Williams earned his stay at center by putting up solid numbers.
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Bill Almon
William Francis Almon (born November 21, 1952) is a retired American baseball player who played in the major leagues from 1974 through 1988. A utility player, he played first base, second base, shortstop, third base, outfield and designated hitter. He played for the San Diego Padres, Montreal Expos, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Philadelphia Phillies of the National League, and the Chicago White Sox and Oakland A's in the American League.
Almon played collegiate baseball at Brown University. He was the first overall pick in the 1974 amateur draft, by the Padres.
Almon led all major league shortstops in putouts with 303 in 1977 and led the National League in sacrifice hits with 20 that same year. Almon's best season was in the strike shortened 1981 campaign when, as the starting shortstop for the Chicago White Sox, he hit .301 with 16 stolen bases.
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Bill Madlock
Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock, Jr. (born January 12, 1951 in Memphis, Tennessee) is a former Major League Baseball player. From 1973 to 1987, Madlock was a right-handed hitter who won several National League batting titles. His record of four batting titles as a third baseman would be eclipsed in 1988 by Wade Boggs. Since 1970, only Tony Gwynn has won more National League batting titles (eight). Madlock is also one of only three right-handed hitters to have won multiple National League batting titles since 1960, Roberto Clemente having also won four and Tommy Davis having won back-to-back titles in 1962 and 1963.
Raised in Decatur, IL for most of his life, he played organized baseball in the Decatur youth leagues and all star teams and graduated from Eisenhower High School in Decatur in 1969. At Eisenhower, he played 4 years of basketball, baseball, and football. From 1973 to 1987, he played for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers.
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Bill Melton
William Edwin Melton (born July 7, 1945 in Gulfport, Mississippi), nicknamed "Beltin' Bill" or "Beltin' Melton", is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who played from 1968 through 1977 for the Chicago White Sox, California Angels and Cleveland Indians. He is now a commentator for Comcast SportsNet White Sox broadcasts.
Melton was signed as a minor league free agent directly out of high school prior to the 1964 season and was assigned to the White Sox rookie league Sarasota White Sox. After spending 1965 back at Sarasota, this time with the A-league Sarasota Sun Sox, Melton would make steady progress through the White Sox system, playing for the A-league Fox Cities Foxes, AA Evansville White Sox, and AAA Hawaii Islanders and Syracuse Chiefs. At each level, he would display the two characteristics that he would be known for throughout his playing career - a powerful bat and questionable fielding.
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Bill Swift
William Charles Swift (born October 27, 1961 in Portland, Maine) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.
After graduating South Portland High School, Swift attended the University of Maine. Swift pitched for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was a first-round draft pick (second selection) by the Seattle Mariners following his senior year at Maine. In 1991 he was traded to the San Francisco Giants along with pitchers Mike Jackson and Dave Burba for outfielder Kevin Mitchell and pitcher Mike Remlinger. The Giants immediately moved Swift from the bullpen to the starting rotation, where he emerged as one of the league's best pitchers, leading the league with a 2.08 ERA in 1992 and winning 21 games in 1993.
Between 1995 and 1997 he played for the Colorado Rockies. While the Rockies had high hopes for Swift, he struggled with back pains and the thin air of Colorado, and never again put up numbers comparable to his days with the Giants. He was eventually released by the Rockies due to shoulder trouble and triceps tightness.
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Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin, Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager. He is best known as the manager of the New York Yankees, a position he held five different times. As Yankees manager, he led the team to consecutive American League pennants in 1976 and 1977; the Yankees were swept in the 1976 World Series by the Cincinnati Reds but triumphed over the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in the 1977 World Series. He also had notable managerial tenures with several other AL squads, leading four of them to division championships.
As a manager, Martin was known for turning losing teams into winners, and for arguing animatedly with umpires, including a widely parodied routine in which he kicked dust on their feet. However, he was criticized for not getting along with veteran players and owners, burning out young pitchers, and for having an addiction to alcohol. During the 1969 through 1988 period as a manager, Martin totaled 1,253 victories with a .553 winning percentage.
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Bob Gibson
Robert "Bob" Gibson (born November 9, 1935) is a retired American baseball pitcher who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1959–1975). Nicknamed "Hoot" and "Gibby", Gibson tallied 251 wins, 3,117 strikeouts, and a 2.91 earned run average (ERA) during his career. A nine-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won two Cy Young Awards and the 1968 National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. In 1981, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Gibson overcame childhood illness to excel in youth sports, particularly basketball and baseball. After briefly playing under contract to both the basketball Harlem Globetrotters team and the St. Louis Cardinals organization, Gibson decided to only continue playing baseball professionally. Once becoming a full-time starting pitcher in July 1961, Gibson began experiencing an increasing level of success, earning his first All-Star appearance in 1962. Gibson won two of three games he pitched in the 1964 World Series, then won 20 games in season for the first time in 1965. Gibson also pitched three complete game victories in the 1967 World Series.
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Bob Horner
James Robert "Bob" Horner (born August 6, 1957) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman/first baseman and right-handed batter who played for the Atlanta Braves (1978–1986) and St. Louis Cardinals (1988). Horner was hampered by assorted injuries for most of his major league career.
Horner was born in Junction City, Kansas but grew up in Glendale, Arizona, attending Apollo High School in Glendale where he set school records. His college career at Arizona State University included the first ever Golden Spikes Award. With his 9 home runs in 1976 he is tied with Ike Davis (2006) for third all-time by a Sun Devil freshman, two behind Barry Bonds (in 1983).
A second baseman for TSN's College All-America team in 1977 and 1978, Horner set an NCAA record with 58 career home runs for Arizona State, set a 25-homer season record, and was selected the MVP of 1977 College World Series.
Horner was drafted by Atlanta as the first overall pick of the 1978 amateur draft and made his debut in the same year. He is one of a handful of players to go directly to the starting lineup in the major leagues without spending a day in the minor leagues. In his first game, he belted a home run off Bert Blyleven of the Pirates. In 89 games, Horner batted .266 with 23 home runs, 63 runs batted in in 323 at bats, with an on-base percentage of .313 and a slugging percentage of .539. His 23 home runs led all National League third basemen in 1978. He won the National League Rookie of the Year honors over Ozzie Smith.
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Bob Knepper
Robert Wesley Knepper (born May 24, 1954 in Akron, Ohio) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball with a 15-year career from 1976 to 1990. He played for the San Francisco Giants and Houston Astros, both of the National League.
On December 8, 1980, Knepper was traded from the Giants along with Chris Bourjos to the Astros for OF Enos Cabell and a player to be named.
He was voted to the National League All-Star team twice (1981 and 1988).
He led the National League in shutouts in 1978, with six, and in 1986, with five. He also led the league in hit batsmen in 1980, with eight, and losses in 1987, with 17.
In 1988, Knepper had one of the best seasons in his career, and he was selected to the National League All-Star Team.
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Bob Meusel
Robert William "Bob" Meusel (July 19, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American baseball left and right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was best known as a member of the Yankees' championship teams of the 1920s, nicknamed the "Murderers' Row", during which time the team won its first six American League (AL) pennants and first three World Series titles.
Meusel, noted for his strong outfield throwing arm, batted fifth behind Baseball Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. In 1925, he became the second Yankee, after Ruth, to lead the AL in the following offensive categories: home runs (33), runs batted in (138) and extra base hits (79). Nicknamed "Long Bob" because of his 6 foot, 3 inch (1.91 m) stature, Meusel batted .313 or better in seven of his first eight seasons, finishing with a .309 career average; his 1,005 RBI during the 1920s were the fourth most by any major leaguer, and trailed only Harry Heilmann's total of 1,131 among AL right-handed hitters. Meusel ended his career in 1930 with the Cincinnati Reds. He hit for the cycle three times, and was the second of three major leaguers to accomplish this feat as many as three times during a career.
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Bobby Bonds
Bobby Lee Bonds (March 15, 1946 – August 23, 2003) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball from 1968 to 1981, primarily with the San Francisco Giants. Noted for his outstanding combination of power hitting and speed, he was the first player to have more than two seasons of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, doing so a record five times (the record was matched only by his son Barry), and was the first to accomplish the feat in both major leagues; he became the second player to hit 300 career home runs and steal 300 bases, joining Willie Mays. Together with Barry, he is part of baseball's most accomplished father-son combination, holding the record for combined home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases [1]. A dangerous leadoff hitter, he also set major league records for most times leading off a game with a home run in a career (35) and a season (11, in 1973); both records have since been broken. He batted and threw right-handed.
Born in Riverside, California, Bonds played varsity high school baseball at Riverside Polytechnic High School and signed with the Giants in 1964. His sister Rosie was a 1964 Olympic hurdler, and his brother Robert won two gold medals in the hurdles at the high school track and field state finals in 1960, and was an NFL Draft pick in 1965. In 1964 he was a High School All-American in track & field, while also being named Southern California High School Athlete of the Year. Playing in the Giants' minor league system, he was Most Valuable Player of the class-A Western Carolina League.
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Bobby Grich
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Grich (born January 15, 1949 in Muskegon, Michigan) is an American former professional baseball second baseman who played for the Baltimore Orioles (1970–1976) and California Angels (1977–1986) of Major League Baseball. He currently works in the Angels' front office.
As a player, Grich won four consecutive Gold Glove Awards and made the American League All-Star squad six times.
In 1973, the Orioles traded Davey Johnson to the Braves in order to make room for Grich at second base. He was an excellent fielder, with good range, soft hands, and a good arm, and he was steady turning the double play. In 1973, he set an all-time major league fielding record with a .995 fielding percentage, and 12 seasons later in 1985, he broke the record again (.997).
With the bat, Grich hit 19 home runs with 82 RBI in 1974. Then, in 1979, he batted .294, adding 30 homers and 101 RBI, but he had his best offensive performance in the strike-shortened 1981 season. Grich tied the lead in home runs (22, along with Tony Armas, Dwight Evans, and Eddie Murray), led in slugging average (.543), and hit a career-high .304.
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Bobby Shantz
Robert Clayton Shantz (born September 26, 1925 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania) was a Major League Baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics (1949–1954), Kansas City Athletics (1955–1956), New York Yankees (1957–1960), Pittsburgh Pirates (1961), Houston Colt .45's (1962), St. Louis Cardinals (1962–1964), Chicago Cubs (1964), and the Philadelphia Phillies (1964).
A left-hander, Shantz began his career as a starting pitcher, but about halfway through he converted to a competent relief pitcher. In 1951 he added the knuckleball to his repertoire.
He enjoyed his best season in 1952 when he led the American League in wins (24) and won the MVP Award. In the process, he led the A's to their last winning season in Philadelphia. The 1952 A's had some excellent players, including batting champion Ferris Fain, home run hitter Gus Zernial, and fleet center fielder Dave Philly. But the club resumed its losing ways, drew fewer and fewer fans, and moved to Kansas City after the 1954 campaign.
A highly skilled fielder, Shantz won eight consecutive Gold Glove Awards from 1957 to 1964 (American League, 1957–60; National League, 1961–64; in 1957 the award was rendered for both leagues). Shantz also was selected for the All-Star Game in 1951, 1952 and 1957. In the fifth and final inning of the 1952 All Star Game, the left–handed Shantz exhibited his distinctive sidearm delivery and sharp curve. He struck out three respected hitters in a row: Whitey Lockman, Jackie Robinson, and Stan Musial.
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Bobby Tolan
Robert Tolan (born November 19, 1945 in Los Angeles, California) is a former center and right fielder in Major League Baseball. Tolan, who batted and threw left-handed, played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1965–68), Cincinnati Reds (1969–73), San Diego Padres (1974–75, 1979), Philadelphia Phillies (1976–77) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1977). He also played one season in Japan for the Nankai Hawks (1978).
Tolan was a reserve outfielder during his years with the Cardinals, with whom he won a World Series title in 1967. He also played on the 1968 National League champions; however, the red birds lost to the Detroit Tigers in the World Series in seven games, after leading three games to one. The day after the final game of this Series Tolan was traded to the Cincinnati Reds along with reliever Wayne Granger for veteran outfielder Vada Pinson.
As their centerfielder, often batting second behind Pete Rose and in front of Alex Johnson in the Reds lineup, Tolan in 1969 hit .305 and established career highs in home runs and runs batted in (21 and 93 respectively). In this, the first year both leagues were split into two divisions, the Reds finished third in the National League West, four games behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves. The "Big Red Machine," which also featured future Hall of Famers Johnny Bench and Tony Perez (and would later feature a third, Joe Morgan), was just beginning to take shape.
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Brad Lidge
Bradley Thomas "Brad" Lidge (born December 23, 1976 in Sacramento, California) is a reliever who is currently a relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals. Nicknamed "Lights Out", he is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings (12.2 K/9) among pitchers with at least 200 appearances in their career. Lidge throws a four-seam fastball that consistently reaches 91 or 92 miles per hour, as well as a hard, sharp breaking slider that ranges from 85 to 87 mph. He sealed the Phillies' 2008 World Series Championship with the final out, a strikeout of Eric Hinske in Game 5.
Brad Lidge was born in Sacramento, California on December 23, 1976. At a young age, the Lidge family moved to Englewood, Colorado. Growing up, Lidge was very active, playing football, basketball and baseball among other sports. Lidge attended Cherry Creek High School.
Lidge attended Notre Dame. He won the Big East player of the year award during his junior season under coach Paul Mainieri, leading the conference with an 8–2 record and 93 strikeouts in 80.1 innings.
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Braggo Roth
Robert Frank "Bobby" Roth (August 28, 1892 – September 11, 1936), nicknamed Braggo, was a professional baseball player. He was an outfielder over parts of 8 seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, and New York Yankees.
Braggo began his minor league career in 1910 with Green Bay of the Class-D Wisconsin-Illinois League. After less than three months, Roth was released and he signed with the Red Wing Manufacturers of the Class-D Minnesota-Wisconsin League. In 1912, he played for the St. Joseph Drummers of the Western League. He played for the Kansas City Blues of the American Association in 1913 and 1914. Braggo played third base for the first four years of his career, but was converted into an outfielder in 1914. He also earned the nickname "Braggo" during the 1914 season, due to his boastful attitude.
Roth made his MLB debut with the Chicago White Sox of the American League, when they purchased him from the Blues in August 1914. He was switched back to third base, but his playing time decreased in 1915 due to his poor defensive play and the acquisition of Eddie Murphy, resulting in the White Sox trading Roth with a player to be named later (later decided to be Larry Chappell), Ed Klepfer and $31,500 to the Cleveland Indians for Shoeless Joe Jackson in August 1915. Roth hit three home runs in the final week of the 1915 season to increase his season total to seven, one more than Rube Oldring.
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Brandon Morrow
Brandon John Morrow (born July 26, 1984 in Santa Rosa, California) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Morrow has four primary pitches, a fastball, slider, circle change and a spiked curveball combination. He can throw for a high velocity, often getting into the mid to high-90's with his fastball. On August 8, 2010, Morrow pitched a complete game one hitter with 17 strikeouts, coming within one out of a no-hitter.
Morrow attended Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park, California. As a senior he was 9-2 with a 0.61 ERA and had 84 strikeouts in 63 innings. He earned first-team all-league, first-team All-Redwood Empire, first-team All-North Coast Section and second-team all-state honors. He competed for the California All-Stars at the 2002 Sunbelt Classic in McAlester, Oklahoma. He majored in American studies.
He was selected by the Anaheim Angels in the 40th round, 1200th overall, in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. However, he did not sign with the Angels and decided to attend college at UC Berkeley.
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Brian Fuentes
Brian Christopher Fuentes ( /ˈfwɛntɨs/; born August 9, 1975) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics. Previously, he played for the Seattle Mariners, the Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the Minnesota Twins. He bats and throws left-handed.
Fuentes was born in in Merced, California, and attended high school at Merced High School in Merced, California. After graduating from high school, Fuentes attended Merced Junior college.
Fuentes was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 25th round of the 1995 amateur draft. He spent one season for the Mariners appearing in ten games.
On December 16, 2001, Fuentes was traded to the Colorado Rockies, along with Jose Paniagua and Denny Stark for Jeff Cirillo. Through the first four years of his Major League career, Fuentes had a record of 8-8 with a 4.04 ERA, recording only four saves in 163 games. However, in 2005, Fuentes took over the closer role for the Rockies following the season-ending shoulder surgery of right-handed pitcher Chin-hui Tsao. Fuentes had a successful season and was named to his first career All-Star Game, but did not appear in the game. He became the first reliever and only the third pitcher overall to represent the Rockies, joining starting pitchers Mike Hampton (2001) and Shawn Chacon (2003). His 31 saves matched Dave Veres (1995) for the third highest single season total in franchise history, trailing only José Jiménez (41 in 2002) and Chacon (35 in 2004). In 2006, Fuentes earned 30 saves while posting a 3-4 record and a 3.44 ERA and was selected as an All-Star for the second time. Fuentes got his first career postseason win in Game 3 of the 2007 NLDS when the Rockies won the series against the Phillies in 3 games. The Rockies would eventually make it to the World Series for the first time in franchise history but lost to the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 World Series in just 4 games.
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Brian Schneider
Brian Duncan Schneider (born November 26, 1976) is an American Major League Baseball catcher.
Schneider was born in Jacksonville, Florida to Peter and Karen Schneider. He has one sister.
Schneider played high school baseball at Northampton Area High School in Northampton, Pennsylvania, in the state's highly competitive East Penn Conference (now known as the Lehigh Valley Conference). He was named Player of the Year in Lehigh Valley in both 1994 and 1995.
Schneider was selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1995 June draft. In 1997 at the Class-A Cape Fear Crocs of the South Atlantic League, Schneider emerged as a premiere defensive player while accumulating solid offensive numbers and was named to the mid-season All-Star team.
After making a strong impression at the Expos spring training in 2000, Schneider was called up to the majors following an injury to regular catcher Chris Widger. Schneider made his major league debut on May 26, 2000 at San Diego, going 0-for-1 after coming into the game as a defensive replacement in the 9th inning. The following day he made his first start, going 2-for-3 including a double in the 6th inning for his first major league hit.
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Brien Taylor
Brien McKeiver Taylor (born December 26, 1971) is a former pitcher in minor league baseball. Chosen by the New York Yankees first overall in the 1991 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, an arm injury shortened his professional career. Taylor is the second amateur player to be picked first overall in the MLB draft to never reach the major leagues. The first was Steve Chilcott, in 1966.
Taylor was born in Beaufort, North Carolina, to parents Willie Ray, who worked as a mason, and Bettie, who was a crab picker at the local seafood plant. He was the second of four children, named for the lead character in the movie Brian's Song.
Taylor attended East Carteret High School. In his senior season, Taylor threw 88 innings, striking out 213 hitters while walking 28. His fastball often hit 98 and 99 mph. In 2006, Scott Boras claimed that Taylor was the best high school pitcher he had seen in his life.
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Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. (born May 18, 1937) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles (1955–1977). Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history. He won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards during his career, tied with pitcher Jim Kaat for the second most all-time for any player at any position. Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Born in Little Rock, Arkansas to Brooks Calbert and Ethel Mae (née Donkey) Robinson. His father worked for a large bakery in Little Rock, Colonial Bakery, and then went to work for the Little Rock Fire Department (rising to the rank of captain ), while his mother at first worked for Sears Roebuck & Company, and then in the controller's office at the state capitol. His father played second base for a semi-pro team. Young Brooks Robinson, Jr., delivered the Arkansas Gazette on his bike, and also operated the beer and sold wine at Lamar Porter Field.
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Bryan Bullington
Bryan Paul Bullington (born September 30, 1980 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a right-handed pitcher for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Nippon Professional Baseball. He was the first overall pick of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft.
In 1999, during his senior year at Madison Consolidated High School, he was 15-0, and pitched a 1 hit game to win the 1999 Indiana High School Athletic Association Baseball State Finals.
Bullington attended Ball State University. In 2002 for the Ball State Cardinals, he was 11-3 with a 2.86 ERA, and in 104 innings walked 18 while striking out 139. His 139 strikeouts was a new record for most strikeouts in a single season (standard college season).
Bullington was the first overall pick in the 2002 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the first player from the Mid-American Conference to be selected with the first pick in a major sport's draft. He was selected because the Pirates felt they had a better chance of signing him over other players in the draft such as Jon Lester, B. J. Upton, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, and Cole Hamels.
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Buck Freeman
John Frank "Buck" Freeman (October 30, 1871 – June 25, 1949) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball at the turn of the 20th century. Freeman was one of the top sluggers of his era, his most famous feat being the 25 home runs he hit during the 1899 season.
A native of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, Freeman showed talent as a pitcher from a young age. He made his major league debut as a left-handed starter with the Washington Statesmen on June 27, 1891, registering the loss in a 4-5 defeat to the Philadelphia Athletics. Freeman played in a further four games during the season, finishing up with a 3-2 record and an earned run average of 3.89.
Following the 1891 season's conclusion he did not play in the majors again for seven years. He played in the Eastern League with Toronto from 1896 to 1898 and returned to the Washington roster midway through the 1898 season. During the intervening time Freeman had bulked out and had begun to show real skill with the bat (in his 18 at bats in 1891 he had recorded a batting average of .222). In light of this the Senators decided to retrain Freeman as a right fielder, believing that he would be even more useful with the bat than he was with the ball. Albeit with only 107 at bats, he recorded a .364 batting average and a .523 slugging percentage during the final months of the 1898 season. Following his strong showing with the bat, he was named as the Senators' first-choice right fielder for the following season.
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Buck Martinez
John Albert "Buck" Martinez (born November 7, 1948) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager, and currently the television play-by-play announcer for the Toronto Blue Jays. He played 17 seasons in the majors with the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays. Since the end of his playing career, he has been a broadcaster, working on Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles radio and television broadcasts, and nationally for TBS.
Martinez managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 2001 to May 2002 and Team USA at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006. He attended Elk Grove High School, Sacramento City College, Sacramento State University and Southwest Missouri State University.
Martinez made his major league debut in 1969, playing 72 games with the Kansas City Royals. Over the next few years, however, he developed the reputation of being an offensive liability, and he never appeared in more than 95 games during his time with Kansas City, through 1977.
Martinez was traded twice over the next few years, including to the Milwaukee Brewers in late 1977. In the midst of an 18–8 loss to Kansas City on Wednesday, August 29, 1979, the Brewers made several position changes, willingly losing their DH in the process. Amongst other moves, 3B Sal Bando was moved to pitcher in the 4th inning – he hurled three innings, going to bat in the fifth as a pitcher and popping up. In the 7th, Bando and 2B Jim Gantner switched positions, though while a pitcher Gantner never made it to the plate as a batter. The next inning, Martinez entered the game as the Brewers sixth pitcher of the day. As a pitcher, Martinez batted in the 9th, stroking an RBI single. For each of Bando, Gantner and Martinez, all of whom played in over 1,000 ML games, this game was their lone appearance in the majors as a pitcher. [1]
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Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. (born August 8, 1960), nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001).
Ripken is perhaps best known for breaking New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played, a record many deemed unbreakable. He surpassed the 56-year-old record when he played in his 2,131st consecutive game on September 6, 1995, against the California Angels in front of a sold-out crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. To make the feat even more memorable, Ripken hit a home run in the previous night's game that tied Gehrig's record and another home run in his 2,131st game. Fans later voted his 2,131st game as Major League Baseball's "Most Memorable Moment" in MLB history. Ripken played in an additional 501 straight games over the next three years, and his streak ended at 2,632 games when he voluntarily removed his name from the lineup for the final Orioles home game of the 1998 season. His record 2,632 straight games spanned over seventeen seasons, from May 30, 1982, to September 20, 1998.
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Carl Crawford
Carl Demonte "The Perfect Storm" Crawford (born August 5, 1981, in Houston, Texas) is an American professional baseball outfielder who plays for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws left-handed. Crawford has more triples (110) than any other active baseball player.
Crawford, a native of the Fifth Ward area of Houston, attended Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas, and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In baseball, he batted .638 as a senior. Crawford was offered scholarships to play basketball as a point guard at UCLA. He also had an option to play college football as an option quarterback at Nebraska,USC, Oklahoma, Florida, and Tulsa. He had originally signed a letter of intent to play football for Nebraska but he turned down both offers in favor of a baseball career.
Crawford was drafted by the Devil Rays in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.
In 2002, the Tampa Bay chapter of the BBWAA named Crawford the Devil Rays' Most Outstanding Rookie and he earned International League Rookie of the Year playing for the AAA Durham Bulls.[citation needed]
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Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Michael Yastrzemski ( /jəˈstrɛmski/; nicknamed "Yaz"; born August 22, 1939) is a former American Major League Baseball left fielder and first baseman. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989. Yastrzemski played his entire 23-year baseball career with the Boston Red Sox (1961–1983). He was primarily a left fielder, with part of his later career played at first base and as a designated hitter. Yastrzemski is an 18-time All-Star, the possessor of seven Gold Gloves, a member of the 3000 hit club, and the first American League player in that club to also accumulate over 400 home runs. He is second on the all-time list for games played, and third for total at-bats. He is the Red Sox' all-time leader in career RBIs, runs, hits, singles, doubles, total bases, and games played, and is second on the team's list for home runs behind another Red Sox great, Ted Williams, his predecessor in left field. In 1967, Yastrzemski achieved a peak in his career, leading the Red Sox to the American League pennant for the first time in over two decades, in that season being voted the American League MVP, and being the most recent winner of the triple crown for batters in the major leagues.
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Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña (born May 17, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.
Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís, he spent a significant portion of his childhood in the United States, namely Haverhill, Massachusetts. He is portrayed in the film Moneyball by actor Adrian Bellani.
Peña is the eldest of four children born to Felipe and Juana Peña. The family moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic when Peña was 12, initially living with one of his uncles.
He graduated from Haverhill High School in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1995. He initially went to Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, but returned home after one quarter and instead went to Northeastern University where he studied electrical engineering. As a collegiate player, he competed in the Cape Cod League, which showcases top amateur prospects every summer. He was a member of the Wareham Gatemen in 1997. During his time at Northeastern, Peña led the Huskies to one NCAA tournament. Peña's career batting average at Northeastern was .324 and finished with 24 home runs in two seasons.
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Carlos Quentin
Carlos José Quentin (born August 28, 1982) is an American outfielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball. In 2008 and in 2011, Quentin was selected as an All-Star.
Quentin attended Saint Pius X Elementary School (Chula Vista, California). Before Quentin went on to be a professional baseball player, he already had an outstanding sports career in both high school and college. At University of San Diego High School, he was a three-sport star, excelling in baseball, football, and basketball. He led his baseball team to two Western League Championships, while setting a record at the school with 28 home runs and 119 RBIs.
In football his senior year, he was selected First Team All-County, All-CIF, and All-Western League, and was named Western League Defensive Player of the Year as an outside linebacker. He also captured two league and two section titles. In addition, he participated on the 1997 high school state championship team in basketball. He was named the San Diego Male Athlete of the Year in 2000. Aside from sports, he was on his school honor roll. He then went on to Stanford University, where he excelled even more.
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Chad Cordero
Chad Patrick Cordero (born March 18, 1982 in Upland, California) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He broke into the big league ranks with the Montreal Expos. During the period of 2005 - 2007 he racked up 113 saves, second most in the National League behind Trevor Hoffman's 131
At age 18, Cordero was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 26th round of the 2000 draft, but he chose to enroll at Cal State Fullerton, where he was a standout reliever. With an ERA of under 1.83 he made the 1st team All-America Freshman team and was selected to the Big West All-Conference team, the latter of which he repeated in each of his next two years. In 2003, he was the Fullerton Regional MVP (College World Series), and then was drafted by the Expos in the 1st round (20th overall).
He pitched briefly in 2003, and then appeared in 69 games for the Expos in 2004, compiling an ERA of 2.94, usually appearing as a closer. He was the winning pitcher in the franchise's last Montreal Expo victory, October 2 against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium.
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Chad Gaudin
Chad Edward Gaudin ( /ɡoʊˈdæn/; born March 24, 1983 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball. He has been used as a both a starting pitcher and a reliever throughout his career, functioning as a "swingman."
Gaudin attended Crescent City Baptist High School in Metairie, Louisiana. He earned All-State and district MVP in his junior and senior years.
Gaudin was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays out of high school in the 34th round (1009th overall pick) of the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft. He signed on August 23, 2001, and did not play professionally until 2002. He played in Single-A in 2002 and recorded a 2.26 ERA which ranked him 10th in all of minor league baseball.
On July 15, 2003, in his first start after getting called up from the Single-A California League, Gaudin took the mound in the first game of a doubleheader for the Double-A Orlando Rays on the road against the Jacksonville Suns and threw a 7-inning perfect game, retiring all 21 batters he faced. (Two 7-inning games is the standard for a doubleheader in most minor leagues; Major League Baseball would later amend a rule recognizing only efforts of at least nine innings as official perfect games.) Gaudin made only two more starts and posted an 0.47 ERA for Orlando before Devil Rays' Manager Lou Piniella summoned him to the big league club.
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Chan Ho Park
Chan Ho Park (Korean: 박찬호, born June 30, 1973) is a South Korean professional baseball pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles of Korea Baseball Organization. He previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, and Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. He was the first South Korean-born player in major league history. He is 6'1" (185 cm) tall and weighs 210 lbs (95 kg).
As a high school player in South Korea, he won team Most Valuable Player honors three consecutive seasons at Kongju High School in Kongju, South Korea. He also was named the MVP at four national prep tournaments.
Park was a member of the 1992 and 1993 South Korea national baseball team. He posted a 2.76 ERA in helping South Korea earn the silver medal at the Asian Baseball Championship in 1993. He also competed in Summer Universiade in July 1993, and led his team to the silver medal.
Park was a sophomore at Hanyang University, Seoul in 1994 when he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent.
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Charlie Gehringer
Charles Leonard Gehringer (May 11, 1903 – January 21, 1993), nicknamed “The Mechanical Man,” was a German-American Major League Baseball second baseman who played 19 seasons (1924–42) for the Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest second basemen of all time, during his career Gehringer, who batted left-handed and threw with his right, compiled a .320 batting average and had seven seasons with more than 200 hits – a hit total never reached in a season by Ted Williams or Mickey Mantle and reached only once by Willie Mays. He was the American League batting champion in 1937 with a .371 average and was also named the American League’s Most Valuable Player. He was among the Top 10 vote recipients in the Most Valuable Player voting for seven straight years from 1932 to 1938. He was the starting second baseman and played every inning of the first six All Star Games.
Gehringer's career totals of 2,839 hits and 574 doubles both rank 19th in Major League history. Gehringer also led the Tigers to three American League pennants (1934, 1935, and 1940) and one World Series Championship (1935). Gehringer hit .379 in the 1934 World Series, and .375 in the 1935 Series.
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Chipper Jones
Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones, Jr. (born April 24, 1972) is an American professional baseball third baseman with the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. Although initially a shortstop, he has spent most of his career as the starting third baseman for the Braves. In 2002 and 2003, Jones primarily played left field, before returning to third base in 2004.
Jones debuted in 1993, and has played his entire career with the Atlanta Braves. Chipper won the 1999 National League Most Valuable Player Award, as well as the 1999 and 2000 National League Silver Slugger Award for third basemen. He currently holds the Braves team record for career on base percentage (.406), and on July 5, 2007, he passed Dale Murphy for third place on the Braves all-time career home run list.
In his career, through the 2011 season, Jones is a .304 hitter with 454 home runs, 1,455 walks, and 1,561 RBI in 2,387 games. He is behind only Eddie Murray on the all-time switch hitters career RBI list. He is considered one of the game's best all-around hitters, and one of the best switch hitters in the history of the game. He is the only switch hitter in Major League Baseball history to have a .300+ career (.304 at the end of the 2011 season) batting average and 400 or more home runs.
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Chris Carpenter
Christopher John Carpenter (born April 27, 1975 in Exeter, New Hampshire) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who has played for the St. Louis Cardinals since 2003, and is currently signed with the team through the 2013 season.
Carpenter was 22 years old and a highly-regarded prospect when he broke into the majors in 1997 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He stayed with Toronto until after the 2002 season. He is 6' 6" tall and weighs 230 pounds.
Carpenter began his pro career with the Medicine Hat Jays of the short-season Pioneer League in 1994. In his debut against the Great Falls Dodgers, he tossed six scoreless innings of one-hit ball, fanning nine along the way. He ended up with a mark of 6–3 and turned in the league’s third-lowest ERA. He was also picked as the Pioneer League’s #3 prospect by league managers, behind Aaron Boone and Ray Brown.
Carpenter made his major league debut as a starter against the Minnesota Twins on May 12, 1997, pitching three innings in a 12–2 loss. He would lose his first five decisions before defeating the Chicago White Sox 6–5 on August 19, 1997. Carpenter pitched his first career complete game and shutout on September 9, 1997 as Toronto defeated the Anaheim Angels 2–0. Carpenter finished his rookie season with a 3–7 record and a 5.09 ERA.
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Christy Mathewson
Christopher "Christy" Mathewson (August 12, 1880 – October 7, 1925), nicknamed "Big Six", "The Christian Gentleman", or "Matty", was an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire career in what is known as the dead-ball era. In 1936, Mathewson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.
Mathewson was born in Factoryville, Pennsylvania and began playing semi-professional baseball when he was 14 years old. He began playing in the minor leagues in 1899 and had a pitching record of 20 wins and two losses. He began an unsuccessful tenure with the New York Giants the next season and was sent back to the minors. Mathewson would eventually return to the Giants and go on to win 373 games in his career, which is a National League record. In the 1905 World Series, Mathewson pitched three shutouts in the Giants victory. Throughout his career, Mathewson would not pitch on Sundays due to his Christian beliefs. The pitcher also played professional football for the Pittsburgh Stars for a short period of time before quitting. Mathewson served in World War I and died in Saranac Lake, New York in 1925.
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Curtis Granderson
Curtis Granderson (born March 16, 1981) is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player for the New York Yankees. Before joining the Yankees in 2010, he played for the Detroit Tigers (2004–2009). Granderson is a left-handed batter who throws right-handed. A center fielder, Granderson is known for being a five-tool player. He is a two-time MLB All-Star (2009 and 2011) and won the Silver Slugger Award in 2011.
Off the field, Granderson is recognized for his commitment to the community through outreach and charity work. Many of his charitable endeavors support inner city children. He has also served as an ambassador for MLB abroad. Granderson won the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award in 2009 for his on-field performance and contributions in the community.
Granderson grew up in Lynwood, Illinois, a city south of Chicago. His father, Curtis Sr., was a dean and physical education teacher at Nathan Hale Elementary and Middle School in Chicago. His mother, Mary, taught chemistry at Curie Metropolitan High School in Chicago. Granderson's half-sister, Monica, is an English professor at Jackson State University.
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Cy Young
Denton True "Cy" Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. During his 22-year baseball career (1890–1911), he pitched for five different teams. Young established numerous pitching records, some of which have stood for a century. Young compiled 511 wins, which is most in Major League history and 94 ahead of Walter Johnson who is second on the list. Young was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937. One year after Young's death, the Cy Young Award was created to honor the previous season's best pitcher.
In addition to wins, Young still holds the Major League records for most career innings pitched (7,355), most career games started (815), and most complete games (749). He also retired with 316 losses, the most in MLB history. Young's 76 career shutouts are fourth all-time. He also won at least 30 games in a season five times, with ten other seasons of 20 or more wins. In addition, Young pitched three no-hitters, including the third perfect game in baseball history, first in baseball's "modern era". In 1999, 88 years after his final Major League appearance and 44 years after his death, editors at The Sporting News ranked Cy Young 14th on their list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players". That same year, baseball fans named him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
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Daisuke Matsuzaka
Daisuke Matsuzaka (松坂 大輔, Matsuzaka Daisuke?, born September 13, 1980) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball in the United States. He previously played for the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League. He was selected the MVP of the inaugural and the second World Baseball Classic, and is an Olympic bronze medalist.
Matsuzaka was born on September 13, 1980, in Kanita, Aomori Prefecture. He was named after Japanese high school star pitcher Daisuke Araki. Growing up in Koto, Tokyo, he studied kendo from the age of five to nine and began playing organized baseball when he was in 3rd grade.
After excelling at the Little League and junior high level, Daisuke Matsuzaka was admitted into Yokohama High School, a baseball powerhouse, in the spring of 1996. By his second of three years, he had developed into the school's ace pitcher. Despite his early success, he would experience a setback that summer when he allowed a go-ahead wild pitch in the semi-final game of the Kanagawa Prefecture preliminary round of the National High School Baseball Championship (Summer Koshien).
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Dale Long
Richard Dale Long (February 6, 1926 – January 27, 1991) was a first baseman in professional baseball. Between 1951 and 1963, Long played in Major League Baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1951, 1955–1957), St. Louis Browns (1951), Chicago Cubs (1957–1959), San Francisco Giants (1960), New York Yankees (1960, 1962–1963) and Washington Senators (1961–1962). He batted and threw left-handed.
A native of Springfield, Missouri, Long turned down an offer from the Green Bay Packers to play football, opting instead to play baseball.
Long spent six seasons in the minor leagues, playing for five different organizations before he debuted with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1951, ending that season with the St. Louis Browns. After three and one-half additional seasons in the minors, Pittsburgh gave Long another chance. He hit .291 batting average with 79 RBIs, while collecting double-figure totals in extra-base hits with 19 doubles, 13 triples, and 16 home runs.
In 1956, Long posted career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (91), made the National League All-Star team, and put his name in the record books by hitting eight home runs in eight consecutive games between May 19 and May 28. Since then, the mark has been matched only by Don Mattingly (1987) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (1993), both in the American League, both also left-handed hitters.
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Dan Wheeler
Daniel Michael Wheeler (born December 10, 1977, in Providence, Rhode Island) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Indians organization.
Wheeler attended the Pilgrim High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. He was drafted in the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft by the Devil Rays out of Central Arizona Junior College. In addition to the Rays, he has also played for the New York Mets, who traded him to the Houston Astros for minor leaguer Adam Seuss in 2004.
In 2005, Wheeler established himself as a top setup man for the Astros, going 2-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 71 games.
On October 19, 2005 during the National League Championship Series he recorded the last out at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, a fly ball which was caught by Astro Jason Lane in right field off the bat of Yadier Molina. He played on Team USA in the 2006 World Baseball Classic in the offseason.
On April 9, 2007, Wheeler became the Astros' closer, replacing Brad Lidge. However, Wheeler lost the closer job when Lidge overcame injury and returned to the team.
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Danny Goodwin
Danny Kay Goodwin (born September 2, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a Major League Baseball player from 1975 to 1982 for the California Angels, Minnesota Twins, and Oakland Athletics. Goodwin, who played a majority of his games as a designated hitter, is the only player to be the first overall pick in the Major League draft in two separate years. He was initially drafted first overall in 1971 by the Chicago White Sox, but chose to attend Southern University and A & M where Lou Brock had previously attended, as would future Brewer 2B Rickie Weeks. Four years later, he was selected by the California Angels. He appeared in 252 games for three teams over the next seven years. He appeared in 61 games at first base and 2 in the outfield, all for the Minnesota Twins, with all his other appearances as a designated hitter.
He played for the Nankai Hawks in Japanese Professional League in 1986.
In 2011, Goodwin became the first player from a Historically Black University to be inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. Goodwin enjoys that honor along side the late legendary baseball Coach and President of Grambling College - "Dr. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones."
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Danny Hultzen
Daniel Alexander Hultzen (born November 28, 1989 in Bethesda, Maryland) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. Hultzen was drafted and selected second overall by the Seattle Mariners in the 2011 MLB draft.
After graduating from Green Acres School in Rockville, Md., Hultzen attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C. where he was named First-Team All-American by Baseball America. Hultzen was drafted to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 10th round of the 2008 MLB Draft. However, Hultzen didn't sign, opting to attend college.
Hultzen enrolled at the University of Virginia, where he played college baseball for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In 2009, Hultzen won ACC Freshman of the Year for baseball and was named First-Team All-ACC. He was also named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and All-ACC Baseball Team.
In 2010, Hultzen was named ACC Pitcher of the Year. He is the first Virginia Cavalier to win the award. He was also named First-Team All-ACC a second time. Over the 2010 season, Hultzen finished with a 10-3 record and an ERA of 1.59 in 96.1 innings.
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Danny Richar
Danny Adam Richar (born June 9, 1983 in La Romana, Dominican Republic) is a second baseman in the Camden Riversharks organization of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Richar originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 9, 2001. He played for the Single-A Lancaster JetHawks from 2003 (first professional season) to 2005 including 26 games for the Double-A El Paso Diablos in 2004. He had his most home runs as a minor leaguer with 20 in 2005.
On June 16, 2007, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for outfield prospect Aaron Cunningham. He hit .346 with 5 home runs in 32 games for the White Sox Triple-A team, the Charlotte Knights, before being recalled by the big league club on July 28, 2007, after second baseman Tadahito Iguchi was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies.
On July 31, 2008, Richar along with pitcher Nick Masset were traded for outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. of the Cincinnati Reds.
On November 4, 2009, Richar filed for free agency. He signed a minor league contract with the Florida Marlins on December 21, and spent the 2010 season with their triple-A affiliate, the New Orleans Zephyrs, where he batted .315 in 128 games.
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Darnell Coles
Darnell Coles (born June 2, 1962 in San Bernardino, California) is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball player who played primarily as a third baseman and outfielder from 1983 to 1997. He is currently the hitting coordinator for the Milwaukee Brewers' player development staff.
On June 3, 1980, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1980 Major League Baseball Draft. Coles turned down a baseball and football scholarship to UCLA to sign with the Mariners.
In 1986, he hit a career-high 20 home runs for the Detroit Tigers.
In 2006, Coles was named the roving hitting instructor for the Washington Nationals organization. In 2007, he was the manager of the Vermont Lake Monsters and manager of the Single-A Hagerstown Suns in 2008.
On November 19, 2008, he was named the hitting coach for the Nationals' Triple-A affiliate, the Syracuse Chiefs.
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Darrel Akerfelds
Darrel Wayne Akerfelds (born June 12, 1962 in Denver, Colorado) is the current bullpen coach of Major League Baseball's San Diego Padres. He has held this position since 2001. He also pitched in the major leagues in parts of five seasons between 1986 and 1991, playing for the Oakland Athletics, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies.
Akerfelds graduated from Columbine High School.
Akerfelds played collegiate baseball for the University of Arkansas and Mesa State College.
Akerfelds was drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 7th overall pick in the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft. Just a little over five months later, he was traded to Oakland, with whom he made his major league debut in 1986. He appeared in just two games for the A's before being traded again, this time to the Indians, in July 1987.
Akerfelds spent a good chunk of the 1987 season in Cleveland, appearing in 16 games, 13 as a starter, with a win-loss record of 2-6 and a 6.75 ERA. After spending all of 1988 in the minor leagues, he was taken off the major league roster, then was selected in the rule 5 draft by the Texas Rangers.
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Darren Daulton
Darren Arthur Daulton (born January 3, 1962 in Arkansas City, Kansas), nicknamed Dutch, is a former catcher in Major League Baseball best remembered for his years with the Philadelphia Phillies. He has been called the "Greatest Clubhouse Leader the Phillies ever had." He earned a World Series ring with the Florida Marlins in 1997.
Daulton was drafted by the Phillies in the 25th round of the 1980 MLB draft. He was an all-star with the AA Reading Phillies in 1983.
On September 25, 1983, Daulton made his major league debut for the Phillies. Between 1983 and 1988 Daulton played sparingly, due much to the presence of all-star catchers Ozzie Virgil and Lance Parrish. Daulton became the Phillies' full time catcher in 1989.
Daulton caught Terry Mulholland's no-hitter on August 15, 1990.
Daulton's finest season came in 1992. That season, Daulton led the National League in runs batted in with 109. Daulton also finished in the top 10 in on base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, home runs, walks, runs created, and extra base hits. Daulton's impressive season earned him his first all-star appearance, the National League Silver Slugger award, and sixth place in National League MVP voting.
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Darryl Strawberry
Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is a former American Major League Baseball outfielder. Strawberry was well known for his play on the field and for his controversial behavior off it. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the game, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6-foot-6 frame and his long, looping swing that elicited comparisons to Ted Williams.
During his 17-year career, he helped lead the New York Mets to a World Series championship in 1986 and the New York Yankees to three World Series championships in 1996, 1998 and 1999. A popular player during his career, Strawberry was voted to the All-Star Game eight straight times from 1984–1991. Strawberry was formerly an analyst for SportsNet New York. His memoir, "Straw: Finding My Way," written in collaboration with author John Strausbaugh, was published on April 28, 2009 by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins publishers.
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Dave Henderson
David Lee Henderson (born July 21, 1958 in Dos Palos, California), nicknamed Hendu, is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Seattle Mariners (1981–1986), Boston Red Sox (1986–1987), San Francisco Giants (1987), Oakland Athletics (1988–1993) and Kansas City Royals (1994). He batted and threw right-handed. He attended Dos Palos High School, where his football #42 and baseball #22 were both retired for his hometown Broncos, who wear blue and gold. He graduated from Dos Palos High School in 1977.
Henderson helped his teams reach the World Series four times during his career (1986 with Boston, 1988–1990 with Oakland). However, his only World Championship ring came in 1989, when the A's swept their Bay Area rivals, the San Francisco Giants.
Henderson is best remembered for the two-out, two-strike home run he hit in the top of the ninth inning in Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS.[citation needed] At the time, the California Angels were playing at home and had a 3-1 series lead. They had a 5-2 lead going into the ninth and were three outs away from their first-ever trip to the World Series, but Boston closed the gap to 5-4 on a two-run home run by former Angel Don Baylor.
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Dave Parker
David Gene "The Cobra" Parker (born June 9, 1951 in Calhoun, Mississippi) is an American former player in Major League Baseball. He was the 1978 National League MVP and a two-time batting champion. Parker was the first professional athlete to earn an average of one million dollars per year, having signed a 5-year, $5 million dollar contract in January 1979. Parker's career achievements include 2712 hits, 339 home runs, 1493 runs batted in and a lifetime batting average of .290. Parker was also known as a solid defensive outfielder during the first half of his career, with a powerful arm. From 1975 to 1979, he threw out 72 runners, including 26 in 1977.
He was a baseball All-Star in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, and 1990. In the 1979 All-Star Game, Parker showcased his defensive ability and powerful arm by throwing out Jim Rice at third base and Angels catcher Brian Downing at home. Parker also contributed an RBI on a sacrifice fly and was named the game's MVP.
In the early 1970s, as a member of the Pirates AAA minor league ball team Charleston (WV) Charlies, Parker hit a home run that landed on a coal car on a passing train and the ball was later picked up in Columbus Ohio. He began his major league career on July 12, 1973 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, for whom he played from 1973 to 1983. In 1977, he was National League batting champion, a feat he repeated in 1978 when he was named the National League's MVP. This was in spite of a collision at home plate with John Stearns during a game against the Mets on June 30, 1978 in which Parker fractured his jaw and cheekbone; he wore a facemask in order to minimize his time away from the lineup. The Pirates rewarded him with baseball's first million-dollar-per-year contract. The following year, he was an instrumental part of the Pirates' World Series championship team.
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Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield (born October 3, 1951) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight. Over his 22-year career, he played for six teams: the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Indians. In 2004, ESPN named him the third-best all-around athlete of all time in any sport. He is a member of both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Winfield was born the same day Bobby Thomson hit his pennant-winning home run for the New York Giants, known as "the shot heard 'round the world", and grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents divorced when he was three years old, leaving him and his older brother Stephen to be raised by their mom, Arline, and a huge extended family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and mentors.
The Winfield brothers honed their athletic skills in St. Paul's Oxford playground, where coach Bill Peterson was one of the first to take the young Winfield under his wing. It wasn't until his senior year in high school that Winfield became a formidable 6'6" athlete.
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David Clyde
David Eugene Clyde (born April 22, 1955 in Kansas City, Kansas) is a former left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who played all or part of five seasons for the Texas Rangers (1973 to 1975) and Cleveland Indians (1978 to 1979). His once promising baseball career ended at age 26 because of arm injuries.
Clyde had a stellar high school baseball career at Westchester High School in Houston where he finished with a record of 18-0 as a senior and only three earned runs in 148 innings pitched. He was the first person selected in the 1973 MLB Draft. He received a $125,000 ($654,423 today) signing bonus, the highest bonus ever given to a draft pick at the time.
Rangers owner Bob Short was looking for some sort of spark to boost attendance. In their first year after moving from Washington, D.C., the Rangers had the second-smallest gate in the American League, ahead of only the Cleveland Indians. Clyde agreed to sign a contract, but wanted to make two starts in Arlington before heading to the minors. Clyde won his first ever Major League start, before 37,000 fans—the first sellout in Arlington Stadium history. He pitched well in his next start as well, and the Rangers dropped all plans to send him to the minors. The youngest player to play in a major league game in 1973, Clyde pitched a total of eighteen games (all starts) that season, finishing with a record of 4-8, with a 5.01 ERA.
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David Justice
David Christopher Justice (born April 14, 1966) is an American former outfielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1989–1996), Cleveland Indians (1997–2000), New York Yankees (2000–2001), and Oakland Athletics (2002).
David was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Robert and Nettie Justice. His father left the family when Justice was two years old. Justice graduated from Covington Latin School in Covington, Kentucky at age 16 in 1982. He skipped the seventh and eighth grades. He then attended Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky majoring in Criminal Justice.
Justice made his major league debut in May 1989, playing for the last-place Braves. The young right fielder earned the starting job after Braves fan favorite Dale Murphy was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Justice promptly went on an offensive tear during the second half of the 1990 season, finishing with 28 home runs, which helped him claim the National League's Rookie of the Year Award. In 1991, the upstart Braves surged to the top of their division and Justice was leading the National League in runs batted in when he was sidelined by a nagging back injury in June. He finished with 87 runs batted in despite the injury and played in his first World Series.
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David Ortiz
David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. Previously, Ortiz played with the Minnesota Twins from 1997 until 2002. Ortiz is a seven-time All-Star and holds the Red Sox single season record for home runs in a regular season with 54, set during the 2006 season. In 2005, Red Sox ownership presented him with a plaque proclaiming Ortiz "the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox".
Ortiz graduated from Estudia Espallat High School in the Dominican Republic and in 1992 he was signed by the Seattle Mariners who listed him as "David Arias". He played for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a Mariners farm team, until 1996, when he was traded to the Minnesota Twins as the player to be named later in an earlier trade for Dave Hollins. When he arrived in Minnesota, he informed the team that he preferred to be listed as "David Ortiz."
He made his Twins debut in September 1997. For a few years, he was moved back and forth between the Twins and their minor league affiliate in Connecticut, the New Britain Rock Cats. The Twins advanced to the American League Championship Series that year, where they lost to the Anaheim Angels. Despite showing flashes of talent, Ortiz's time with the Twins will be remembered as a series of injuries and inconsistency both in the field and at the plate. Ortiz suffered wrist injuries in both 1998 and 2001. He continued to experience knee problems in early 2002 that plagued him throughout the season, despite hitting 32 doubles, 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 125 games. He was released by the Twins after the season. In six seasons with the Twins, Ortiz hit 58 home runs and 238 RBI.
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Delmon Young
Delmon Damarcus Young (born September 14, 1985) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League. He is the younger brother of former major league outfielder and first baseman Dmitri Young. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama.
Young is known for having a strong and accurate throwing arm.Don Zimmer, now a consultant with the Rays, has compared Young's arm to that of Jesse Barfield or Raúl Mondesí. In terms of hitting ability, at 6'3", 205 pounds, he presents an intimidating and strong plate presence, and his potential has often been compared to that of Albert Belle.
Young graduated from Adolfo Camarillo High School in 2003, located in Camarillo, California, whereupon he was drafted first overall in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft.
In 2005, Young hit .336 with 20 home runs, 71 RBI and an OPS of .968 in 2005, in 84 games with the Double-A Montgomery Biscuits, winning the Southern League Most Valuable Player despite playing barely more than half the season. Young was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on July 15, 2005, where he batted .285 with six home runs and 28 RBIs in 52 games. After the season was over, he was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year and its number one overall prospect for the 2006 season. Young finished his minor league career with a .318 batting average.
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Dennis Eckersley
Dennis Lee Eckersley (born October 3, 1954), nicknamed "Eck", is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. Eckersley had success as a starter, but gained his greatest fame as a closer, becoming the first of only two pitchers in Major League history to have both a 20-win season and a 50-save season in a career (the other being John Smoltz).
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, his first year of eligibility. He is also noted as the pitcher who gave up a dramatic, walk-off home run (a phrase Eckersley coined after this home run) to the injured Kirk Gibson in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.
Eckersley was drafted by the Cleveland Indians out of Washington High School of Fremont, California, in the third round of the 1972 amateur draft, and made his Major League debut on April 12, 1975. He was the American League Rookie Pitcher of the Year in 1975, compiling a 13–7 record and 2.60 ERA. His unstyled, long hair, moustache, and live fastball made him an instant and identifiable fan favorite. Eckersley pitched reliably over three seasons with the Indians; he even threw the 200th no-hitter in history on May 30, 1977, against the California Angels.
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Denny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain (born March 29, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a pitcher in Major League Baseball for ten seasons, most notably for the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain became the last pitcher in Major League Baseball to win 30 or more games during a season (31–6)— a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century.
McLain was brash and outspoken, sometimes creating controversy by criticizing teammates and fans with little provocation. His stellar performance at the beginning of his professional baseball career was a marked contrast to his personal life, where he became associated with organized crime and was eventually convicted on charges of embezzlement and served time in prison.
McLain was born in Markham, Illinois and attended Mt. Carmel High School in Chicago, where he played on the baseball team as a shortstop and pitcher. As a teenager, he met his future wife, Sharyn Boudreau, the daughter of former major league player, Lou Boudreau. McLain was also musically talented, learning to play the organ from his father.
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Derek Jeter
Derek Sanderson Jeter ( /ˈdʒiːtər/; born June 26, 1974) is an American baseball shortstop who has played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees. A five-time World Series champion, Jeter has been a central figure of the Yankees during their success of the 1990s and 2000s due to his clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning. He is the Yankees' all-time career leader in hits (3,155), games played (2,472), stolen bases (342), and at bats (10,066). His accolades include twelve All-Star selections, five Gold Glove Awards, four Silver Slugger Awards, two Hank Aaron Awards, and the Roberto Clemente Award. Jeter is the all-time MLB leader in hits by a shortstop, and the 28th player to reach 3,000 hits.
The Yankees drafted Jeter out of high school in 1992, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1995. The following year, he became the Yankees' starting shortstop, won the Rookie of the Year Award, and helped the team win the 1996 World Series. Jeter continued to contribute during the team's championship seasons of 1998–2000; he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award in 1998, recorded multiple career-high numbers in 1999, and won both the All-Star Game MVP and World Series MVP Awards in 2000. He has consistently placed among the AL leaders in hits and runs scored for the past ten years, and since 2003 has served as the Yankees' team captain.
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Dick Allen
Richard Anthony Allen (born March 8, 1942 in Wampum, Pennsylvania) is a former Major League Baseball player and R&B singer. He played first and third base and outfield in Major League Baseball and ranked among his sport's top offensive producers of the 1960s and early 1970s. Most notably playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox, he led the American League in home runs twice, and led both leagues in slugging average (the AL twice) and on base percentage. His .534 career slugging average ranks among the highest in an era marked by low averages. He won the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year and 1972 AL MVP. He also spoke his mind, combatted racism, and bucked organizational hierarchy. Sabermetrician Bill James rated Dick Allen as the second-most controversial player in baseball history, behind Rogers Hornsby.
His older brother Hank was a reserve outfielder for three AL teams, and his younger brother Ron was briefly a first baseman with the 1972 St. Louis Cardinals.
Allen hit a baseball with an authority Philadelphia fans had not seen since Chuck Klein and Jimmie Foxx. The Phillies saw his potential immediately and signed him in 1960 for a large $70,000 bonus. His career got off to a turbulent start as he faced racial harassment while playing for the Phillies' minor league affiliate in Little Rock; residents staged protest parades against Allen, the local team's first black player. Nevertheless, he led the league in total bases.
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Dmitri Young
Dmitri Dell Young (born October 11, 1973 in Vicksburg, Mississippi) was a Major League Baseball first baseman who is retired. Young is 6'2" and 232 pounds. On March 18, 2010, he was introduced as the Vice President and Senior Advisor of Baseball Operations and Special Hitting and Fielding Instructor of the Oakland County Cruisers minor league baseball team; Young announced his retirement the same day.
Young attended Rio Mesa High School in Oxnard, California. As a senior, he batted .425 with 11 home runs, 31 RBI, 37 runs, and 8 doubles, and earned USA Today High School All-American honors.
Young was a first round draft pick (number four overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1991 June amateur draft. In 1995, Young punched a fan who had been heckling him, which earned him a suspension from the Texas League. Finally, in 1996, he had a big year at Triple-A Louisville, batting .333, being chosen as a Triple-A All-Star first baseman and the St. Louis Cardinals Minor League Player of the Year. He was called up at the end of the season and played a few games with St. Louis in the majors.
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Don Mattingly
Donald Arthur "Don" Mattingly (born April 20, 1961) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nicknamed "The Hit Man" and "Donnie Baseball", he played his entire 14-year major league baseball career for the New York Yankees (1982–1995).
Mattingly was named to the American League (AL) All-Star team six times. He won nine Gold Glove Awards, three Silver Slugger Awards, and was the 1985 AL Most Valuable Player. Mattingly served as captain of the Yankees from 1991 through 1995, and the Yankees retired his uniform number after his retirement. After his playing career, Mattingly served as a hitting coach for the Yankees and Dodgers prior to taking on his current position as manager of the Dodgers.
A graduate of Memorial High School in Evansville, Indiana in 1979, he led the Tigers to a state record 59 straight victories through the 1978-79 season. In 1978 the Tigers were crowned State Champions and were State Runners-up in 1979. Don was the L.V. Phillips Mental Attitude recipient in 1979. He was All-City, All-SIAC (Southern Indiana Athletic Conference), and All State in both 1978 and 1979. During the four years he played in high school the Tigers compiled a 94-9-1 won – loss record and Don hit .463. He still holds Memorial records for hits (152); doubles (29): triples (25 - also the state record); RBIs (140); and runs scored (99).
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Don Sutton
Donald Howard Sutton (born April 2, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher and current radio sportscaster. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.
Sutton was born in Clio, Alabama, a small town in Barbour County, and on the same date as future Dodger teammate Reggie Smith. He was born to sharecroppers at the end of World War II, in a tar-paper shack. At the time Sutton was born his father was 18 and his mother was 15. Sutton's father, Howard, gave him the strong work ethic that he had throughout his career. His father tried logging and construction work, and in looking for work, moved the family to Molino, Florida, just north of Pensacola.
Sutton attended J. M. Tate High School in Cantonment/Gonzalez, Florida where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He led his baseball team to the small-school state finals two years in row, winning his junior year, 1962, and losing 2–1 in his senior year, and was named all-county, all-conference, and all-state for both of those seasons. He graduated in 1963, and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed". He wanted to attend the University of Florida, but then coach Dave Fuller was not interested. Instead he attended Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Florida for one year, and then after a good summer league, was signed by the Dodgers.
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Don Wakamatsu
Wilbur Donald "Don" Wakamatsu (born February 22, 1963 in Hood River, Oregon) is a former Major League Baseball catcher and manager. He was the manager of the Seattle Mariners for the 2009 season, as well as the majority of the 2010 season. He is currently the Toronto Blue Jays bench coach for the 2011 season.
Wakamatsu was a three-sport star at the Bay Area's Hayward High School in California, and ultimately chose baseball over football due to his lack of size. He and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio were baseball and football teammates while there.
He was also an All Pac-10 catcher during his last three years at Arizona State University, where he was a teammate of Barry Bonds and Alvin Davis. He was drafted by the New York Yankees as the last pick of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft, but decided to return to ASU.
Wakamatsu was drafted in the 11th round of the 1985 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He reached the Double-A level before the Reds released him before the 1989 season.
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Dontrelle Willis
Dontrelle Wayne Willis (born January 12, 1982), nicknamed "The D-Train", is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles organization. Willis is notable for his success during his first few years in the league and for his unconventional pitching style, which includes a high leg kick and exaggerated twisting away from the batter. Willis was named the 2003 National League Rookie of the Year.
Growing up in Alameda near Oakland, Willis rooted for the Oakland A's as a kid. His mother Joyce was a soft ball catcher for her high school team. Willis' favorite player was former Oakland A's pitcher, Dave Stewart. Willis attended Encinal High School in Alameda, California, where he played baseball for four years. He is the son of Clinton Ostah, a former minor league player in the 1970s. In Willis' senior year, he went 12–1 with a 0.83 earned run average in 70 innings. Scouts never doubted his talents, but rather his unusual pitching mechanics. One scout even called him a "Poor man's CC Sabathia." He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 8th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. In 2001, Willis was bumped up to the Boise Hawks of the Northwest League. He finished with 8 wins and a 2.98 ERA. Opposing hitters only batted .217 against Willis. In a Baseball America poll, several NWL managers called Willis Boise's best player.[citation needed]
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Dustin Ackley
Dustin Michael Ackley (born February 26, 1988) is an American professional baseball second baseman with the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. Ackley was drafted and selected second overall by the Mariners in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. After going through a transformation to develop his skills defensively at second base, he joined the Mariners June 17, 2011, and is now the club's starting second baseman.
Ackley attended North Forsyth High School where he pitched and played third base. Ackley also played three years at South Stokes High School. He earned preseason and postseason Louisville Slugger All-American honors as a senior. He was Conference Player of the Year as a junior. He helped South Stokes to North Carolina 1A state titles in 2003 and 2004.
On the academics side of high school he was a member of the A Honor Roll.
Ackley attended the University of North Carolina. He enjoyed one of the finest offensive seasons in program history in 2007. He set Carolina single-season records and led the nation with 119 hits, 296 at-bats and 73 games played. He started all 73 games, including 65 at first base. He hit .402 to become just the fifth Tar Heel to bat over .400 in a single season. His 74 runs set a UNC rookie record.
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Dustin Pedroia
Dustin Luis Pedroia (born August 17, 1983, in Woodland, California) is an American professional baseball second baseman. Pedroia has won several awards in Major League Baseball, including the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year and the 2008 AL MVP award. He also won a Silver Slugger as a second baseman and a Gold Glove in 2008 and 2011. He finished second overall in the AL in batting average in 2008. In addition to his offensive performance, Pedroia has been a major defensive contributor to the Red Sox.
Pedroia is listed by Major League Baseball and the Red Sox as 5' 8" (173 cm) and 165 pounds. In 2003 a USA Today article gave his height as 5' 7" (170 cm), and when he was in college the NCAA and Arizona State University gave his height as 5' 8".
Pedroia attended Woodland Senior High School in Woodland, California. Pedroia batted .445 his senior year and was chosen as his league's most valuable player. Good childhood friend and high school teamate Frankie Vartuli gave him some inspirational words before he started his college season. What was said on the rainy Thursday night during the phone conversation was, "In order to excel, you must be completely dedicated to your chosen sport. You must also be prepared to work hard and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Without one-hundred percent dedication, you won't be able to do this." Vartuli used the famous quote from Willie Mays to inspire the 5 foot 7 phenom to excel in college.
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Dwayne Murphy
Dwayne Keith Murphy (born on March 18, 1955, in Merced, California) is a former Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career playing for the Oakland Athletics as an outfielder. He is currently the hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 1973 and made his Major League debut in 1978. He spent nine years with the Athletics and played under managers, Billy Martin, Sparky Anderson, and Tony LaRussa. The A's made the playoffs in 1981, where they lost to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. In those playoffs, Murphy hit .421 and hit one home run in six games. Murphy's biggest offensive year came in 1984, where he hit 33 home runs and drove in 88 runs. Murphy also drew many walks, and had excellent speed on the base paths. He stole 26 bases in both 1980 and 1982.
He was also one of the best defensive outfielders of his time, receiving six consecutive Gold Gloves from 1980 through 1985. Murphy had a signature play where his hat blew off his head virtually every time he made a spectacular catch. It occasionally even happened on routine fly balls and it eventually became Murphy's trademark.
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Dwight Evans
Dwight Michael Evans (born November 3, 1951), nicknamed "Dewey", is an American former professional baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox (1972–90) and Baltimore Orioles (1991) in Major League Baseball.
Evans won eight Gold Glove Awards (1976, 1978–79 and 1981–85). In the 1970s and 1980s, Evans played in the outfield with Jim Rice as well as all-stars Fred Lynn and Tony Armas.
Evans was born in Santa Monica, California. He played Pony League and Colt League Baseball in Northridge, California with Doug De Cinces. Dwight attended Granada Hills High School in the tenth grade, but was not happy with the poor treatment he received from the baseball coaches. He then transferred to Chatsworth High School and played alongside Rick Rieger. Evans started his career by winning International League MVP honors, but in his early major league career, he was primarily a defensive standout with a modest bat. In the second half of his career, he became a powerful batter.
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Eddie Mathews
Edwin Lee Mathews (October 13, 1931 – February 18, 2001) was an American professional baseball player He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman, most notably on the Milwaukee Braves. Mathews is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen ever to play the game. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Mathews was born in Texarkana, Texas. He was six years old when his family moved to Santa Barbara, California. The Santa Barbara High School baseball field, where he developed into a star high school baseball player, is named after him. Mathews was signed by the Boston Braves in 1949. He continued to shine in their farm system as a left-handed hitting third baseman who hit towering home runs.
Mathews was brought up to the major leagues in 1952, Mathews hit 25 home runs, including three in one game. In 1953 the Braves moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he batted .302, hit 47 home runs, and drove in 135 runs. For nine straight seasons he hit at least 30 home runs, including leading the National League twice (1953, 1959).
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Eddie Murray
Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He was known as one of the most reliable and productive hitters of his era. Murray is regarded as one of the best switch hitters ever to play the game. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Murray was the eighth child of twelve and still has 5 sisters and 4 brothers, and has often quipped that as a child, he did not have to go far for a pick-up baseball game. The games were quite fierce and his older brothers never let him win. He carried that competitive edge to each of his next levels of baseball. At his Hall of Fame induction, Murray thanked his little league coach, Clifford Prelow, for teaching him not just the game of baseball but also love for the game as well. Prelow, an ex-Dodger minor leaguer, also worked his boys hard; making them run out every ground ball and threatening them with 100 yard wind sprints if they did not work. Prelow remembers that young Murray never earned that punishment. Later, Murray attended Locke High School in Los Angeles, California, where he batted .500 as a senior and was a teammate of Ozzie Smith.
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Ellis Burks
Ellis Rena Burks (born September 11, 1964 in Vicksburg, Mississippi) is a former outfielder and designated hitter who played in Major League Baseball for 18 seasons. He batted and threw right-handed.
Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 1st round (20th pick) of the 1983 Major League Baseball Draft, Burks made his debut in the 1987 season as a regular center fielder at age 22, becoming the third player in the Red Sox history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in one season. He was selected to both the Baseball Digest and Topps "All-Rookie" teams. Defensively, Burks showed excellent range, a sure glove and a strong arm. The only problem for Burks while with the Red Sox was that he was injury-prone. He had shoulder surgery in 1989, and it was the first of many setbacks for him. During the 1990 season he hit two home runs in the same inning of a game, to become the second player in Red Sox history to achieve the feat. Bill Regan was the first, in 1928.
Later Burks suffered from bad knees and back spasms. After six pretty good seasons in Boston, and despite his injuries, he ended up leaving as a free agent and signing with the Chicago White Sox in January 1993. He found his old self in Chicago. He surpassed all expectations around him by turning in a solid, injury-free season, filling the White Sox urgent need for a quality right fielder. He was one of the club's better performers in the playoffs, batting .304. A free agent at the end of the season, he signed a lucrative five-year contract with the Colorado Rockies (1994–98).
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Elston Howard
Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American Negro League and Major League Baseball catcher, left fielder and coach. During a 14-year baseball career, he played from 1955–1968, primarily for the New York Yankees. The first African American player on the Yankees roster, he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player for the 1963 pennant winners after finishing third in the league in slugging average and fifth in home runs, becoming the first black player in AL history to win the honor. He won Gold Glove Awards in 1963 and 1964, in the latter season setting AL records for putouts and total chances in a season. His lifetime fielding percentage of .993 was a major league record from 1967 to 1973, and he retired among the AL career leaders in putouts (7th, 6,447) and total chances (9th, 6,977). One of the most regular World Series participants in history, he appeared in ten of them, winning six, and ranks among Series career leaders in several categories. His lifetime slugging average of .427 ranked fourth among AL catchers at the time of his retirement.
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Ernie Banks
Ernest "Ernie" Banks (born January 31, 1931 in Dallas, Texas), nicknamed "Mr. Cub", is a retired professional baseball player. He played as a shortstop and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 19 seasons on the National League's (NL) Chicago Cubs team, from 1953 through 1971. Banks was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, in 1999.
Banks was a letterman and standout in football, basketball and track at Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas, Texas, from which he graduated in 1950.
Banks signed with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1950 and broke into the Major Leagues in 1953 with the Chicago Cubs as their first black player. He played for the Cubs his entire career, starting at shortstop and moving to first base in 1962.
Initially Banks' double play partner was Gene Baker, the second black player on the Cubs, and Banks' roommate on road trips. Thus making Banks and Baker, the first all black double play combination in major league history. When Steve Bilko would play first base, Cubs' announcer and home-town rooter Bert Wilson would refer to the Banks-Baker-Bilko double play combination as "Bingo to Bango to Bilko". This combination would not last quite as long as "Tinker to Evers to Chance", but Banks would become a Cubs institution.
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Fernando Tatís
Fernando Tatís, Jr. (born January 1, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He previously played for the Texas Rangers (1997–1998), St. Louis Cardinals (1998–2000), Montreal Expos (2001–2003), Baltimore Orioles (2006) and New York Mets (2008–2010). Tatis holds the Major League record for RBI's in an inning, a feat he achieved by hitting 2 Grand Slams in one inning during an April 23, 1999 game, also becoming the only player in Major League history to hit two grand slams in one inning.
At 17 years old, Tatís was signed as an amateur free agent by the Texas Rangers on August 25, 1992. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Rangers at third base almost five years later on July 26, 1997 and would go on to play 60 games with the Rangers in his rookie season. At the trade deadline on July 31, 1998, the Rangers traded Tatís along with Darren Oliver and Mark Little to the St. Louis Cardinals for Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre.
Tatís enjoyed a career year in 1999 with the St. Louis Cardinals, when he hit 34 home runs with 107 RBI and 21 stolen bases while posting a .298 batting average. On April 23, 1999, Tatís made history by hitting two grand slams in a single inning; the only player to do so in the history of MLB. He hit both against Chan Ho Park of the Los Angeles Dodgers. With this feat, Tatís also set a Major League record with eight RBI in a single inning. After only playing in 96 games in 2000 due to injury, Tatís was traded to the Montreal Expos with Britt Reames for Dustin Hermanson and Steve Kline. Unfortunately for the Expos, Tatís would only play in 208 games over the span of three seasons for them due to various injuries and time on the disabled list.
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Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson (born August 31, 1935) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He played from 1956 to 1976, most notably for the Cincinnati Reds and the Baltimore Orioles. He is the only player to win league MVP honors in both the National and American Leagues. He won the Triple crown, was a member of two teams that won the World Series (the 1966 and 1970 Baltimore Orioles), and amassed the fourth-most career home runs at the time of his retirement (he is currently ninth). Robinson was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Robinson was the first African-American hired to serve as manager in Major League history. He managed the Cleveland Indians during the last two years of his playing career, compiling a 186–189 record. He went on to manage the San Francisco Giants, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals.
Robinson attended McClymonds High School in Oakland, California, where he was a basketball teammate of Bill Russell. During the off-season while playing for the Reds in the late 1950s, he attended Xavier University in Cincinnati.
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Franklin Gutiérrez
Franklin Rafael Gutiérrez (born February 21, 1983, in Caracas, Venezuela), nicknamed "Guti" & "Death To Flying Things", is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Seattle Mariners. He bats and throws right-handed and is regarded as one of the game's best defensive outfielders.
On November 18, 2000, Gutiérrez was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent. On April 3, 2004, Gutiérrez was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers with a player to be named later (Andrew Brown) to the Cleveland Indians for Milton Bradley and was assigned to Double-A Akron. He entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and the top position prospect, possessing five-tool ability. Previously, Los Angeles refused to include Gutierrez in a deal over the winter that would have landed the Dodgers first baseman Richie Sexson.
In 2005, Gutiérrez posted a .261 batting average and 42 RBI for Akron, and hit .254 with seven RBI in 19 games with Triple-A Buffalo(Which are now the Columbus Clippers). Between his two minor league stops, he stole 16 bases in 22 attempts. He was among the players that the Indians called up when major league rosters expanded August 31.
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Fred Lynn
Fredric Michael "Fred" Lynn (born February 3, 1952) is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1974–1980), California Angels (1981–1984), Baltimore Orioles (1985–1988), Detroit Tigers (1988–1989) and San Diego Padres (1990).
Fred Lynn was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2002 and to the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
After graduation from USC, Lynn started his career for the Red Sox with a phenomenal 1975 season in which he won the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards, the first player ever to win both in the same season. (The feat has since been duplicated by Seattle Mariners right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.) Lynn and fellow rookie outfielder Jim Rice were dubbed as the “Gold Dust Twins” because of their combined baseball talents. In 1975, Lynn led the American League in doubles, runs scored and slugging percentage, finished second in the batting race with a .331 average, and won a Gold Glove Award for his defensive play. On June 18 he bombed the Tigers with 3 HR, 10 RBI, and 16 total bases in one game.
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Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff (born October 31, 1963 in Tampa, Florida) is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in 1992, the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both leagues in home runs. Although he never hit more than 37 homers in a single season, he finished his career only seven homers away from joining the exclusive 500 home run club. He won a World Series title as a first baseman with the Atlanta Braves in 1995. He currently works in the Tampa Bay Rays' front office as an advisor. He also currently works for Bright House Sports Network as a co-host for "The Baysball Show".
McGriff's nickname, "Crime Dog", is a play on McGruff, a cartoon dog created for American police to raise children's awareness on crime prevention. At first, McGriff stated he would prefer "Fire Dog" (a reference to a fire in the press-box of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium the day the Braves acquired him from the Padres; symbolically, the then-slumping Braves "caught fire" and ended up winning their division), but since has stated that he actually is fond of the "Crime Dog" nickname.
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Garret Anderson
Garret Joseph Anderson (born June 30, 1972, in Los Angeles, California) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played most of his career with the California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels (appearing with the team under all three of its recent names). He is the Angels' franchise leader in games played, at bats, hits, total bases, singles, doubles, grand slams, extra-base hits, career RBIs, single-game RBIs, and consecutive games (12) with an RBI.
Garret Anderson attended Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, California. While there, he was a three-sport star in baseball, football, and basketball. In baseball, he won two All-Los Angeles City honors and two All-League Honors, and as a junior, helped his team win the Los Angeles City Championship. In basketball, as a senior, he won All-Los Angeles City honors and All-League honors.
Anderson was drafted by the California Angels in the fourth round of the 1990 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut on July 27, 1994. He had two hits in four at-bats in that game, recording his first career hit on a single to right field off of Oakland Athletics pitcher Ron Darling in the bottom of the third. He appeared in only five games with the Angels in 1994, getting five hits in 13 at-bats.
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Gary Carter
Gary Edmund Carter (April 8, 1954 – February 16, 2012) was an American professional baseball catcher whose 21-year career was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Nicknamed "Kid" for his youthful exuberance, Carter was named an All-Star 11 times, and was a member of one World Series championship team.
Known throughout his career for his hard hitting as well has his excellent defense behind the plate, Carter made a major contribution to the Mets' World Series championship in 1986, including a 12th-inning single against the Houston Astros that won Game 5 of the NLCS and a 10th-inning single against the Boston Red Sox to start the fabled comeback rally in Game 6 of the World Series. He is one of only three people ever to be named captain of the Mets, and he had his number retired by the Expos.
After retiring from baseball, Carter coached baseball at the college and minor-league level. He was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Carter was born in Culver City, California in 1954 to Jim Carter, an aircraft worker, and his wife, Inge. When Gary was 12, Inge died of leukemia. He attended high school at Sunny Hills High School, in Fullerton, CA, where he played football as a quarterback and baseball as an infielder. After receiving more than 100 scholarships for athletics, Carter signed a letter of intent to play football at University of California, Los Angeles, but instead signed with the Montreal Expos after they drafted him in the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft.
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Gary Majewski
Gary Wayne Majewski ( /məˈdʒɛski/; born February 26, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Majewski graduated in 1998 from St. Pius X High School in Houston, where he was unanimously selected for Houston Player of the Year for his achievement of maintaining a 1.64 ERA and a 14-3 record. With that, he led his team to the state championship in Class 5A TAPPS.
In the majors, Majewski had an ERA of 12.93 and 4 wins and 4 losses during the 2005 season. In his career, he has pitched 2400.3 innings, as of the 2008 season.
Majewski was traded by the Washington Nationals to the Cincinnati Reds along with Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, and Brendan Harris for Austin Kearns, Felipe López, and Ryan Wagner. The trade caused some controversy, as the Reds front office was apparently unaware of cortisone shots that had been given to Majewski because of arm pain before the trade. It was alleged that Majeski was known to be injured by Washington GM Jim Bowden and the trade was an attempt to dump him for some value to some unsuspecting team. In his time with that Nationals Mejewski was very good, with a 2.93 ERA in 2005 and a 3.58 ERA with Washington up until he was traded.
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Gary Pettis
Gary George Pettis (born April 3, 1958, in Oakland, California) is the current first base coach of the Texas Rangers. Prior to coaching, he spent eleven seasons as a center fielder in Major League Baseball.
Pettis was selected in the 6th round of the 1979 draft by the Angels, and played minor league baseball for the Salinas Spurs of the class "A" California League in 1980, then the Holyoke Millers of the double "A" Eastern League in 1981. In 1982, Pettis was promoted to the California Angels, where he played the first six seasons of his career.
After the 1987 season, Pettis went on to play two seasons with the Detroit Tigers, 1988 through the following season of 1989. After two years with Detroit, Pettis joined the Texas Rangers for two seasons 1990-91. Pettis finished his career in the major leagues in 1992. The 1992 season saw Pettis play for two different teams. After leaving the Texas Rangers, Pettis joined the San Diego Padres for the 1992 season but ended that season back in Detroit with the Tigers.
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Gary Sheffield
Gary Antonian Sheffield (born November 18, 1968) is an American retired professional baseball outfielder. He played with eight teams in Major League Baseball from 1988 to 2009, primarily as an outfielder. He currently works as an agent.
For most of his career, Sheffield has played right field, though he has also played left field, third base, shortstop, and a handful of games at first base. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, and the New York Mets. Sheffield was a first-round pick of the Brewers, who selected him sixth overall in the 1986 amateur draft after a standout prep career at Hillsborough High School in Tampa. He bats and throws right-handed.
At the start of the 2010 season, Sheffield ranked second among all active players in walks (1,475), third in runs (1,636), fourth in RBIs (1,676), fifth in hits (2,689) and home runs (509), and sixth in hit by pitches (135). Sheffield hit his 500th home run on April 17, 2009.
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Gerrit Cole
Gerrit Alan Cole (born September 8, 1990 in Newport Beach, California) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was selected by the Pirates with the 1st overall selection in the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft. He pitched for the UCLA Bruins team at UCLA.
Cole attended Orange Lutheran High School. He was named to the USA Today All-USA high school baseball team. Baseball America rated him the 17th best prospect. He was named the ESPN Rise Athlete of the Month for three consecutive months in March, April, and May 2010.[citation needed]
Cole was drafted by the New York Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. The Yankees, planning on offering Cole a bonus above the recommended amount for the slot, waited until the deadline to attempt to sign Cole[citation needed], by which time Cole had decided to follow through with his collegiate scholarship with UCLA. Despite being represented by Scott Boras, and though the Yankees were believed to be ready to offer upwards of $4 million, Cole never negotiated with the Yankees, as he was determined to attend college.
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Gil Meche
Gilbert Allen Meche ( /ˌɡɪl ˈmɛʃ/; born September 8, 1978) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Shoulder and back problems caused the former first round pick to retire in 2011 at just 32 years old.
Meche was a star pitcher at Acadiana High School in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, and was a member of the U.S. Junior Olympic team that brought home gold in the 1995 World Junior Baseball Championship. After his junior year of high school, Meche earned Most Valuable Pitcher honors at the 1995 National Amateur All-Star Tournament at just sixteen years old. However, shortly afterwards, he suffered a viral infection that caused him to miss a considerable amount of playing time his senior year. He intended to attend Louisiana State University, but reconsidered when the Seattle Mariners surprised him by selecting in the first round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.
Meche debuted with the Mariners on July 6, 1999, two months shy of his twentieth birthday, making him the second-youngest debut for the Mariners at that time (only Ken Griffey, Jr. was younger). With a 2-1 lead on Anaheim Angels, and two outs in the sixth, Meche walked two consecutive batters to force in a run, and surrender the lead. He ended up with a no-decision. His first win came on July 19 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. For the season, Meche went 8-4 with a 4.73 earned run average.
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Gorman Thomas
James Gorman Thomas III (born December 12, 1950 in Charleston, South Carolina) is a former Major League Baseball center fielder and right-handed hitter who played in the American League with the Milwaukee Brewers (1973–76, 1978–83, 1986), Cleveland Indians (1983) and Seattle Mariners (1984–86).
One of the most popular players in Brewers history, and affectionately known as "Stormin' Gorman", Thomas hit more home runs during the period 1978-1983 than any other player in the American League with 197. His frequent strikeouts and low batting average overshadowed some of his career accomplishments. Thomas was a premier center fielder, with a wide range and strong arm until undergoing rotator cuff surgery in 1984, which limited his duties and led to his being utilized primarily as a designated hitter for the remainder of his career.
Thomas was the first player selected by the Seattle Pilots in the June 1969 draft. In the minors he won two home run titles, and made his Major League debut with Milwaukee in 1973. He belted his first home run against Jim Palmer, but was optioned to the Triple-A Sacramento Solons in the Pacific Coast League. After hitting 51 homers with Sacramento in 1974, he returned to the big league team at the end of September.
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Grady Sizemore
Gradius "Grady" Sizemore III (born August 2, 1982) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball.
Sizemore was born to a White mother and an African-American father. Sizemore graduated from Cascade High School in Everett, Washington, in 2000. A high school star in football, basketball and baseball, Sizemore signed a letter of intent to play football and baseball at the University of Washington. At the time of his high school graduation, Sizemore was Cascade's all-time leader in rushing yards with 3,081.
The Montreal Expos selected Sizemore in the third round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft. The team offered him a $2 million signing bonus to lure him away from college, to which Sizemore agreed.
On June 27, 2002, Sizemore was part of a six-player trade between the Indians and the Expos. Montreal dealt Sizemore, along with Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens to Cleveland in exchange for Bartolo Colón and Tim Drew.
In 2005, Sizemore played his first full season in the majors. He quickly established himself as one of baseball's up and coming stars in center field. He was named the leadoff hitter of the Indians' lineup, and has stayed there since. He was supposed to play in Triple-A, but Juan González' injury in the first game of the season secured his spot in the major leagues. He also joined Roberto Alomar as the only players in franchise history to record 20 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season. Sizemore's best month came in June when he hit .377 (40–106) with 4 HR and 16 RBI in 25 games. He finished the season batting .289 with 22 home runs, 81 RBI, and 22 SB. Before the start of the 2006 season, Sizemore signed a six-year contract with the Indians worth $23.45 million with a club option for 2012.
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Graig Nettles
Graig Nettles (born August 20, 1944), nicknamed "Puff", is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman. During a 22-year baseball career, he played for the Minnesota Twins (1967–1969), Cleveland Indians (1970–1972), New York Yankees (1973–1983), San Diego Padres (1984–1986), Atlanta Braves (1987) and Montreal Expos (1988).
Nettles was one of the best defensive third basemen of all time, and despite his relatively low career batting average, he was an excellent offensive contributor, setting an American League record for career home runs by a third baseman. As a part of four pennant-winning Yankee teams, Nettles enjoyed his best season in 1977 when he won the Gold Glove Award and had career-highs in home runs (37) and runs batted in (107) in leading the Yankees to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Nettles was born in San Diego, California. His unusual name derives from his mother's dislike of the names Greg and Craig - and her combining the two to produce "Graig". "My Dad was away at the war, so he didn't have any say". The name also led to confusion for baseball card companies; the error-prone inaugural 1981 Fleer baseball card set includes an error card where his name is spelled "Graig" on the front, and "Craig" on the back.
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Gregg Doyel
Gregg Doyel is a national writer for CBSSports.com.
Gregg Doyel was born in Hawaii. He grew up in Mississippi, where his father was a law professor at the University of Mississippi. Doyel attended high school in Georgia and attended college at the Florida, where he was a sports writer for the Independent Florida Alligator.
Doyel is currently working as a National Columnist for CBSSports.com. Before becoming a National Columnist, Doyel was the site's college basketball writer. He has written two books, titled Kentucky Wildcats: Where have you gone? and Coach K: Building the Duke Dynasty. Before working at Sportsline.com, he was a sports writer with the Tampa Tribune, Florida Marlins beat writer at the Miami Herald and an ACC basketball writer with the Charlotte Observer. On May 21, 2007, it was announced that Doyel would host a radio program on Cincinnati's WCKY (AM) in the 9AM-Noon time slot with Mo Egger. He hosted the WCKY show until he was fired on December 13, 2007, in a budget cut. Doyel also briefly co-hosted WLW’s "Sunday Morning SportsTalk" with Ken Broo, but voluntarily left the show because he was traveling too much for CBSSports.com.
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Gus Zernial
Gus Edward Zernial (June 27, 1923 – January 20, 2011) was a Major League Baseball left-fielder and right-handed batter who played for the Chicago White Sox (1949–51), Philadelphia Athletics (1951–54), Kansas City Athletics (1955–57) and Detroit Tigers (1958–59). He was billed as the "New Joe DiMaggio."
Nicknamed "Ozark Ike" after the popular comic strip character, Zernial was one of the most feared sluggers in the 1950s, joining hall of famers Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Larry Doby in the American League, for most home runs in the decade.
After he hit 29 homers for the White Sox in 1950, Zernial was sent to the Athletics in a trade that brought Minnie Miñoso to Chicago in 1951. That year Zernial led the league in home runs (33), runs batted in (129), extra base hits (68), and 17 assists in the outfield. In 1952 he hit 29 homers with 100 RBI, 42 and 108 in 1953.
Zernial was the first Major Leaguer to hit four home runs in the month of October during the regular season, which he accomplished during a doubleheader on October 1, 1950. In 1985, Ron Kittle would become the second player to do this.
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Hank Aaron
Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron (born February 5, 1934), nicknamed "Hammer," or "Hammerin' Hank," is a retired American baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 through 1976. Aaron spent 21 seasons with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) before playing for the Milwaukee Brewers of the American League (AL) for the final two years of his career. Aaron is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on their "100 Greatest Baseball Players" list.
After playing with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League and in the minor leagues, Aaron started his major league career in 1954. In his final season, he was the last Negro League baseball player on a major league roster. His most notable achievement was breaking the career home run record set by Babe Ruth. During his career, Aaron performed at a consistently high level for an extended period of time. He hit 24 or more home runs every year from 1955 through 1973, and is the only player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season at least fifteen times.
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Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg (January 1, 1911 – September 4, 1986), nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation. He hit 58 home runs in 1938, equaling Jimmie Foxx's 1932 mark for the most home runs in one season by any player between 1927 (when Babe Ruth set a record of 60) and 1961 (when Roger Maris surpassed it).
Greenberg was a five-time All-Star, was twice named the American League's Most Valuable Player, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956. Greenberg became the first major league player to hit 25 or more home runs in a season in each league. Greenberg is still the American League record holder for most RBIs in a single season by a right-handed batter—183 RBI in 1937 (a 154-game schedule.) Only left-handed batter Lou Gehrig's 184 RBI in 1931 surpasses Greenberg in the American League record books. Greenberg was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1947, became the very first baseball player to earn over $80,000/year in salary (he was paid $100,000, ($1,041,000 today) plus $25,000 that his contract with Detroit called for in the event they sold or traded him), and was one of the few opposing players publicly to welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors.[1]
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Harmon Killebrew
Harmon Clayton Killebrew ( /ˈkɪlɨbruː/; June 29, 1936 – May 17, 2011), nicknamed "Killer" and "Hammerin' Harmon", was an American professional baseball first baseman, third baseman, and left fielder. During his 22-year career in Major League Baseball (MLB), he played for the Washington Senators, a team which later became the Minnesota Twins, and the Kansas City Royals. When he retired, he was second only to Babe Ruth in American League (AL) home runs and was the AL career leader in home runs by a right-handed batter (since broken by Alex Rodriguez). He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984.
Killebrew was a stocky 6-foot tall, 195-pound hitter with a compact swing that generated tremendous power. He became one of the AL's most feared power hitters of the 1960s, hitting 40 home runs in a season eight times. In 1965, he played in the World Series with the Minnesota Twins, who lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. His finest season was 1969, when he hit 49 home runs, recorded 140 runs batted in (RBI), and won the AL Most Valuable Player Award. Killebrew led the league six times in home runs and three times in RBIs, and was named to eleven All-Star teams.
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Harold Baines
Harold Douglas Baines (born March 15, 1959 in Easton, Maryland) is a former right fielder and designated hitter in Major League Baseball who played for five American League teams from 1980 to 2001. He is best known for his three stints with the Chicago White Sox, the team on which he now serves as coach. He ranked 7th in AL history in games played (2,830) and 10th in runs batted in (1,628) upon his retirement. Noted as well for his power hitting in clutch situations, he is tied for 7th in AL history in grand slams (13), 4th in 3-home run games (3), and tied for 7th in major league history in walk-off home runs (10). Baines batted over .300 eight times and hit .324 in 31 career postseason games, topping the .350 mark in five separate series. A six-time All-Star, he led the AL in slugging average in 1984. He held the White Sox team record for career home runs from 1987 until Carlton Fisk passed him in 1990; his eventual total of 221 remains the club record for left-handed hitters, as do his 981 RBI and 585 extra base hits with the team. His 1,652 games as a designated hitter are a major league record, and he held the mark for career home runs as a DH (236) until Edgar Martínez passed him in 2004. With 1,628 RBI, Baines has the most RBI of any player eligible for the Hall of Fame not currently inducted.
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Home Run Baker
John Franklin "Home Run" Baker (March 13, 1886 – June 28, 1963) was an American third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1908 to 1922, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955. As a member of the famed $100,000 infield, Baker helped the Philadelphia Athletics win the 1910, 1911 and 1913 World Series. His legacy has grown over the years, and he is regarded by many as the best third baseman of the pre-war era.
He was born in Trappe, Maryland, was a butcher by trade, and broke into the major leagues in 1908 with the Athletics.
Baker, who led the American League in home runs in 1911, earned the nickname "Home Run" during the 1911 World Series in which he hit a go-ahead home run off Rube Marquard in Game 2, and a ninth-inning game-tying home run off Christy Mathewson in Game 3. His home run crown would be the first of four consecutive seasons leading the American League in home runs. He hit 11 home runs in 1911, 10 home runs in 1912, 12 home runs in 1913, and nine home runs in 1914. In two of those seasons he also led the American League in runs batted in.
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Honus Wagner
Johannes Peter "Honus" Wagner ( /ˈhɒnəs ˈwæɡnər/; February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955 ), nicknamed "The Flying Dutchman" due to his superb speed and German heritage ("Dutch" in this instance being an alteration of "Deutsch"), was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He played in the National League from 1897 to 1917, almost entirely for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wagner won eight batting titles, tied for the most in NL history with Tony Gwynn. He also led the league in slugging six times, and in stolen bases five times.
In 1936, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Wagner as one of the first five members. He received the second-highest vote total, behind Ty Cobb and tied with Babe Ruth.
Although Cobb is frequently cited as the greatest player of the dead-ball era, some contemporaries regarded Wagner as the better all-around player, and most baseball historians consider Wagner to be the greatest shortstop ever. Cobb himself called Wagner "maybe the greatest star ever to take the diamond."
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Huston Street
Huston Lowell Street ( /ˈhjuːstən/; born August 2, 1983, in Austin, Texas) is an American baseball pitcher for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball.
Street attended Westlake High School in Austin, Texas from 1997–2001 where he lettered in both football and baseball. He then attended The University of Texas from 2001–2004, where he pitched for the school's baseball team. He is widely regarded as one of the best collegiate closers of all time. Street earned a form of All-American honors at Texas every season he was there and helped his team win the College World Series of collegiate baseball in 2002. In that season, he set a CWS record for the most saves and won the Series Most Valuable Player honors for his amazing work as a closer. A year later, Street led the Longhorns to the Series semifinals, and in 2004, he helped his team to the finals, only to lose in two games to Cal State Fullerton. In 2010, Street was named to the NCAA College World Series Legends Team.
Drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the first round, 40th overall, of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, Street spent a few months in the minor leagues, spending no more than a month at each level. He then was invited to the Arizona Fall League where his team took the championship.
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Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗, Suzuki Ichirō?), usually known simply as Ichiro (イチロー, Ichirō?) (born October 22, 1973) is a Japanese Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262. He had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player, surpassing Wee Willie Keeler's streak of eight.
Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. Posted by Orix after the 2000 season, Ichiro became Seattle's right fielder. The first Japanese-born everyday position player in the major leagues, Ichiro led the AL in batting average and stolen bases en route to being named Rookie of the Year and MVP.
Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club). He has been voted onto ten All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award for a three-hit performance that included the event's first-ever inside-the-park home run. Ichiro won a Gold Glove award in each of his first ten years in the major leagues, and has had seven hitting streaks of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.
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J. D. Drew
David Jonathan "J. D." Drew (born November 20, 1975, in Valdosta, Georgia) is an American professional baseball right fielder who is a free agent. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in 1998 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is the older brother of the Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew.
Drew attended Florida State University, where he played under head coach Mike Martin. At Florida State, he was the winner of the 1997 Dick Howser Trophy and the 1997 Golden Spikes Award, was named the 1997 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, the 1997 Sporting News Player of the Year, and was a consensus All-American (1997). He also was named the 1997 ACC Player of the Year. He was a 1996 member of Team USA. Drew was First Team in 1996, Freshman All-American in 1995 and was named to the College World Series All Tournament Team in 1995. He was the first player in college baseball history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. He set a Florida State record by batting .455 in 1997 while managing to become one of only three players in college baseball history to have 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. During his college career, Drew broke 17 school and conference records.
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Jackie Jensen
Jack Eugene Jensen (March 9, 1927 – July 14, 1982) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for three American League teams from 1950 to 1961, most notably the Boston Red Sox. He was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1958 after hitting 35 home runs and leading the league with 122 runs batted in; he also led the league in RBI two other years, and in triples and stolen bases once each. Respected for his throwing arm, he won a Gold Glove Award and led the AL in assists and double plays twice each. He retired in his early thirties as baseball expanded westward, due to an intense fear of flying. After being a two-sport star in college, Jensen was the first person to play in the Rose Bowl, the World Series, and the baseball All-Star Game.
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Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American baseball player who became the first black Major League Baseball (MLB) player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. As the first black man to play in the major leagues since the 1880s, he was instrumental in bringing an end to racial segregation in professional baseball, which had relegated black players to the Negro leagues for six decades. The example of his character and unquestionable talent challenged the traditional basis of segregation, which then marked many other aspects of American life, and contributed significantly to the Civil Rights Movement.
In addition to his cultural impact, Robinson had an exceptional baseball career. Over ten seasons, he played in six World Series and contributed to the Dodgers' 1955 World Championship. He was selected for six consecutive All-Star Games from 1949 to 1954, was the recipient of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year Award in 1947, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1949—the first black player so honored. Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, Major League Baseball retired his uniform number, 42, across all major league teams.
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Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ( /dʒəˈkoʊbi/ jə-KOH-bee; born September 11, 1983) is an American professional baseball center fielder with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.
Ellsbury attended Madras High School, where he was a 4-year letterman in football and baseball, and played varsity basketball his sophomore through senior years. Ellsbury's career batting average of .567 and being caught stealing only once are Oregon High School State Records. He also holds the Oregon record for stolen bases in a game, with 7. Ellsbury was first drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 23rd round of the 2002 MLB Draft, but did not sign. He was then drafted 23rd overall by Boston in 2005, after three years at Oregon State University. Ellsbury is the only Red Sox player in history to join the 30-30 club, a feat he accomplished on September 25, 2011, against the Yankees.
Ellsbury is officially enrolled as a member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes and is the first Native American of Navajo descent to reach the Major Leagues. As of 2008, he was one of only three active non-Hispanic Native American players in Major League Baseball, along with Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals and Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees. Ellsbury is English and German on his paternal side.
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Jake Peavy
Jacob Edward Peavy (nicknamed "Joliet Jake," born May 31, 1981 in Mobile, Alabama) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Chicago White Sox. He bats and throws right-handed. Peavy stands 6'1" tall (1.85 m) and weighs 182 pounds (83 kg).
Peavy won the 2007 NL Cy Young Award after winning the pitching triple crown that year.
Peavy was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round (472nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school (St. Paul's Episcopal School). He was named the high school player of the year in the state of Alabama. Peavy declined an offer to pitch for Auburn University in order to accept the Padres' contract offer.
Peavy pitched for the Arizona League Padres and the Idaho Falls Braves in 1999 and the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2000. In 2001, Peavy played with the Lake Elsinore Storm and the Mobile BayBears. He spent all of 2002 playing for the BayBears.
Peavy was called up from Double A to make his Major League Debut on June 22, 2002 against the New York Yankees at Qualcomm Stadium. He lost the game, allowing one run on 3 hits in 6 innings while striking out 4.
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Jake Stahl
Garland "Jake" Stahl (April 13, 1879 – September 18, 1922) was an American first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball with the Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, and New York Highlanders. A graduate of the University of Illinois, he was a member of the Kappa Kappa chapter of Sigma Chi. He started off as a catcher before being traded to the Senators, where he moved to first base full-time, with occasional stints in the outfield. He was regarded as a good fielder and an average hitter, although he did lead all hitters in the American League in home runs with 10 in 1910.
As a player-manager, he led the Senators to two seventh-place finishes, and in his second managerial stint led the Red Sox to the 1912 World Series title. His success was short-lived, as he had a falling-out with his teammates and resigned midway through the 1913 season. His successor, Bill Carrigan, would win two more World Series titles for the Sox. Stahl died in Monrovia, California at age 43.
Stahl was not related to Red Sox teammate Chick Stahl, despite contemporary accounts erroneously listing them as brothers.
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Jason Bay
Jason Raymond Bay (born September 20, 1978, in Trail, British Columbia) is a Canadian professional baseball outfielder who currently plays for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball. Bay has previously played for the San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Boston Red Sox.
Bay experienced success as a player very early, playing on a Trail team that reached the 1990 Little League World Series. In 1999, he played for the Chatham Athletics in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Bay attended Gonzaga University.
Bay was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 22nd round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft and was assigned to the Expos' Short-Season A team in Burlington, Vermont, the Vermont Expos. In 2001, Bay was assigned to the Expos’ High Single-A team in Jupiter. He began the year slowly, and in May he was moved to Clinton of the Midwest League. Bay reached base in his first 26 games, then went on to bat .362 and win the league batting title. In all, he batted .315 with 14 home runs and 75 runs batted in on the year.
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Jason Giambi
Jason Gilbert Giambi ( /dʒiˈɑːmbi/; born January 8, 1971) is an American professional baseball first baseman with the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball.
He was the American League MVP in 2000 while with the Oakland Athletics, and is a five-time All-Star who has led the American League in walks four times, in on base percentage three times, and in doubles and in slugging percentage once each, and won the Silver Slugger award twice.
Giambi took performance-enhancing drugs during his career, for which use he has publicly apologized. Giambi was named one of the Top 10 Most Superstitious Athletes by Men's Fitness.
Giambi attended Sierra Vista Middle School in Covina, California. He then attended South Hills High School in his native West Covina, where he was a three-sport standout. Giambi was on the baseball team, whose roster also included his brother Jeremy and three other future Major Leaguers and teammates: infielder Shawn Wooten, pitchers Aaron Small and Cory Lidle. He batted .386 during his three years of varsity baseball, leading his team to the state finals as a senior. He was voted MVP in both baseball and basketball. In American football, he was an All-League quarterback.
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Javy López
Javier López Torres (born November 5, 1970) is a Puerto Rican former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Atlanta Braves (1992–2003), Baltimore Orioles (2004–2006) and Boston Red Sox (2006). He batted and threw right-handed. He was named Ponce, Puerto Rico's Athlete of the Year from 1984 to 1987.
Signed by the Atlanta Braves in 1987 as an amateur free agent, López made his debut on September 18, 1992 against the Houston Astros. After sharing duties with Charlie O'Brien and Eddie Pérez for four seasons, he established himself as the Braves regular catcher in 1996. The same season, he led the Braves to win the National League Championship Series, earning the series Most Valuable Player honors. He also made the National League All-Star team from 1997–98. Lopez had his best season in 2003 with a .328 batting average, 43 home runs and 109 RBI in 129 games, including a .378 on-base percentage and a .687 slugging percentage. In that season he broke Todd Hundley's record for most home runs hit in a season by a catcher (41) and was selected to the All-Star Game, winning the Silver Slugger Award and finishing fifth in the National League MVP ballot.
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Jay Buhner
Jay Campbell Buhner (born August 13, 1964, in Louisville, Kentucky), nicknamed "Bone", is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He was among the most recognizable players of his day, noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine tar on the right hip of his uniform. He went to Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas where he started his baseball career under the coaching of Jim Mallory.
Buhner was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second round of the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft and was traded shortly thereafter to the New York Yankees. He made his major league debut on September 11, 1987, appearing in seven games that year. He was traded again the next summer, on July 21, 1988, to the Seattle Mariners along with two career minor leaguers (Rich Balabon and Troy Evers) in exchange for Ken Phelps. This trade is often considered one of the worst made by the Yankees of that period, and one of the best in Mariners history. The trade was once noted humorously on the television program Seinfeld, in the episode "The Caddy," in which the Yankees' owner, George Steinbrenner, appears at the home of George Costanza's parents to inform them – mistakenly – that their son is dead. All Mr. Costanza can say is, "What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?! He had 30 home runs, over 100 RBIs last year! He's got a rocket for an arm... You don't know what the hell you're doing!" The clip was played at Safeco Field when Buhner was inducted into the Mariners' Hall of Fame in 2004.
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Jeff Burroughs
Jeffrey Alan (Jeff) Burroughs (born March 7, 1951 in Long Beach, California) is a former player in Major League Baseball. From 1970 through 1985, he played for the Washington Senators (1970–71), Texas Rangers (1972–76), Atlanta Braves (1977–80), Seattle Mariners (1981), Oakland Athletics (1982–84) and Toronto Blue Jays (1985). Burroughs batted and threw right-handed. He is the father of major league third baseman Sean Burroughs. In a 16-season career, Burroughs posted a .261 batting average with 240 home runs and 882 RBIs in 1689 games.
Burroughs was selected by the Washington Senators in the 1st round (1st pick) of the June 1969 draft. Late in the year, he joined the Senators at age of 19. Considered a "good bat-no field" kind of player, Burroughs was a considerable slugging threat during his playing days. Defensively, he was capable but slow.
In four full seasons with the Texas Rangers, Burroughs averaged 25.5 home runs a year with a high of 30 homers in 1973. His most productive season came in 1974, when he batted .301 with 25 home runs and a league-leading and career-high 118 RBIs and was selected the American League MVP, making him one of only six overall number-one picks to win the MVP title (the others are Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Joe Mauer and Josh Hamilton) and the first Ranger to win the award. During the 1974 season, Burroughs was at the center of the violent Ten Cent Beer Night debacle in Cleveland, where Burroughs was one of the targets of thrown objects and a few punches by unruly and inebriated Cleveland fans, in a game that was forfeited to Texas.
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Jeff Clement
Jeffrey Burton Clement (born August 21, 1983 in Marshalltown, Iowa) is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently in the Pittsburgh Pirates' organization. Clement was the Seattle Mariners' first round draft pick (third overall) in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft.
Clement was born and raised in Marshalltown, Iowa. As a twelve year old, Clement led the 1996 Marshalltown team to the Little League World Series.
At Marshalltown High School, he broke the national high school home run record, formerly held by Drew Henson. He finished his high school career with 75 home runs. Clement led his high school team as a catcher/pitcher to the Iowa 4-A State Championship game in his senior year (2002). Clement was featured in the September 16, 2002, issue of Sports Illustrated as part of the "For the Love of the Game" article. Out of high school, Clement was drafted in the 12th round by the Minnesota Twins (362nd overall) due to a poor performance at a pre-draft showcase, but did not sign.
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Jeff Conine
Jeffrey Guy Conine ( /ˈkoʊnaɪn/; born June 27, 1966 in Tacoma, Washington) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman/outfielder who played several years with the Florida Marlins. Previously, Conine played with the Kansas City Royals (1990, 1992, 1998), Florida Marlins (1993-1997, 2003-2005), Baltimore Orioles (1999-2003, 2006), Philadelphia Phillies (2006), Cincinnati Reds (2007), and New York Mets (2007). He batted and threw right-handed. He became well known as Niner and Mr. Marlin for his significant history as a Marlins player and ties to South Florida. He has also been called "The Barbarian" (after "Conan the Barbarian").
A graduate from UCLA, Conine started his major league career with the Kansas City Royals and was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 1993 expansion draft. After a second stint with Kansas City and five seasons with Baltimore, he returned to the Marlins in the 2003 midseason.
In 1994, Conine hit a career high .319 batting average with 18 home runs and 82 RBI and made the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, but his most productive season came in 1995, when he posted a career high 105 RBI with a .302 average and 25 home runs. That season, he was named the All-Star Game MVP after hitting a pinch-hit homer to win the game.
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Jeff Francoeur
Jeffrey Braden Francoeur ( /fræŋˈkʊər/; born January 8, 1984 in Atlanta, Georgia), nicknamed "Frenchy", is a Major League Baseball right fielder who now plays for the Kansas City Royals. Francoeur is notable for his strong throwing arm in the outfield and his free-swinging tendencies in the batter's box.
Francoeur was selected by the Braves in the first round of the June 2002 amateur draft. After the draft, Francoeur was assigned to the team’s advanced Rookie League club in Danville, Virginia, where he played 38 games and hit .327 with eight homers and 31 RBIs. Francoeur advanced steadily through the Braves minor league system, playing for Rome (Low A) in 2003, Myrtle Beach (High A) and Greenville (former AA) in 2004, and Mississippi (AA) in 2005.
Francoeur was a member of the Rome Braves inaugural season team which went on to win the 2003 South Atlantic League Championship. He led that team in home runs with 14.
In 2004, Francoeur was named the top prospect in the Braves organization by Baseball America. He was a member of the Carolina League regular season and postseason All-Star team. In 2005, he was selected to play in the All-Star Futures Game before getting called up by Atlanta.
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Jered Weaver
Jered David Weaver (born October 4, 1982 in Simi Valley, California), is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Weaver was drafted in the first round (12th overall) in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft by the Angels out of California State University, Long Beach.
Weaver was born in and raised in Simi Valley and attended Simi Valley High School.
Weaver attended college at California State University, Long Beach. He was the 2004 College Baseball's Dick Howser Trophy winner as the national collegiate baseball player of the year. He also won college baseball's top pitching honor, the Roger Clemens Award. He was also named first-team All-American by Baseball America in 2004 as a starting pitcher and was projected by them to be the top draft pick in a midseason update. Weaver went 37–9 at Long Beach State and was 15–1, with a 1.62 ERA in his last season with 213 strikeouts and just 21 walks in 144 innings. A 2004 Los Angeles Times called him dominating, describing his pitching as overwhelming "batters with a fastball between 89 and 94 mph, a sharp slider and an improving curveball all thrown with the same three-quarter arm delivery. He also has a fiery streak that is revealed with a fist pump or yell after a strikeout that ends an inning or a long at-bat." The article compared him to 2001 college pitching sensation Mark Prior.
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Jermaine Dye
Jermaine Trevell Dye (born January 28, 1974) is a retired American Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. Dye played with the Atlanta Braves (1996), Kansas City Royals (1997–2001), Oakland Athletics (2001–2004), and the Chicago White Sox (2005–2009). Dye won the World Series MVP with the White Sox in 2005. Dye batted and threw right-handed and, in his prime, was known for his ability to hit for power and his powerful throwing arm. Dye announced his retirement on March 31, 2011.
He attended Will C. Wood High School in Vacaville, California and Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. He was selected by Atlanta in the 17th round of the 1993 amateur draft. Dye made his Major League debut with the Braves, hitting a home run in his first Major League at-bat. He was traded to the Royals during the 1997 offseason in a package that brought Michael Tucker and Keith Lockhart to Atlanta.
He was traded to Kansas City on March 27, 1997. In 1999 Dye played in 158 games for the Royals, hitting 26 home runs. He was one of the more well-liked Royals at that time, with fans frequently chanting "Dye-no-mite" after he came up to bat. The next year he made the American League All-Star team.
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Jerry Reuss
Jerry Reuss (born June 19, 1949 in St. Louis, Missouri) -- pronounced "royce" -- is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States, who had a 22-year career from 1969 to 1990.
Reuss played for eight teams in his major league career; along with the Dodgers (1979–87), he played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1969–71), Houston Astros (1972–73), and Pittsburgh Pirates (1974–78). At the end of his career (1987–90), he played for the Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Pirates again (Reuss is the only Pirate to have played for Danny Murtaugh, Chuck Tanner, and Jim Leyland). He was the third oldest active player when he retired at age 41 in 1990. He was one of only 29 players in major league history to play in four different decades. In 1988 he became the second pitcher in history, joining Milt Pappas, to win 200 career games without ever winning 20 in a single season. He was later joined by Frank Tanana, Charlie Hough, Dennis Martinez, Chuck Finley, Mike Mussina, Kenny Rogers, and Tim Wakefield. (Mussina won 20 for the first time after recording his 200th win.)
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Jesse Barfield
Jesse Lee Barfield (born October 29, 1959 in Joliet, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder who played for the Toronto Blue Jays (1981–89) and New York Yankees (1989–92). He batted and threw right-handed. He lived in Tenafly, a suburb of New York City.
Barfield had by far the best outfield arm of the 1980s. He led American League outfielders in assists three times (1985–87). Along with George Bell (LF) and Lloyd Moseby (CF), Barfield starred in what many analysts considered the best all-around outfield of the 1980s.[weasel words]
Selected by the Blue Jays in the ninth round of the 1977 amateur draft, Barfield debuted in the majors in 1981 and was a regular the following season. In 1985, he helped Toronto to reach the playoffs for the first time. He also topped 20 home runs six times, became the first Blue Jay to hit a pinch grand slam (1982), and the first to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in the same season (1985).
Despite the Blue Jays' failure to defend their division title from the previous year, Barfield enjoyed his best personal season in 1986. He collected career-highs in batting average (.289), RBI (108), runs (107), hits (170) and doubles (35). He also hit a career-best 40 home runs, leading the major leagues and setting a team record. In addition, Barfield was awarded the Gold Glove Award and selected to the American League All-Star team.
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Jim Edmonds
James Patrick "Jim" Edmonds (born June 27, 1970) is a former American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played for the California/Anaheim Angels, the St. Louis Cardinals, the San Diego Padres, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Chicago Cubs, and the Cincinnati Reds. He is affectionately known by Cardinal fans as "Jimmy Baseball","Jimmy Ballgame", "Lassie", and "Hollywood".
Edmonds was born on June 27, 1970, in Fullerton, California. He attended Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, in eastern Los Angeles County.
Edmonds is married to Allison Jayne Raski. They were married on July 16, 2008, at the St. Louis County, Missouri Courthouse in Clayton, MO. The couple have a son (Landon) and a daughter (Sutton) together. Edmonds also has two teenaged daughters (Lauren and Hayley) from his previous marriage to Lee Ann Horton.
In September 2007, Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse opened in St. Louis, of which he is a 50 percent owner and is named for his jersey number.
Edmonds was selected in the seventh round of the 1988 draft by the California Angels. Following the draft, he was assigned to the Bend Bucks (in Bend, Oregon), the Angels' Short-Season A affiliate in the Northwest League. In 1988, he played in 35 games for the Bucks and hit .221. The following year, he was promoted to the Quad Cities Angels, the team's Class A affiliate in the Midwest League. He played in 31 games and hit .261.
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Jim Landis
James Henry Landis (born March 9, 1934 in Fresno, California) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a center fielder on six teams and for 10 seasons, from 1957 through 1967. Landis was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent in 1952 shortly after graduating from Richmond High School (Richmond, California). He played for 8 seasons for the White Sox before being traded to Kansas City Athletics on January 20, 1965 where he played for one year. He then moved to the Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, and finally the Boston Red Sox. He was a member of the American League (AL) 1962 All-Star team and a five-time Gold Glove Award recipient from 1960 through 1964.
Jim Landis now lives in Napa, California with his wife Sandy (nee Foster).).
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Jim Rice
James Edward "Jim" Rice (born March 8, 1953), nicknamed "Jim Ed", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder.
Jim Rice played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox from 1974 to 1989. An 8-time American League (AL) All-Star, he was named the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1978 after becoming the first major league player in 19 years to hit for 400 total bases, and went on to become the ninth player to lead the major leagues in total bases in consecutive seasons, and join Ty Cobb as one of two players to lead the AL in total bases three years in a row. He batted .300 seven times, collected 100 runs batted in (RBI) eight times and 200 hits four times, and had eleven seasons with 20 home runs, also leading the league in home runs three times, RBIs and slugging average twice each.
In the late 1970s he was part of one of the sport's great outfields along with Fred Lynn and Dwight Evans, who was his teammate for his entire career; Rice continued the tradition of his predecessors Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski as a power-hitting left fielder who played his entire career for the Red Sox. He ended his career with a .502 slugging average, and then ranked tenth in AL history with 382 home runs; his career marks in homers, hits (2,452), RBI (1,451) and total bases (4,129) remain Red Sox records for a right-handed hitter, with Evans eventually surpassing his Boston records for career runs scored, at bats and extra base hits by a right-handed hitter. When Rice retired, his 1,503 career games in left field ranked seventh in AL history. Rice was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 26, 2009, as the 103rd member voted in by the BBWAA.
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Jim Thome
James Howard "Jim" Thome ( /ˈtoʊmeɪ/; born August 27, 1970 in Peoria, Illinois) is a Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is the eighth MLB player to hit 600 home runs.
Thome was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 13th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft. While in the minors, he got into a fight with future Major League star Chipper Jones. Thome and Jones would later become good friends. Thome made his Major League debut on September 4, 1991 as a third baseman against the Minnesota Twins. He was 2 for 4 in that game, with his first hit coming off pitcher Tom Edens in the fourth inning. He hit his first career home run on October 4 against New York Yankees pitcher Steve Farr.
Originally a third baseman, he was shifted to first base when the Indians traded for Matt Williams in 1997.
At the plate, Thome hit 25 home runs and 73 runs batted in with a .314 batting average in 1995. Thome then hit 38 home runs in 1996 and 40 in 1997. Thome soon became a prolific home run hitter, once hitting a 511-foot (156 m) shot at Cleveland's Jacobs Field. It is the longest home run ever recorded at a Cleveland ballpark. He hit 49 home runs with the Indians in 2001, followed by a career-high 52 homers in 2002.
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Jimmy Piersall
James Anthony Piersall (born November 14, 1929) is an American former baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for five teams, from 1950 through 1967. Piersall is best known for his well-publicized battle with bipolar disorder that became the subject of the book and movie Fear Strikes Out.
Piersall led the Leavenworth High School (Waterbury, Connecticut) basketball team to the 1947 New England championship, scoring 29 points in the final game. Piersall became a professional baseball player at age 18, signing a contract with the Boston Red Sox in 1948. He would reach the majors in 1950, playing in six games as one of the youngest players in Major League Baseball.
In 1952, he earned a more substantial role with the Red Sox, frequently referring to himself as "the Waterbury Wizard," a nickname not well-received by teammates.
On May 24, 1952, just before a game against the New York Yankees, Piersall engaged in a fistfight with Yankee infielder Billy Martin. Following the brawl, Piersall briefly scuffled with teammate Mickey McDermott in the Red Sox clubhouse. After several such incidents, Piersall was sent to the minor league Birmingham Barons on June 28. The final straw came when Piersall spanked the four-year-old son of teammate Vern Stephens in the Red Sox clubhouse during a game.
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Joaquín Andújar
Joaquín Andújar ( /ænˈduːhɑr/ an-DOO-har; born December 21, 1952) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher who became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball while playing with the St. Louis Cardinals in the mid-80s.
Andújar signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1969 a month shy of his seventeenth birthday. He posted a 33–41 record with a 4.33 earned run average over six seasons in the Reds' farm system. Following the 1975 season, he was dealt to the Houston Astros for two players to be named later.
Andújar made his major league debut in the 1976 season opener against his former franchise. After two relief appearances against the Reds, he was moved into the starting rotation. On July 11 & 17, Andújar pitched consecutive 1–0 shutouts against the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. For the season, he went 9–10 with a 3.60 ERA.
Andújar was 10–5 with a 3.47 ERA at the 1977 All-Star break to be named the Astros' sole representative at the All-Star game. However, he injured himself in his final start before the game and could not play. He did not return to his team until September, and finished the season 11–8 with a 3.69 ERA.
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Joe Carter
Joseph Christopher Carter (born March 7, 1960 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a former right fielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1983 to 1998. Carter is most famous for hitting a walk-off home run to win the 1993 World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Joe Carter attended Wichita State University, leaving after his junior year. He was named the Sporting News magazine's College Player of the Year in 1981 In the 1981 draft, the Cubs chose him with the second pick of the first round.
Carter first reached the majors in 1983 with the Chicago Cubs, but was traded to the Cleveland Indians the following year, where he blossomed into a star. Carter emerged as a prolific power hitter, hitting as many as 35 home runs in a season and regularly driving in 100 or more runs. He usually hit nearly as many doubles as he did homers, and would get respectable numbers of triples in many years too. He was also a very good baserunner, stealing 20-30 bases a year with a high rate of success; in 1987, Carter became a rare member of the single-season 30–30 club for home runs/stolen bases. However, he was considered a below-average defensive outfielder. The Indians publicly criticized his defense and low batting average after he left, although Cleveland was a below average team after his departure, while Carter contributed to multiple championships elsewhere.
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Joe DiMaggio
Giuseppe Paulo "Joe" DiMaggio (/dɨˈmɑːʒioʊ/ or /dɨˈmædʒioʊ/; November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper", was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15 – July 16, 1941), a record that still stands. DiMaggio was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.
A three-time MVP winner and 13-time All-Star, DiMaggio is the only player to be selected for the All-Star Game in every season he played. During his thirteen years with the Yankees, the club won ten American League pennants and nine World Series championships.
At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in career home runs (361) and sixth in career slugging percentage (.579). He was voted the sport's greatest living player in a poll taken in the baseball centennial year of 1969.
His brothers Vince and Dom also became major league center fielders.
DiMaggio was born in Martinez, California, the eighth of nine children born to immigrants from Italy, Giuseppe (1872–1949) and Rosalia (Mercurio) DiMaggio (1878–1951). He was delivered by a midwife identified on his birth certificate as Mrs. J. Pico. He was named after his father; "Paolo" was in honor of Giuseppe's favorite saint, Saint Paul. The family moved to San Francisco, California, when Joe was a year old.
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Joe Mauer
Joseph Patrick Mauer (born April 19, 1983) is an American baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in MLB history to win three batting titles. He also won three consecutive Gold Glove awards (2008–2010), and the 2009 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award.
Joe Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball for Saint Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders, the high school of Paul Molitor, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his senior year he became the only athlete ever to be selected as the USA Today High School Player of the Year in two sports (football in 2000 as a quarterback and baseball in 2001 as a catcher).
In December 2009, Sports Illustrated magazine included Mauer in its article on ten "signature" moments in U.S. high-school sports in the 2000–2009 decade, referring to his selection by the Minnesota Twins as the first pick in the 2001 amateur draft.
Mauer attended the same high school as Baseball Hall of Famer and former Milwaukee Brewer Paul Molitor. Molitor has said that Mauer "has the best swing he had ever seen". Jim O'Neill, Mauer's baseball coach at Cretin-Derham Hall, said his former student "has been groomed for this job since he was a little boy. Mauer's dad, Jake, created a contraption for Joe he later named the 'Quickswing'. The device dropped balls down a tube from eye level and released them at waist level." Mauer had been asked to leave his T-ball league at the age of four, because he was hitting the ball too hard for the other players. "Another guy that came from Cretin-Derham Hall, Paul Molitor, was very similar, [and] had a good short swing," O'Neill said. "And they're both able to wait on the ball so long because they don't have the big swing. Like anything, you keep simple and keep it small or short, there's not a lot of holes in it and not a lot of room for errors."
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Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan (born September 19, 1943) is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the National League Most Valuable Player in those years. Considered one of the greatest second basemen of all-time, Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. He became a baseball broadcaster for ESPN after his retirement, and now hosts a weekly nationally syndicated radio show for Sports USA. Joe Morgan is also a special adviser to the Cincinnati Reds.
Raised in Oakland, California, and nicknamed "Little Joe" for his diminutive 5'7" stature, Morgan was a standout at Castlemont High School before being signed by the Houston Colt .45's as an amateur free agent in 1962. Early in his career, he had trouble with his swing because he kept his back elbow down too low. Teammate Nellie Fox suggested to Joe that while at the plate he should flap his back arm like a chicken to keep his elbow up. Morgan followed the advice, and his flapping arm became a familiar sight to baseball fans.
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Joe Rudi
Joseph Oden Rudi (born September 7, 1946 in Modesto, California) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Kansas City & Oakland Athletics (1967–76, 1982), California Angels (1977–80) and Boston Red Sox (1981). He batted and threw right-handed. He currently works in real estate in Baker City, Oregon.
He is a long-time amateur radio operator with the call sign NK7U.
Rudi batted a career-high .309 in 1970 and had a career-best 181 hits in 1972. That year, he helped the Athletics win the World Series and made a great game-saving catch in Game 2 that would be the highlight reel for many Major League Baseball films. With Tony Perez on first and Oakland leading 2-0 in the ninth inning, Rudi raced to the left-field fence and made a leaping, backhanded catch of Denis Menke's smash to save a run. Earlier in the game, Rudi had a solo home run.
In 1974 he had a career best 22 home runs and 99 runs batted in and hit a home run in Game 5 of the 1974 World Series off Mike Marshall that would turn out to be the game winner and Series clincher. Rudi's Athletics became the first team since the 1949-1953 New York Yankees to win 3 straight World Championships.
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John Denny
John Allen Denny (born November 8, 1952 in Prescott, Arizona) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher from 1974 to 1986 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, and Cincinnati Reds. He won the Cy Young Award in 1983.
Denny was born in Prescott, Arizona and attended Prescott High School. He excelled at sports there, playing football and basketball as well as baseball. In the 1970 amateur draft, he was selected by the Cardinals in the 29th round. He made his professional debut that year at the age of 17. Denny pitched for the Class AAA Tulsa Oilers in 1974 and went 9-8 with a 3.75 earned run average. He made his major league debut in September.
The next season, Denny started back in Tulsa but he pitched well and soon entered the St. Louis starting rotation. In 1976, Denny had a breakout season. He led the National League in ERA at 2.52 and was the best pitcher on the club. Due to poor run support, his record was just 11-9.
Denny also pitched well in 1978, going 14-11 with a 2.96 ERA, but he fell off badly in 1979 and was traded to Cleveland. He continued his inconsistent pitching with the Indians, going 24-23 for them in three seasons. He pitched three straight shutouts late in 1981 and was rewarded with a three-year, $2 million contract after the season. Nine months later, he was traded to the Phillies.
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John Mayberry, Jr.
John Claiborn Mayberry, Jr. (born December 21, 1983 in Kansas City, Missouri) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies. The son of former major league first baseman John, Sr., the younger Mayberry is officially listed at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and 234 pounds (106 kg).
Mayberry attended Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, the same high school as David Cone. While there, he was named a first-team All-USA player and third-team All-American. He hit over .400 in both his junior and senior years of high school, where he also played basketball. Out of high school, Mayberry was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft (28th overall) but did not sign, choosing instead to attend Stanford University. He was the highest-drafted player from the 2002 draft who chose to attend a four-year college instead of signing a contract.
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John Smoltz
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.
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Johnny Bench
Johnny Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a former professional baseball catcher who played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1983 and is a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Bench, a 14-time All-Star selection and a two-time National League Most Valuable Player, was a key member of The Big Red Machine, which won six division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships. ESPN has called him the greatest catcher in baseball history.
Bench played baseball and basketball and was class valedictorian at Binger High School in Binger, Oklahoma. He is one-eighth Native American (Choctaw). His father told him that the fastest route to becoming a major leaguer was as a catcher. Bench was drafted 36th overall by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1965 amateur draft, playing for the minor-league Buffalo Bisons in the 1966 and 1967 seasons before being called up to the Reds in August 1967. He hit only .163, but impressed many with his defense and strong throwing arm. Among them: Hall of Famer Ted Williams. Williams signed a baseball for him which predicted that the young catcher would be "A Hall of Famer for sure!" Williams' prediction eventually became fact with Johnny Bench's election to the Hall of Fame in 1989.
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Johnny Callison
John Wesley Callison (March 12, 1939 – October 12, 2006) was an American right fielder in Major League Baseball, best known for his years with the Philadelphia Phillies from 1960 to 1969. He led the National League in triples twice and doubles once, and gained his greatest prominence in a 1964 season in which he was runnerup for the Most Valuable Player Award and was named MVP of the All-Star Game. He also led the NL in outfield assists four consecutive times and in double plays once, and ended his career among the top five Phillies in home runs (185) and triples (84).
Born in Qualls, Oklahoma, Callison batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox out of high school in 1957, being assigned to the Class-C Bakersfield Bears in the California League, where he batted .340 with 17 home runs and 31 stolen bases. The next season, he was advanced to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, where he led the American Association in home runs. In September 1958 he was recalled by Chicago, and hit .297 in 18 games.
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Jon Matlack
Jonathan Trumpbour Matlack (born January 19, 1950 in West Chester, Pennsylvania) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He was selected with fourth overall by the New York Mets in the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft.
Matlack compiled 1,023 strikeouts and a 3.03 earned run average as one of the "Big Three" pitchers the New York Mets were built around in the 1970s, along with Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Unfortunately, the Mets were also a light hitting team at the time, and his 82-81 record is not nearly indicative of how well he pitched for the club.
Matlack's best minor league season was 1968, when he went 13-6 with a 2.76 ERA for the Raleigh-Durham Mets of the Carolina League. During his fifth season in the Mets' farm system, Matlack debuted with the Mets in the second game of a July 11, 1971 double header with the Cincinnati Reds. He pitched seven innings, and left the game with a 3-2 lead, however, Tug McGraw and Tom Seaver were unable to close the game. For the season, Matlack went 0-3 with a 4.14 ERA in seven appearances (six starts). His finest pitching performance was his last, when he gave up just one run in eight innings of work against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Josh Hamilton
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American professional baseball player. An outfielder, Hamilton has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 2007. A member of the Texas Rangers (2008–present), he also played for the Cincinnati Reds (2007). He is a four-time MLB All Star and American League Most Valuable Player in 2010.
He was the first overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He was considered a blue chip prospect until injuries and a drug addiction derailed his career, beginning in 2001. Prior to the 2007 season, Hamilton was selected by the Chicago Cubs (picking for the Cincinnati Reds) in the Rule 5 Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2007 with the Reds and had a successful rookie season. During the off-season he was traded to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez and Daniel Ray Herrera.
After his torrid start to the 2008 season, Hamilton was named to the American League All Star team, and made the All-Star team the next three seasons as well. He also participated in the Home Run Derby, where he hit a record 28 home runs in the opening round and finished with 35 home runs, which was second-most all-time in derby history. Hamilton won the AL batting title in 2010. On October 22, 2010, Hamilton was selected as MVP of the 2010 ALCS. On November 23, 2010, Hamilton was named the 2010 AL MVP, earning 22 of 28 first-place votes. On May 8, 2012 Hamilton became the 16th player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a game, and set an AL record for total bases in a game with 18.
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José Bautista
José Antonio Bautista (born October 19, 1980) is a professional baseball outfielder with the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Though now primarily a right fielder, having been a utility player in the past, he has major league experience at six different positions. He is from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
In the 2010 season, Bautista set a Toronto Blue Jays single-season franchise record by hitting a major league leading 54 home runs, making him only the 26th member of the 50 home run club in baseball history. In 2011, he once again led the major leagues with 43 home runs. He became the first player to earn two consecutive home run titles since Mark McGwire of the National League did so in the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
On July 3, 2011, Bautista set the all-time Major League record for the most All-Star votes received by a single player through fan balloting, with 7,454,753 votes. This number greatly surpassed the previous record of 6,069,688, set by Seattle's Ken Griffey, Jr. in 1994.
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José Cruz, Jr.
José Luis Cruz, Jr. (born April 19, 1974 in Arroyo, Puerto Rico) is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Over his nine year playing career, Cruz played for eight different teams. Standing 6'0" tall and weighing 210 pounds, Cruz was a right-handed switch hitter. He is the son of former major league outfielder and Houston Astros first base coach José Cruz, and the nephew of former big leaguers Héctor and Tommy Cruz.
Cruz lived in Bellaire, Texas and attended Bellaire High School, where he played baseball.
Cruz attended Rice University from 1992 to 1995 and was a member of Team USA in 1994, and was also a three time All-American while at Rice, setting virtually all possible offensive records.
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Juan Beníquez
Juan José Beníquez Torres (born May 13, 1950 in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox (1971–1972, 1974–1975), Texas Rangers (1976–1978), New York Yankees (1979), Seattle Mariners (1980), California Angels (1981–1985), Baltimore Orioles (1986), Kansas City Royals (1987) and Toronto Blue Jays (1987–1988). He batted and threw right-handed.
A valuable role player, Beníquez spent 17 seasons in the major leagues playing for eight different American League clubs. He started his career with the Boston Red Sox in 1971, appearing at shortstop in part of two seasons, and later was switched to center field. A Gold Glove Award winner with Texas in 1977, he posted four consecutive .300 seasons with California and Baltimore from 1983–86, with a career-high .336 in 1984, and hit three home runs in a game for the Orioles in 1986. He also had three post-season appearances, including the 1975 World Series with the Red Sox. Beníquez was a .274 hitter with 79 home runs and 476 runs batted in in 1500 games played.
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Juan Marichal
Juan Antonio Marichal Sánchez (born October 20, 1937 in Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic) is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Playing for the San Francisco Giants most of his career, Marichal was known for his high leg kick, pinpoint control and intimidation tactics, which included aiming pitches directly at the opposing batters' helmets.[citation needed]
Marichal also played for the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers for the final two seasons of his career. Although he won more games than any other pitcher during the 1960s, he appeared in only one World Series game and he was often overshadowed by Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson in post-season awards. Marichal was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.
Juan Marichal was born on October 20, 1937 in the small farming village of Laguna Verde, Dominican Republic, the youngest of Francisco and Natividad Marichal's four children. He has two brothers, Gonzalo and Rafael, and a sister named Maria. His father died of an unknown illness when Marichal was three years old. His house did not have electricity, but because his family owned a farm, food was plentiful. As a child, Marichal worked on the farm daily, and was responsible for taking care of his family's horses, donkeys, and goats. He lived near the Yaque del Norte River, and often spent time swimming and fishing. One day, while Marichal was playing by the river, he fell unconscious due to poor digestion, and was in a coma for nine days. Doctors did not expect him to survive, but he slowly regained consciousness after his family gave him steam baths by doctors orders.
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Julio Franco
Julio César Robles Franco (born August 23, 1958) is a former Major League Baseball infielder and designated hitter. In 2007, Franco was the oldest active player in the major leagues at the age of 49.
While Franco was an All-Star and posted above-average hitting statistics throughout his career, he is best known for being the oldest regular position player in Major League history. Franco was the all-time hits leader among Dominican-born players until surpassed in 2011 by Vladimir Guerrero. He made his debut on April 23, 1982, as a shortstop for the Philadelphia Phillies. During his long career, Franco saw significant time as a shortstop, second baseman, first baseman, and designated hitter.
As his career started, Franco was part of a 1982 five-for-one trade between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cleveland Indians. The Phillies received highly regarded prospect, Von Hayes, in exchange for Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller, Jerry Willard, and Franco.
Franco hit over .300 in every season from 1986 to 1989. He also averaged over 20 stolen bases per season from 1983 through 1991. When he switched from shortstop to second baseman in 1988, he won four straight Silver Slugger Awards. Franco batted with a long whip-like swing with the heaviest bat allowed. Because of his batting style, Franco twice led the American League in grounding into double plays and was in the top-ten in that category seven times in the 1980s alone. He is seventh on the all-time list in ground-ball double plays and has just over 300.
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Justin Upton
Justin Irvin Upton (born August 25, 1987, in Norfolk, Virginia) is a National Major League Baseball right fielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He was selected first overall by the Diamondbacks in the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft. Justin is considered a 5-tool player, acknowledged for having hitting prowess as well as solid fielding capabilities. Justin and his brother B.J. Upton of the Tampa Bay Rays are the only brothers in Major League Baseball to ever be selected in the number one and two slots of a first round draft.
He was previously an all-district shortstop for Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, and was awarded the AFLAC National High School Player of the Year Award. He is also the brother of Tampa Bay Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who was taken at the number two pick in the 2002 draft.
In his first professional season he played for Class-A South Bend Silver Hawks. He began 2007 with the Class-A Advanced Visalia Oaks, but was promoted to the AA Mobile BayBears after hitting .341 with 5 home runs for the Oaks in April.
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Justin Verlander
Justin Brooks Verlander (born February 20, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball.
In 2006, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year. On June 12, 2007, he pitched a no-hitter—the first ever at Comerica Park—against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 12 batters and walking four. He pitched a second no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 7, 2011, in Toronto, walking one and facing the minimum 27 batters. On November 15, 2011, Verlander was named the 2011 AL Cy Young Award winner by a unanimous vote, becoming the first American League pitcher since Johan Santana in 2006 to win the award in such a fashion. On November 21, 2011, Verlander was voted the AL MVP, winning with 280 points over Jacoby Ellsbury's 242, completing a sweep of the Cy Young Award and MVP, a rare feat for a pitcher in the modern era.
His father Richard, who was president of the local Richmond, Virginia chapter of the Communications Workers of America, sent Justin to The Richmond Baseball Academy. Justin clocked 84 mph (135 km/h) shortly after joining the academy. His velocity kept climbing, and hit 86 MPH by the time he entered Goochland High School. He had been a top pitching prospect in high school, but his career suffered a setback when he came down with strep throat early in his senior season of baseball. A weakened Verlander topped out at 81 during that season, causing professional scouts to lose interest. After he recovered, his velocity reached 87 during his first year at Old Dominion.
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Ken Berry (baseball)
Allen Kent Berry (born May 10, 1941 in Kansas City, Missouri) is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1961 season. He played for the White Sox from 1962 until he was traded in 1970 to the California Angels. He also played for the Milwaukee Brewers and finished his career with the Cleveland Indians. Ken won two Gold Glove Awards for his play in the outfield in 1970 and 1972. He played his final major league baseball game on May 31, 1975.
Berry is a 1959 graduate of Washburn Rural High School where he starred in football, basketball and track and field. He continued to play football and basketball as a freshman while attending Wichita State University.
Berry was named to the American League All-Star team in 1967, when his White Sox battled the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Minnesota Twins for the pennant all the way down to the last few days of the season.
He led league outfielders in putouts once (1965) and in fielding percentage three times (1970, 1972, and 1973). He tied for the league lead once each in assists and double plays, both in 1972.
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Ken Griffey Sr.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He serves as Manager of the Bakersfield Blaze, the Cincinnati Reds' Single A minor league affiliate. He is the father of former professional outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. and former minor leaguer Craig Griffey. He is the grandfather of Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Trey Griffey. He and his older son Ken Jr. share the same birth city with Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial.
Griffey made his Major League Baseball debut on August 25, 1973 with the Cincinnati Reds. That season, Griffey played in only 25 games, but batted .384 with three homers. The following season, Griffey saw more playing time with 88 games. In 1975, Griffey began to break out with a .305 batting average with four home runs and 46 RBIs. Griffey's best season came in 1976, when he came just short of winning the batting title behind Bill Madlock of the Chicago Cubs. Griffey chose to sit out the final day of the season to protect his batting title and it came back to haunt him as Madlock collected four hits that same day. Griffey entered the game late after hearing the news, and went 0 for 2. Many baseball purists were disappointed in Griffey (and perhaps more so in his manager, Sparky Anderson, for choosing to sit him out to gain an individual accolade). Griffey finished with a career high .336. He also finished eighth in the Most Valuable Player voting, and was named to The Sporting News National League All-Star team.
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Ken Griffey, Jr.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. Griffey was both one of the most prolific home run hitters and best defensive players in baseball history, sixth on the list of most career home runs, and is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8 games, tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long). Griffey, playing for the Seattle Mariners in two separate tenures, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox, won 10 Gold Glove awards and appeared in 13 All-Star games. Upon his retirement, the Associated Press noted: "In his prime, Ken Griffey Jr. was unanimously considered the best player in baseball."
Throughout his major league baseball career, Griffey was a popular player and a fan favorite around the league. Griffey attained widespread recognition by signing lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo (owners of the Mariners); his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute. He currently works in the Mariners' front office as a special consultant. Griffey is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four different calendar decades. He is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey, Sr.
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Ken Griffey, Sr.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He serves as Manager of the Bakersfield Blaze, the Cincinnati Reds' Single A minor league affiliate. He is the father of former professional outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. and former minor leaguer Craig Griffey. He is the grandfather of Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Trey Griffey. He and his older son Ken Jr. share the same birth city with Baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial.
Griffey made his Major League Baseball debut on August 25, 1973 with the Cincinnati Reds. That season, Griffey played in only 25 games, but batted .384 with three homers. The following season, Griffey saw more playing time with 88 games. In 1975, Griffey began to break out with a .305 batting average with four home runs and 46 RBIs. Griffey's best season came in 1976, when he came just short of winning the batting title behind Bill Madlock of the Chicago Cubs. Griffey chose to sit out the final day of the season to protect his batting title and it came back to haunt him as Madlock collected four hits that same day. Griffey entered the game late after hearing the news, and went 0 for 2. Many baseball purists were disappointed in Griffey (and perhaps more so in his manager, Sparky Anderson, for choosing to sit him out to gain an individual accolade). Griffey finished with a career high .336. He also finished eighth in the Most Valuable Player voting, and was named to The Sporting News National League All-Star team.
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Kenny Lofton
Kenneth "Kenny" Lofton (born May 31, 1967) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who retired in 2008. Lofton was a six-time All-Star (1993–1999), four-time Gold Glove winner (1993–1996), and at retirement, was ranked fifteenth among all-time stolen base leaders with 622. During his career, he played for the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers. Lofton was also a three-time MLB Player of the Week. From 2001 to 2007, Lofton did not spend more than one season with a team.
In college, Lofton was the backup point guard (to Craig McMillan and Steve Kerr) on an Arizona Wildcats team that made it to the Final Four of the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He set season and career school records for steals and was the starting point guard the following year when Arizona made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Lofton is one of only two men to play in a college basketball Final Four (1988) and a Major League Baseball World Series. The other is fellow East Chicago Washington High School alumnus Tim Stoddard—who was a member of the N.C. State team that won the 1974 NCAA Basketball Championship. Stoddard later pitched for the Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 World Series.
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Kevin Gregg
Kevin Marschall Gregg (born June 20, 1978 in Corvallis, Oregon) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles.
Gregg attended Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon, and starred in football, basketball, and baseball.
Gregg was drafted in the 15th round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft (435th overall) by the Oakland Athletics. He spent several years in the A's minor league system as a starter up until 2002. On October 15, 2002, he was granted free agency and signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Angels on November 20, 2002.
Gregg made his major league debut with the Angels on August 9, 2003. Gregg spent his next three seasons with the Angels as a spot-starter and a middle reliever. The Angels depth made Gregg expendable and on November 20, 2006, he found himself being dealt to the Florida Marlins for failed prospect Chris Resop.
Gregg began the 2007 spring training competing for the closer role for the Florida Marlins. By the time spring training was completed, he had been relegated back to a middle reliever role after the team made a trade to bring in Jorge Julio.
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Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995) and is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases. At the time of his retirement, his .318 career batting average was the highest by any right-handed American League batter since Joe DiMaggio.
Puckett was the fourth baseball player during the 20th century to record 1,000 hits in his first five full calendar years in Major League Baseball, and was the second to record 2,000 hits during his first ten full calendar years. After being forced to retire at age 35 due to loss of vision in one eye from a central retinal vein occlusion, Puckett was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2001 in his first year of eligibility.
Puckett was born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Robert Taylor Homes, a housing project on Chicago's South Side (the escape from which he frequently referred back to during his career). He attended and played baseball for Calumet High School. After receiving no scholarship offers following graduation, Puckett at first went to work on an assembly line for Ford Motor Company. However he was given a chance to attend Bradley University and was a star on the baseball team, despite his under-sized 5' 8" frame, before the Minnesota Twins selected him in the 1st round (3rd pick) of the 1982 MLB Draft.
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Kirk McCaskill
Kirk Edward McCaskill (born April 9, 1961, in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher and a retired professional hockey player.
McCaskill played for two different ballclubs during his career: the California Angels (1985–91), and Chicago White Sox (1992–96). He made his Major League Baseball debut on May 1, 1985, and played his final game on July 20, 1996. He also played professional hockey for the Sherbrooke Jets of the American Hockey League, a farm team for the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
McCaskill was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, while his father, Ted McCaskill, was playing for the Kapuskasing GM's. McCaskill spent his childhood in several cities, including Nashville, Memphis, Vancouver, Phoenix, Newport Beach and Los Angeles, while father played professional hockey. McCaskill's father retired from hockey in 1975 and his family settled in Paradise Valley, Arizona
McCaskill attended Trinity-Pawling School in Pawling, New York. During his senior year, McCaskill had an 8–0 record with an 0.97 ERA and 97 strikeouts, scored 26 goals and 22 assists in 17 hockey games, and was the varsity soccer team's leading goal-scorer. He turned down a baseball scholarship to Arizona State University so that he could pursue both hockey and baseball at Vermont.
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Kosuke Fukudome
"Fukudome" redirects here. For information on the WWII admiral, see Shigeru Fukudome.
Kosuke Fukudome (福留 孝介, Fukudome Kōsuke?, born April 26, 1977) (pronounced KOH-skay Foo-koo-DOUGH-may) is a major league outfielder on the Chicago White Sox.
Prior to arriving in the United States, Fukudome played nine seasons for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese Central League. He was also a member of the Japanese national baseball team, winning a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics, a bronze medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics, and placing first in the 2006 World Baseball Classic and 2009 World Baseball Classic. He won the Central League MVP in 2006.
Fukudome entered the prestigious PL Gakuen High School, and was quickly targeted by professional scouts as a potential first round draft pick. Seven teams chose Fukudome in the first round of the 1995 draft, and the Kintetsu Buffaloes won the right to negotiate with Fukudome by winning the lottery. However, Fukudome had already decided that he would not turn pro unless he could play with the Chunichi Dragons or Yomiuri Giants, and joined Nihon Seimei, whose baseball team belonged to the industrial leagues. In 1996, at the age of 19, he became the youngest player to ever be chosen for an Olympic baseball team, and his team won a silver medal in the Atlanta Olympics.
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Kris Benson
Kristin James Benson (born November 7, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher. Benson pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1999 to 2004, New York Mets from 2004 to 2005, Baltimore Orioles in 2006 to 2007, Texas Rangers in 2009, and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010.
Benson was born in Superior, Wisconsin. The future All-American pitcher was born to baseball fan parents who chose names for each of their children that began names with "K," a nod to the letter used as the scorecard designation for a strikeout. Benson attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia with future MLB All-Star Marlon Byrd. Benson was not drafted out of high school.
Benson attended Clemson University from 1993 to 1996. His teammates included fellow future major-leaguers Billy Koch and Matthew LeCroy both of whom played with him in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. (Koch reported teammates referred to Benson as "The Messiah".) Benson went undefeated during the regular season of his junior year (14–0 with a 1.40 ERA) with 178 strikeouts in 142 innings pitched.
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Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman (born February 10, 1976) is an American professional baseball firstbaseman with the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball.
He stands 6' 1", and weighs 220 pounds (100 kg). Berkman has spent various seasons of his career as a regular at all three outfield positions. He has played with the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals.
Berkman was born in Waco, Texas. He graduated from Canyon High School in New Braunfels, Texas, in 1994.
He then attended Rice University playing on the Owls baseball team, where he was named the 1997 National College Player of the Year, playing for the legendary Wayne Graham, as well as named a first team All-America by Collegiate Baseball Magazine, Baseball America and The Sporting News. He was invited to visit the White House and dine with President Clinton along with the rest of the Baseball America honorees.
Throughout college, he batted a collective .385 with 67 home runs and 272 RBI. His 41 home runs in 1997 ranked third-most in NCAA history. That year he also made the all-time record book in RBI (2nd-134), slugging percentage (6th-1.031) and total bases (4th-263) while leading the Rice Owls to their first College World Series appearance.
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Larry Doby
Lawrence Eugene "Larry" Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball.
A native of Camden, South Carolina, he was the second black player to play in the modern major leagues and the first to do so in the American League. A center fielder, Doby appeared in seven All-Star games and finished second in the 1954 American League MVP voting. Appointed manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1978, Doby was the second African-American to lead a Major League club. He was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998 by the Hall's Veterans Committee.
A local star athlete from Paterson, New Jersey, Doby joined the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League at the age of 17, in 1942, starring as a second baseman. Doby tried out for the Newark Eagles at historic Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. A Negro league umpire by the name of Henry Moore advised Eagles owner Abe Manley to give Doby a try out. Doby worked out with the Eagles prior to a game between the Newark Eagles and the New York Black Yankees (Hinchliffe Stadium was the Black Yankees home ballpark). At his Hall of Fame induction press conference in 1998, Doby said his most memorable moment at Hinchliffe Stadium was trying out for the Eagles, this after having a stellar career as a football and baseball player at Eastside High School. At that time he played under the name Larry Walker to protect his amateur status. His career in Newark was interrupted for two years for service in the Navy. He then rejoined the Eagles in 1946. Along with his partner, fellow Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, Doby led the team to the Negro League Championship.
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Lee Jong-Beom
Lee Jong-Beom (Korean: 이종범, Hanja: 李鍾範; born August 15, 1970) is a South Korean professional baseball player who plays for the Kia Tigers. He is nicknamed "Son of the Wind" (바람의 아들) for his speed. In April 2012, Lee announced his retirement from baseball.
He started his career at shortstop but now plays mainly center fielder. Lee is considered one of the best five-tool players in Korean baseball history.
Some career highlights include:
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Lee Seung-Yeop
Lee Seung-yeop also Lee Seung-yuop (born August 18, 1976 in Daegu, South Korea) is a baseball player, currently playing for the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization. Nicknamed "Lion King" since his days with the Samsung Lions, while being affectionately known as "Mr. Seung" during his playing days with the Chiba Lotte Marines, Lee is arguably the greatest hitter in Korean baseball history. At the age of 26, he became the youngest professional baseball player in the world to hit 300 home runs. He also holds the Asian home run record of 56 homers in a season, established in 2003 while playing for the Samsung Lions in the Korean league.
Lee started his career with the Daegu Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball Organization in 1995 and played with them for nine seasons. He then played for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League for two years. He signed a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants for 210 million yen, including a 50 million yen signing bonus, for the 2006 season. He bats fourth and plays first base there. He has explicitly shown interest in making a move to Major League Baseball.
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Leon Wagner
Leon Lamar Wagner (May 13, 1934 – January 3, 2004) was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the San Francisco Giants (1958–59, 1969), St. Louis Cardinals (1960), Los Angeles Angels (1961–63), Cleveland Indians (1964–68) and Chicago White Sox (1968). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Wagner graduated from Tuskegee University. He was affectionately known as "Daddy Wags" during his playing days.
In a 12-season career, Wagner was a .272 hitter with 211 home runs and 669 RBI in 1352 games.
Wagner was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on June 22, 1958. A solid line-drive hitter and colorful player, in his rookie year Wagner compiled a .307 batting average with 13 home runs in 74 games. With a congested outfield that included Willie Mays, Felipe Alou, Orlando Cepeda and Bill White, he was traded to the Cardinals after the 1959 season.
Wagner played a reserve role for St. Louis in 39 games and hit four home runs. Nevertheless, one of them was a notable one; he entered the major league record books by hitting the first home run ever at Candlestick Park on April 12, 1960, providing the only Cardinals run during a 3–1 loss against his former Giants team.
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Lloyd Moseby
Lloyd Anthony Moseby (born November 5, 1959) was a Major League Baseball player. A center fielder, and good all-around athlete, Moseby's nickname Shaker was said to stem from his ability to get away from or "shake" players who attempted to defend him on the basketball court.
Born in Portland, Arkansas, Moseby graduated from Oakland High School in California.
Drafted 2nd overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1978 amateur draft, Moseby made his major league debut on May 24, 1980. Despite some growing pains early in his career, Moseby developed into a well-polished batter, fielder and base-runner, knocking in nearly 100 runs on several occasions and regularly stealing 30-plus bases.
In the mid-80s he was part of a powerful outfield trio for the Jays, playing center field between George Bell and Jesse Barfield. After the 1989 season, Moseby signed with the Detroit Tigers. Moseby saw limited time with the Tigers for two seasons, and then traveled to Japan, where he played with the Yomiuri Giants for 1992 and 1993.
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Lonnie Smith
Lonnie Smith (born December 22, 1955 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He made his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on September 2, 1978 and later played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Baltimore Orioles. He overcame bouts with drug abuse to become one of the top base-stealers in baseball during the decade of the 1980s(7th). He played on five pennant-winning teams, three of which won the World Series.
After brief trials with the Phillies in 1978 and 1979, Smith broke into the team's lineup in 1980, batting .339 in 100 games. The Phillies won the National League pennant and defeated the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. Smith's performance was strong enough for him to finish third in the Rookie of the Year balloting following the season. He continued to play well in the strike-shortened 1981 season, hitting .324.
He was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in November 1981. Smith continued to hit well in 1982, and to have a good on-base percentage. In fact, 1982 was a high-water year for Smith in several different ways: Smith was in the MLB All-Star Game for the only time in his career in 1982. He had a batting average of .307, and on-base percentage of .381. He led the National League with 120 runs scored, which was the only time that he scored 100+ runs in a season during his baseball career. Smith also set career highs in 1982 with 592 at-bats, 182 hits, 35 doubles, and 257 total bases during the regular season. He also ranked second in the National league with a career-high 68 stolen bases on the basepaths, but he was also caught stealing a career-high 26 times, since the Cardinals' manager had ordered his fastest players to attempt to steal bases whenever possible as part of his strategy for winning.
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Lou Boudreau
Louis "Lou" Boudreau (July 17, 1917 – August 10, 2001) was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970. He was also a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs of the National League.
In 1948, he won the American League Most Valuable Player Award and managed the Cleveland Indians to the World Series title.
Boudreau was an eight-time All Star Game selection, starting three times. He won the 1944 AL batting title (.327), and led the league in doubles in 1941, 1944, and 1947. He led AL shortstops in fielding eight times. Boudreau still holds the record for hitting the most consecutive doubles in a game (four), set on July 14, 1946.
Boudreau was born in Harvey, Illinois, to a father of French ancestry and a Jewish mother. He was raised Catholic. Boudreau graduated from Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. While at Thornton, Boudreau guided the "Flying Clouds" to three straight Illinois high school championship games, finishing first in 1933 and second in 1934 and 1935.
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Lou Brock
Louis Clark "Lou" Brock (born June 18, 1939) is an American former professional baseball player. He began his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago Cubs but, spent the majority of his career as the left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was best known for breaking Ty Cobb's all-time major league stolen base record. He is currently a special instructor coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985.
Brock was born in El Dorado, Arkansas to a family of sharecroppers. His family moved to Collinston, Louisiana when he was two years old. While his family didn't have much money, he said that he never felt poor because,"If you don't have something, you don't miss it." Brock grew up as a fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the team that included Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella. Although he didn't play in organized baseball until he reached the 11th grade, he learned much about the sport from listening to Cardinals radio broadcaster Harry Caray describe the way major league hitters stood at the plate. After attending high school in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, he received academic assistance to attend Southern University in Baton Rouge but, when a low grade in his first semester meant the possibility of losing his scholarship, he decided to try out for the school's baseball team in order to secure an athletic scholarship.
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Lou Gehrig
Henry Louis "Lou" or "Buster"Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941) was an American baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig set several major league records, including most career grand slams (23) and most consecutive games played (2,130). Gehrig is chiefly remembered for his prowess as a hitter and his durability, a trait which earned him his nickname "The Iron Horse", as well as the pathos of his farewell from baseball at age 36, when he was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1969 he was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers' Association, and was the leading vote-getter on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999.
A native of New York City, he played for the Yankees until his career was cut short by ALS, a disorder now commonly known in the United States and Canada as Lou Gehrig's disease. Over a 15-season span from 1925 through 1939, he played in 2,130 consecutive games. This streak ended only when Gehrig became disabled by the fatal neuromuscular disease that claimed his life two years later. His streak, long considered one of baseball's few unbreakable records, stood for 56 years, until finally broken by Cal Ripken, Jr., of the Baltimore Orioles on September 6, 1995.
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Luke Hochevar
Luke Anthony Hochevar ( /hoʊˈtʃeɪvər/; born September 15, 1983) is an American professional baseball starting pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization of Major League Baseball. He is an alumnus of the University of Tennessee. He throws and bats right-handed.
While attending Fowler High School in Fowler, Colorado, he was the 2A Player of the Year (senior year). During his senior year, he was also a member of the National Honor Society.[citation needed]
Hochevar was selected by Los Angeles Dodgers in the 39th round (1,191st overall) of the 2002 MLB amateur entry draft, but decided on college instead. Hochevar attended University of Tennessee. In 2005, he struck out a school record 154 batters while posting a 15-3 record and 2.26 ERA for the season. He was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year and won the Roger Clemens Award.
The Dodgers would select Hochevar again, this time in the first round (40th overall) of the 2005 draft. After heated, desperate negotiations among the Dodgers, Hochevar, and his agent Scott Boras, Hochevar suddenly switched agents to Matt Sosnick, accepted a $2.98 million signing bonus from scouting director Logan White, then returned to Boras the next day and reneged on the deal. Several months of lukewarm talks continued with Hochevar pitching in an independent league (where he struck out 34 batters in 22.2 innings), but amidst much bitterness, the two sides never came close to reaching a new agreement.
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Manny Ramirez
Manuel Arístides "Manny" Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who is currently with the Oakland Athletics organization. He was recognized for great batting skill and power, a nine-time Silver Slugger and one of 25 players to hit 500 career home runs. Ramirez's 21 grand slams are third all-time, and his 28 post-season home runs are the most by any player in MLB history. He was a fixture in the All-Star Game with 12 appearances including eleven consecutive beginning 1998. He appeared in the All-Star game in every season that he played with the Boston Red Sox.
Ramirez was allegedly among a group of 104 major league players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during 2003. In 2009 he was suspended 50 games for violating baseball's drug policy by taking human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a women's fertility drug. According to steroid dealer Victor Conte, hCG is often used to restart natural testosterone production after a steroid cycle.
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Marc Newfield
Marc Alexander Newfield (born October 19, 1972 in Sacramento, California) is a former Major League Baseball player from 1993 to 1998 for the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers.
In 1996, he was one of three players traded from San Diego to Milwaukee for Gregg Vaughn.
He played baseball for Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California.
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Mark Hendrickson
Mark Allan Hendrickson (born June 23, 1974) is an American baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. Hendrickson is also a former professional basketball player who played as power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for four years before becoming a full-time baseball player. He is one of just 12 athletes to play in both MLB and the NBA.
Hendrickson is notable for his size, at 6' 9". The only players in Major League Baseball as of 2010 who are taller than Hendrickson are Jon Rauch, at 6'11", and Chris Young, at 6'10". Hendrickson is a groundball pitcher, with a fastball in the high 80s and a decent 12–6 curveball. Hendrickson also has a 10–4 slider, but his slider only reaches the high 70s to low 80s. Thus, when Hendrickson has success, it is due to control, movement, and location and not power.
Hendrickson was a three-sport standout in tennis, basketball, and baseball at Mount Vernon High School in the state of Washington. During his sophomore year, he was a member of the state championship baseball team and the runner-up state basketball team. He was a member of the state championship basketball team during his junior year, where he earned recognition as the co-MVP of the tournament for his play. He was also named team captain, team MVP, and named to the All-Area and All-State teams. A tennis state qualifier, Hendrickson was also named to the baseball All-Area team.
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Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the lowest at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76). In 1987, he broke the single-season home run record for rookies, with 49. In 1998, McGwire and Sammy Sosa achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' single season home run record; McGwire broke the record and hit 70 home runs that year.Barry Bonds now holds the record, after hitting 73 home runs during the 2001 season.
After three years at Southern California and a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, McGwire was drafted 10th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft.
McGwire made the major leagues in August. As a rookie in 1987 he hit 33 homers before the All-Star break and was a unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year after finishing with 49 homers, 118 RBI and a .289 average. His 49 longballs smashed the old rookie record of 38, jointly held by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger. He sat out the season's final two games and gave up a chance at 50 home runs to be present at the birth of his first child.
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Matt Anderson
Matthew Jason Anderson (born August 17, 1976 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.
Anderson attended St. Xavier High School, which was also attended by major leaguers Paul Byrd, Chris Burke, and Jack Savage. After high school, he went on to Rice University. In 1995, he was a Southwest Conference All-Star. In 1997 he was a Western Athletic Conference All-Star and a First Team College All-American. Anderson set Rice University school records for career wins (30) and saves (14), and he also posted a 1.82 ERA during his final year with the Owls. In the 1997 amateur entry draft, Anderson was picked first overall by the Detroit Tigers. He eventually signed with the team for a $2.5 million signing bonus.
Anderson was named top prospect in the Cape Cod League in 1996 and was named the 24th best prospect in 1998 by Baseball America. In 1998, he was called up by the Tigers from the minors, where he had an ERA under 0.70. In his first major league season, he went 5–1 with a 3.27 ERA in 42 games. He also struck out 44 batters in 44 innings pitched.
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Matt Bush (baseball)
Matt Bush (born February 8, 1986, in San Diego, California) is a professional baseball player. He is a minor league baseball pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Bush was the first overall draft pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft.
Bush has not played Major League Baseball. His career development has been limited by personal and legal problems.
He was selected first overall by the San Diego Padres in the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft out of Mission Bay High School as a shortstop. When he signed with the Padres, he received a signing bonus of $3,150,000, which is the second largest signing bonus ever given to a Padres draft pick. Bush was the first shortstop drafted first overall from high school since the Seattle Mariners took Alex Rodriguez in 1993.
The Padres' selection of Bush in 2004 was controversial from the start. Justin Verlander, Jeff Niemann, Stephen Drew, and Jered Weaver were considered the top talents in the draft, but San Diego did not want to pay the premium bonus any of them would command as the top overall choice.[citation needed] Instead, they decided to take Bush, who was a talented high school senior from the San Diego area, but in no way near the prospect as the other candidates.
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Matt Guerrier
Matthew Olson Guerrier (born August 2, 1978, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He attended college at Kent State University, and made his major league debut on June 17, 2004.
Guerrier was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 10th round of the 1999 MLB Draft out of Kent State University. (He had previously been drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 33rd round in 1996 but did not sign.) He pitched in the White Sox minor league system through 2001, reaching AAA with the Charlotte Knights.
On March 27, 2002 he was traded by the White Sox to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Damaso Marte. He spent the next two seasons pitching in AAA for the Nashville Sounds.
He was selected off waivers by the Minnesota Twins after the 2003 season. Guerrier made his Major League debut on June 17, 2004 against the Montreal Expos as the starting pitcher. He worked four innings and allowed two earned runs. On the season he appeared in nine games, making two starts for an 0-1 record and 5.68 ERA.
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Matt Holliday
Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980), is an American Major League Baseball left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. Holliday was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the seventh round of the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.
Holliday is a five-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner. He was the runner-up in the National League MVP voting for the 2007 Major League Baseball season. He won the 2007 National League Championship Series MVP as he helped guide the Rockies to their first-ever National League pennant and World Series appearance.
Holliday was recruited out of Stillwater High School, in Oklahoma to play quarterback at Oklahoma State, but he chose to sign with the Colorado Rockies and was signed by scout Pat Daugherty. As a senior, Holiday earned All-American honors in football and baseball and also earned his region's Gatorade Player of the Year award in both sports. He also competed for the 1997 USA Junior National Team.
On December 14, 2007, Holliday had his #24 high school jersey retired in a ceremony at Stillwater High School. Businesses in Stillwater were also asked to honor Holliday that day by posting a "Welcome Home Matt Holliday" message on a marquee or window.
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Maury Wills
Maurice Morning "Maury" Wills (born October 2, 1932) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and switch-hitting batter who played most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959–66, 1969–72), and also with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967–68) and Montreal Expos (1969). He was an essential component of the Dodgers' championship teams in the mid-1960s, and is credited for reviving the stolen base as part of baseball strategy.
In a career of 14 seasons, Wills batted .281 with 20 home runs, 458 runs batted in, 2,134 hits, 1,067 runs, 177 doubles, 71 triples, and 586 stolen bases in 1,942 games.
As of 2009, Wills is a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization serving as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau.
Maurice, or Sonny as he was called at Cardozo Senior High School, first showed up as an All City Pitcher in the local Washington Daily News. He played on Sal Hall's '48 Cardozo football team that went unbeaten and unscored on. In the '49–'50 school year, 3 sport standout Sonny Wills, was named All City QB in football, basketball and Pitcher in baseball. On May 8, 1950 in a game against Phelps, P Wills threw a 1-hitter and struck out 17.
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Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995) was an American baseball center fielder who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees from 1951 to 1968. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974 and was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
Mantle was noted for his hitting ability, both for average and for power.[citation needed] He won the Triple Crown in 1956, leading MLB in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in (RBI). He received three American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards and played in twenty All-Star games. Mantle appeared in 12 World Series, winning 7 of them. He holds the records for most World Series home runs (18), RBIs (40), runs (42), walks (43), extra-base hits (26), and total bases (123). He is also the career leader in walk-off home runs, with a combined thirteen, twelve in the regular season and one in the postseason.
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Miguel Cabrera
José Miguel Cabrera Torres (born April 18, 1983) commonly known as Miguel Cabrera, and nicknamed "Miggy", or "Cabby", is a Venezuelan professional baseball third baseman with the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.
He is a six-time All-Star, having been selected to the National League All-Star Team in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and also the American League All-Star Team in 2010 and 2011. Cabrera has started at least 100 games at first base, third base, left field and right field. He progressed through the Florida Marlins minor-league system, before being called up from the Double-A Carolina Mudcats in June 2003. Cabrera went on to provide boost needed to help the Florida Marlins win the World Series that year as their clean-up hitter.
Cabrera is widely considered to be one of the best pure hitters in baseball, hitting at a high average with power to all fields. He has posted at least 30 home runs in seven of his previous eight seasons while batting .320 during that period. Cabrera has also driven in over 100 runs every season aside from his rookie campaign when he played in only 87 games. He has been an MVP caliber player since entering the majors at just 20 years old, having received MVP votes in each of his nine major league seasons, and placing in the top five in the previous three. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim starting pitcher Dan Haren is quoted saying, "You're going to make good pitches, and [Cabrera] is going to hit them."
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Miguel Tejada
Miguel Odalis Tejada (born on May 25, 1974, in Baní, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball infielder in the Baltimore Orioles organization. He began his first six seasons of his career with the A's, where he began his streak of 1,152 consecutive games, that ended with the Orioles on June 22, 2007. In 2002, he was awarded the AL MVP award, and he was the MVP of the 2005 All-Star Game.
His nickname is "La Guagua" which means "the bus" in certain Spanish dialects, as Tejada was known for his ability to drive in runs. On February 11, 2009, he pleaded guilty to one count of perjury for lying to Congress in his testimony on whether or not Rafael Palmeiro lied about his steroid use.
Tejada grew up in extreme poverty in Baní, a city approximately 40 miles (65 km) southwest of Santo Domingo, capital of the Dominican Republic. Miguel Tejada grew up idolizing the Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. Miguel Tejada's rise from the slums of Baní through the minors and into the Major Leagues is chronicled in the book Away Games: The Life and Times of a Latin Ballplayer by Marcos Breton and Jose Luis Villegas. Away Games describes the struggles of Dominican players in general and Tejada in particular as they arrive in the U.S. speaking very little English often in small towns playing for minor league teams with dreams of making it big.
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Mike Cameron
Michael Terrance Cameron (born January 8, 1973, in LaGrange, Georgia) is a American former professional Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, and Florida Marlins.
In 2002, Cameron became the 13th player to hit four home runs in one game. He was also a All-Star in 2001 and won Gold Gloves in 2001, 2003, and 2006.
Cameron attended LaGrange High School in LaGrange, Georgia.
Cameron was drafted out of high school by the Chicago White Sox in 1991. His major league debut took place on August 27, 1995, with the White Sox. In 1997 he won a starting job as the team's regular center fielder.
He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Paul Konerko in 1998.
Along with three other players he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for Ken Griffey, Jr. before the 2000 season.
Cameron tied a major league record on May 2, 2002 when he hit four home runs in one game becoming only the 15th player in MLB history to do this. In his fifth at bat, he hit one to the warning track, just missing what would have been a record setting fifth home run. He played in the All-Star Game in 2001 and has reached the postseason twice and won the Gold Glove Award in 2001, 2003, and 2006 for his defensive play in the outfield. He led all major league center fielders in range factor (3.42) in 2003.
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Mike Greenwell
Michael Lewis Greenwell (born July 18, 1963 in Louisville, Kentucky) is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire MLB career with the Boston Red Sox (1985–1996). He briefly played a few games for the Hanshin Tigers in Japan (1997), before retiring. Greenwell was nicknamed "The Gator." He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was voted fourth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1987. Greenwell was a leading contender for the AL MVP in 1988, but he lost out to José Canseco, who pulled off the first 40 home run, 40 stolen base season in baseball history. Greenwell hit .325 with 22 HR and 119 RBI in 1988, setting career highs in all three categories.
Mike Greenwell attended North Fort Myers High School in Florida.
He was drafted in the third round of the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft by the Red Sox, and was signed by June 9, 1982. Throughout his Red Sox career, Greenwell suffered under the weight of lofty expectations for a Boston left fielder, as since 1940 the position had been occupied by Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice – all MVP winners, regular triple crown candidates, and eventual members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Although his play rarely reached the level of his predecessors, he provided a solid and reliable presence in the team's lineup for several seasons. Well respected, he also served as the team's player representative for a time.
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Mike Hargrove
Dudley Michael Hargrove (born October 26, 1949, in Perryton, Texas) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and manager. He is currently employed as an advisor with the Cleveland Indians. Hargrove batted and threw left-handed. He played for the Texas Rangers (1974–78), San Diego Padres (1979), and Cleveland Indians (1979–85). After retiring, he went on to manage the Indians, Baltimore Orioles, and Seattle Mariners.
During his 12-year playing career, Hargrove batted .290 with 80 home runs and 686 runs batted in. He won both the AL Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards in 1974, after hitting a career-high .323 with the Rangers (he was the first Ranger ever to be so honored). Afterwards, he made the AL All-Star squad in 1975 and led the league first basemen in assists twice. He was most effective in getting on base, moving runners, and not giving up an easy out—unusual for a first baseman which is usually considered a power position.
Though he would later be honored as one of the Cleveland Indians' top 100 players in team history, one of Hargrove's early visits to Cleveland was less than memorable. As a rookie with the Rangers, Hargrove was one of the early targets of Cleveland fans during the infamous Ten Cent Beer Night incident on June 4, 1974.
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Mike Ivie
Michael Wilson Ivie (born August 8, 1952 in Atlanta, Georgia), is a former Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers during his career from 1971 to 1983. In addition to playing first base, Ivie put in considerable time as a third baseman, a left fielder and was a designated hitter.
Mike Ivie was drafted first overall in the 1970 Major League Baseball Draft as a catcher by the San Diego Padres. He began his career in the Padres' minor league system, where he once hit 21 homers in 21 games. He made his major league debut as an 18-year-old in 1971. Even though he was a catcher in the minor leagues, he occasionally started as a third baseman, but was then moved to first base and made the Padres in 1974. During the 1978 off season, he was traded from the Padres to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Derrel Thomas. After the 1978 season, Ivie was the talk of a trade rumor involving the Minnesota Twins to bring Rod Carew to the Giants. The trade fell through and Carew ended up with the then California Angels. Ivie went on to hit a career high 27 home runs and 89 RBI for the Giants in 1979.
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Mike Lieberthal
Michael Scott "Mike" Lieberthal (born January 18, 1972, in Glendale, California), nicknamed Lieby, is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He batted and threw right-handed.
In a 14-year career, Lieberthal played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1994–2006) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2007). He compiled a career batting average of .274, with 150 home runs and 610 runs batted in. During his career he won the Gold Glove Award, and was twice an All Star.
His 1999 season (.300, 31 home runs, 96 RBIs, Gold Glove Award) was arguably the best ever of any Phillies catcher, and he caught more games in his career than any other Phillies catcher (1,139). His career 149 home runs at catcher were the most in team history. Lieberthal had a .310 batting average, a .381 on base percentage, and .510 slugging percentage lifetime against left-handed pitching.
Lieberthal was an all-American catcher at Westlake High School, and graduated in 1990. Lieberthal hit four home runs in a single game for his high school: (1) a single home run, (2) a 2-run home run, (3) a 3-run home run, and (4) a grand slam. Immediately after that game, Lieberthal's team was ranked among the top 3 high school teams in the United States by USA Today, and advanced on that list to #1 a few days later.
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Mike Schmidt
Michael Jack Schmidt (born September 27, 1949) is a Hall of Fame third baseman, widely considered as the greatest at the position in the history of Major League Baseball. He played his entire career for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Schmidt had an unusual batting stance, turning his back somewhat to the pitcher and shaking his derrière while waiting for the pitch. By standing far back in the batter's box, he made it impossible to jam him by pitching inside. Schmidt was one of the best athletes of his time; teammate Pete Rose once said, "To have his body, I'd trade him mine and my wife's, and I'd throw in some cash."
Upon graduation from Fairview High School in Dayton, Ohio in 1967, Schmidt attended Ohio University in Athens, where he joined Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. Schmidt led the Ohio Bobcats baseball team to the College World Series in 1970, and was drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 1971 Major League Baseball Draft with the 30th overall pick.
On June 11, 1971, he was signed by scout Tony Lucadello, who had followed him since Little League Baseball. Six days later, Schmidt made his professional debut in an exhibition game between the Phillies and the Reading Phillies in Reading. Schmidt played the whole game at shortstop for the Phillies and hit a game-winning home run against Reading. Along with shortstop and third base, Schmidt also played some second base in the minors.
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Mike Timlin
Michael August Timlin ( /ˈtɪmlɪn/; born March 10, 1966, in Midland, Texas) is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Timlin was born in Midland, Texas to Jerome Francis Timlin Sr. and Nancy Sharon Beyer. Timlin graduated from Midland High School in Midland, Texas. He then attended and pitched at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.
Timlin was known for his 93 MPH fastball.[citation needed] His sliders and sinkers had a downward break, inducing a significant number of ground balls. Timlin assisted on the final out of 1992 World Series in Game 6 by fielding a bunt by Atlanta Braves outfielder Otis Nixon and throwing to Joe Carter at first base. Timlin also recorded a save for the game. Joe Carter gave Timlin the game ball shortly after the play was made.
Timlin did not allow a run during the 2003 postseason.
In 2004, Timlin made 76 pitching appearances, the third-most in Red Sox history and tied for fourth in American League history. On September 3, he made his 800th major league appearance, becoming only the 29th pitcher in major league history to reach that mark. Timlin made his 1,000th career appearance on August 31, 2007, against the Baltimore Orioles.
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Mo Vaughn
Maurice Samuel 'Mo' Vaughn (born December 15, 1967 in Norwalk, Connecticut), nicknamed "The Hit Dog", is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He played from 1991 to 2003. Vaughn was a three-time All-Star selection and won the American League MVP award in 1995.
Vaughn played high school baseball at New Canaan Country School[dubious – discuss] in New Canaan, Connecticut. He then moved on to play baseball at Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey, along with seven-time All-Star Craig Biggio.
Vaughn became the center of the Red Sox's line-up in 1993, hitting 29 home runs and contributing 101 RBIs. In 1995, he established a reputation as one of the most feared hitters in the American League when he hit 39 home runs with 126 RBIs and a .300 average. He also garnered 11 stolen bases. His efforts, which led the Red Sox to the playoffs (only to lose to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series), were rewarded with the American League MVP award.
Vaughn had his career year with the Red Sox in 1996, batting an average of .326, playing in 161 games, with 44 home runs, and 143 RBIs. On May 30, 1997 playing a game against the Yankees, Vaughn went 4-for-4 with three solo homers in the Red Sox's 10-4 win over the Yankees.
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Nick Etten
Nicholas Raymond Thomas (Nick) Etten (September 19, 1913 – October 18, 1990) was a first baseman in major league baseball, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1938–39), Philadelphia Phillies (1941–42, 1947) and New York Yankees (1943–46). Etten batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Spring Grove, Illinois. Etten attended St. Rita of Cascia High School on the south side of Chicago.
Etten attended Villanova University and was drafted by the Athletics from the Oakland Oaks minor league team. He made his major league debut with the Athletics late in 1938, also playing part-time for them in 1939. After playing two seasons with the Phillies, he was traded to the Yankees in January 1943, and he responded by leading the American League with 22 home runs, and drawing 97 walks in 1944, and with 111 RBIs the following season, also best in the league. During his four-year stint with the Yankees, Etten also ranked among league leaders in most offensive categories, was a member of the 1943 World Champion team, and was selected to the All-Star Game in 1945. In 1947, he appeared in fourteen games for the Phillies before retiring.
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Nick Markakis
Nicholas William Markakis (born November 17, 1983) is an American professional baseball outfielder with the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball. Of Greek and German descent, Markakis is known for his arm strength, stellar right field defense and smooth hitting.
Markakis was born on Long Island, New York, but he later moved to Woodstock, Georgia with his family, which includes his parents, Dennis and Mary Lou and his brothers Dennis, Greg and Michael (also an alumnus of Young Harris College).
At Young Harris College, Markakis played as both an outfielder and a pitcher, hitting .439 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs, while also gathering a 12–0 win–loss record as a pitcher with 1 save and a 1.68 earned run average in 15 games. He was twice named Georgia Junior College Player of the Year and was awareded Baseball America's 2002 National JUCO Player of the Year.
In August 2003, he played in the European National Championships, winning a silver medal with Team Greece. He also played for the Greek Olympic baseball team in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
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Nick Masset
Nicholas Allen Masset (born May 17, 1982 in St. Petersburg, Florida) is a right-handed pitcher for Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds. He was selected in the eighth round of the 2000 entry draft by the Texas Rangers. After graduating from Pinellas Park High School, Masset attended St. Petersburg Junior College prior to entering the Rangers farm system in 2001.
Masset had minor league stints with the Single-A Stockton Ports, Double-A Frisco RoughRiders and Triple-A Oklahoma RedHawks prior to his first call-up in June 2006.
Masset was traded to the Chicago White Sox on December 23, 2006, along with John Danks and Jacob Rasner for Brandon McCarthy and David Paisano.
On July 31, 2008, Masset, along with infielder Danny Richar were both traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Ken Griffey Jr..
Masset married his wife, Jennah, in January 2010.[citation needed]
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Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan, Jr. (born on January 31, 1947), nicknamed "The Ryan Express", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers.
During a major league record 27-year baseball career, he pitched in 1966 and from 1968 to 1993 for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Ryan, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher, threw pitches that were regularly recorded above 100 miles per hour (160.93 km/h). The high velocity remained throughout his career, even into his 40s. Ryan was also known to throw a devastating 12–6 curveball at exceptional velocity for a breaking ball.
While his lifetime winning percentage was a relatively pedestrian .526, Ryan was an eight-time MLB All-Star, and his 5,714 career strikeouts rank first in baseball history by a significant margin. He leads the runner-up, Randy Johnson, by 839 strikeouts. Similarly, Ryan's 2,795 bases on balls lead second-place Steve Carlton by 962—walking over 50% more hitters than any other pitcher in Major League history. Other than Jackie Robinson (whose number was retired by the entire MLB), Ryan is currently the only major league baseball player to have his number retired by at least 3 different teams: the Angels, Astros, and Rangers.
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Nomar Garciaparra
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra ( /ˈnoʊmɑr ɡɑrˌsiːəˈpɑrə/; born July 23, 1973, in Whittier, California) is a former Major League Baseball player and current ESPN analyst. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and shortstop and third base for the Chicago Cubs. He is one of 13 players in Major League history to hit two grand slams during a single game, and the only player to achieve the feat at his home stadium.
Garciaparra attended St. Mary's of the Assumption School in Whittier, California for elementary school; for high school he attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, where he excelled in football, soccer, and baseball, and had a 3.9 GPA. His teams won high school league championships in 1990–91, and he won the league MVP honors in 1991, his last year of high school. St. John Bosco High School retired Garciaparra's baseball jersey. St. John Bosco High School's Activities Office window is home to an area dedicated to Garciaparra's baseball career both at the school and with the Dodgers.
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Norm Siebern
Norman Leroy Siebern (born July 26, 1933 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a Major League Baseball player for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, California Angels, San Francisco Giants, and Boston Red Sox from 1956 to 1968. His best season came in 1962 with the A's, when he hit 25 home runs, had 117 runs batted in and a .308 batting average. He might be most remembered however, as being one of the players the Yankees traded for Roger Maris.
The Orioles acquired Siebern on November 27, 1963 in an exchange of starting first basemen, sending Jim Gentile and $25,000 to the Athletics. He spent two seasons in Baltimore, losing his starting spot in the middle of 1965 to Boog Powell, who successfully made the transition from the outfield. Siebern was traded to the Angels on December 2, 1965 for outfielder Dick Simpson. Seven days later, Simpson would be one of three players sent to the Cincinnati Reds for Frank Robinson.
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Pat Burrell
Patrick Brian "Pat" Burrell (born October 10, 1976), nicknamed "Pat the Bat," is a former American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball. He stands 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighs 235 pounds (107 kg). He bats and throws right-handed. Previously, he played with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the San Francisco Giants.
Burrell attended the University of Miami, where he won the Golden Spikes Award in 1998. In 1998, he was the first overall draft pick by the Phillies. After two years in the minors, Burrell was called up by the Phillies in 2000, and he finished fourth in voting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award. After hitting 27 home runs in 2001 (the first of eight straight years in which he would hit at least 20), he hit a career-high 37 home runs in 2002 and finished 14th in NL Most Valuable Player Award voting. In 2003, he signed a six-year contract with the Phillies but batted a career-low .209 with 21 home runs. In 2004, he batted .257 with 24 home runs but missed several games with a wrist injury. He hit 32 home runs in 2005 and finished seventh in NL MVP Award voting after he set a career high with 117 RBI. In 2006, he batted .258 with 29 home runs and 95 RBI but was benched for a few games due to a slump after April. He batted .256 with 30 home runs in 2007 as the Phillies reached the playoffs for the first time in his career. Burrell hit a home run in the playoffs as the Phillies were swept in the first round. In 2008, he hit 33 home runs as the Phillies reached the playoffs again, winning the World Series.
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Paul Molitor
Paul Leo Molitor (born August 22, 1956), nicknamed "Molly" and "The Ignitor", is an American former Major League Baseball designated hitter and infielder. During his 21-year baseball career, he played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1978–1992), Toronto Blue Jays (1993–1995), and Minnesota Twins (1996–1998). In 2004, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, becoming one of the first players who spent a significant portion of his career as a designated hitter to be enshrined. He was known for his exceptional hitting and speed.
Molitor was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota. After graduating from Cretin-Derham Hall High School, he was selected in the 28th round of the 1974 free agent draft as a pitcher by the St. Louis Cardinals, but opted instead to attend college at the University of Minnesota. He was a three year starter for the Golden Gophers, earning All American honors as a shortstop for his sophomore and junior years. After his junior year in college, he was selected third overall in the 1978 free agent draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. He signed with the Brewers and began his professional career in Iowa, playing for the Class A Burlington Bees of the Midwest League.
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Payne Stewart
William Payne Stewart (January 30, 1957 – October 25, 1999) was an American professional golfer who won three majors in his career, the last of which occurred only months before he died in an airplane accident at the age of 42.
Stewart was born in Springfield, Missouri, and attended Greenwood Laboratory School, a K-12 school, on the campus of Missouri State University. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He was always popular with fans, especially for his clothing, and was reputed to have the biggest wardrobe of all professional golfers. He was a favorite of photographers because of his ivy caps and patterned pants, which were a cross between plus fours and knickerbockers, a throwback to the once-commonplace golf "uniform."
Stewart failed to earn a PGA Tour card at Qualifying School in his graduation year, so he played on the Asian Tour for a couple of years, winning twice. He finally earned his PGA Tour card in 1982 and won his first event on the tour at that year's Quad Cities Open. This win was especially memorable to him because it was the only time his father saw him win. Stewart won eleven Tour events, including the 1989 PGA Championship and the U.S. Open in 1991 and 1999. He was a two-time winner of the Hassan II Trophy in Morocco. At the time of his death, Stewart was ranked third on the all-time money list and in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings—he had been ranked in the top 10 for almost 250 weeks, from 1986 to 1993 and again in 1999. At a time of international domination of the golf scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was often the highest-ranked American player.
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Pedro Martínez
Pedro Jaime Martínez (born October 25, 1971 in Manoguayabo, Dominican Republic) is a retiredMajor League Baseball pitcher. He is an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner, and 2004 World Series champion. At the time of his 200th win in April 2006, Martínez had the highest winning percentage of any 200-game winner in modern baseball history (he eventually slipped .003 behind Whitey Ford). His ERA+ is the highest of any starting pitcher in MLB history.
Officially listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg), Martínez was unusually small for a modern-day power pitcher, and he is believed to be somewhat smaller than his officially listed height and weight.
Martínez's pitching style was atypical as he commanded an arsenal of "out" pitches. His fastball, cutter, curveball and circle changeup were all well above average; combined with his historically excellent control, they proved to be an overpowering package. Martínez threw from a low three-quarter position that hid the ball very well from batters, who have remarked on the difficulty of picking up Martínez's delivery.
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Pete Rose
Peter Edward Rose (born April 14, 1941), nicknamed "Charlie Hustle", is a former Major League Baseball player and manager. Rose played from 1963 to 1986, and managed from 1984 to 1989.
Rose, a switch hitter, is the all-time Major League leader in hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053) and outs (10,328). He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and made 17 All-Star appearances at an unequaled five different positions (2B, LF, RF, 3B & 1B).
In August 1989, three years after he retired as an active player, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball amidst accusations that he gambled on baseball games while playing for and managing the Reds, including claims that he bet on his own team. In 1991, the Baseball Hall of Fame formally voted to ban those on the "permanently ineligible" list from induction, after previously excluding such players by informal agreement among voters. In 2004, after years of public denial, Rose admitted to betting on baseball and on, but not against, the Reds. The issue of Rose's possible re-instatement, and election, to the Hall of Fame remains a contentious one throughout baseball.
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Peter Gammons
Peter Gammons (born April 9, 1945) is an American sportswriter, media personality, and a recipient of the J. G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing, given by the BBWAA.
Gammons went to Groton School, an elite prep school in his hometown, Groton, MA. After graduating from Groton in 1965, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall. He worked for the university's student-run newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel. After graduating in 1969, he began his journalism career at The Boston Globe.
Gammons was a featured writer at The Boston Globe for many years as the main journalist covering the Boston Red Sox. (1969–1975, 1978–1986), or as a national baseball columnist. Between his two stints as a baseball columnist with the Globe, he was lead baseball columnist for Sports Illustrated (1976–78, 1986–90), where he covered baseball, hockey, and college basketball. Gammons also wrote a column for The Sporting News in the 1980s.
Gammons has also authored numerous baseball books, including Beyond the Sixth Game.
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Phil Nevin
Phillip Joseph Nevin (born January 19, 1971 in Fullerton, California) is a retired American professional baseball player who spent twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is currently the manager of the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers Class-AAA affiliate, assigned to the International League. In MLB, he played for the Houston Astros (1995), Tigers (1995–1997), Anaheim Angels (1998), San Diego Padres (1999–2005), Texas Rangers (2005–2006), Chicago Cubs (2006) and Minnesota Twins (2006).
Nevin attended California State University, Fullerton where he played college baseball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans baseball team. Leading the Titans to the championship game in the 1992 College World Series (CWS), he named the CWS Most Outstanding Player and won the Golden Spikes Award. Chosen with the first-overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Nevin went on to play in MLB for six teams across 12 seasons. He was selected to appear in the 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
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Phil Rizzuto
Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees (1941–1956). Rizzuto was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994.
A popular figure on a team dynasty which captured 10 AL titles and seven World Championships in his 13 seasons, Rizzuto holds numerous World Series records for shortstops. His best statistical season was 1950, when he was named the American League's Most Valuable Player. Despite this offensive peak, Rizzuto was a classic "small ball" player, noted for his strong defense in the infield. The slick-fielding Rizzuto is also regarded as one of the best bunters in baseball history. When he retired, his 1,217 career double plays ranked second in major league history, trailing only Luke Appling's total of 1,424, and his .968 career fielding average trailed only Lou Boudreau's mark of .973 among AL shortstops.
Ted Williams once claimed that his Red Sox would have won most of the Yankees' 1940s and 1950s pennants if they had had Rizzuto at shortstop, but Rizzuto himself was more modest: "My stats don't shout. They kind of whisper."
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Phillippe Aumont
Phillippe Aumont (born January 7, 1989 in Gatineau, Quebec) is a minor league professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners 11th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He is the third earliest Canadian pick (after Adam Loewen and Jeff Francis, both picked in 2002) and the first Quebec player to be picked in the first round in MLB draft history.
As a child his first love was baseball. He played baseball in high school at École secondaire du Versant in Gatineau, Quebec. Aumont was just 15 years old when his hometown Montreal Expos left for Washington after the 2004 season, but still supports the team despite playing in a new location.
In September 2003, Phillipe Aumont left his father's place to go live with his coach, Stéphane Pétronzio, and his family of three children, where he currently resides.
Phillippe was drafted by the Seattle Mariners with the 11th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft. On August 15, 2007, Aumont reached a deal with the Mariners and signed a contract which included a $1.9 million signing bonus.
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Prince Fielder
Prince Semien Fielder (born May 9, 1984) is an American professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. Playing first base, he is currently listed at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) (180 cm) and 285 lb (129 kg). He was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft out of Eau Gallie High School in Melbourne, Florida, and he played for the Brewers from 2005 through 2011.
He is the son of former first baseman Cecil Fielder. Prince and Cecil Fielder are the only father-son combination in MLB history to each hit 50 home runs in a season. Fielder holds the Brewers' team record for home runs in a season, and is the league's youngest player to hit 50 home runs in a season. He became the first Brewer to win the Home Run Derby, defeating Nelson Cruz 6–5 in the final round of the 2009 derby. He is a three-time all-star.
Prince, like many sons of prominent major leaguers, was a fixture around his father's teams' clubhouses growing up. In addition, he starred alongside his father in a McDonald's commercial and appeared with him on MTV's "Rock N' Jock Softball".
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R. A. Dickey
Robert Allen "R. A." Dickey (born October 29, 1974 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the New York Mets. He previously played for the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers. After limited success in the majors as a conventional starting pitcher he became a knuckleball pitcher, one of few remaining in the major leagues.
Dickey attended the University of Tennessee, where he played college baseball for the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team in the Southeastern Conference. He majored in English literature at Tennessee, where he had a 3.35 GPA and was named Academic All-American. He was also named Academic All-SEC.
Dickey was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round (18th overall) of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. After being drafted by the Rangers, Dickey was initially offered a signing bonus of $810,000, before a Rangers team physician saw Dickey's throwing (right) arm hanging oddly in a picture. The Rangers subsequently did further evaluation of Dickey, leading to the discovery of a missing ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint, and reduced their offer to $75,000. Dickey has been quoted as saying "Doctors look at me and say I shouldn’t be able to turn a doorknob without feeling pain," making his ability to pitch somewhat remarkable.
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Rafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales (born September 24, 1964 in Havana, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985. He played for the Cubs (1986–1988), Texas Rangers (1989–1993, 1999–2003), and the Baltimore Orioles (1994–1998, 2004–2005). He was named to the MLB All-Star Team four times, and won the Gold Glove three times. He is a member of the exclusive 500 home run club and the 3,000 hit club and is only the fourth player in history to be a member of both.
Days after recording his 3,000th hit, Palmeiro was suspended for testing positive for an anabolic steroid.
Palmeiro was born in Havana, Cuba and graduated from Miami Jackson High School. He played college baseball at Mississippi State University. Although he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 8th round of the 1982 draft, he did not sign. On June 11, 1985, Palmeiro signed with the Chicago Cubs as the 22nd pick in the 1st round of the 1985 draft. Rafael Palmeiro played baseball during early years in Miami, together with Jose Canseco and many other players. The coach that they play under was Osvaldo Morales who used to coach Jose Canseco in Miami Coral Park Hight School at the Junior Varsity team.
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Randy Winn
Dwight Randolph Winn (born June 9, 1974) is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Winn was a switch hitter, and threw right-handed. He played college baseball at Santa Clara University and made his Major League debut in 1998 with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After the 2002 season, Winn was traded to the Seattle Mariners and later played for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, and St.Louis Cardinals. He played in the 2002 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Winn was born in Los Angeles, California and attended San Ramon Valley High School. He attended college at Santa Clara University, and played baseball and basketball (where he played guard alongside former roommate and future NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash).
Winn was selected in the third round (65th overall) of the 1995 MLB amateur draft by the Florida Marlins. He was taken by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1997 MLB Expansion Draft.
Winn made his Major League debut on May 11, 1998 as a pinch runner for the Devil Rays. On October 3, 1999, he hit an inside-the-park grand slam against the New York Yankees. Winn represented Tampa Bay in the 2002 All-Star Game.
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Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four different teams (1967–1987). He was nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees. Jackson won five consecutive American League West divisional pennants, three consecutive American League pennants and two consecutive World Series titles as a member of the Oakland Athletics (he did not play in the 1972 World Series due to injury) from 1971 to 1975; four American League East divisional pennants, three American League pennants and two consecutive World Series titles with the Yankees from 1977 to 1981; and two American League West divisional pennants with the California Angels in 1982 and 1986. He is perhaps best remembered for hitting three consecutive home runs in the clinching game of the 1977 World Series.
Jackson played for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics (1967–1975, 1987), Baltimore Orioles (1976), New York Yankees (1977–1981), and California Angels (1982–1986). A 14-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jackson won two Silver Slugger Awards, the 1973 American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, two World Series MVP Awards, and the 1977 Babe Ruth Award.
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Reggie Smith
Carl Reginald Smith (born April 2, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder, coach and front office executive. During a 17-year big league career (1966–1982), Smith appeared in 1,987 games, hit 314 home runs and batted .287. He was a switch-hitter who threw right-handed. In his prime, he had one of the strongest throwing arms of any outfielder in the big leagues. Smith played at least 70 games in 13 different seasons, and in every one of those 13 seasons, his team had a winning record.
Smith grew up in Los Angeles, California. He won the International League batting title in 1966 with a .320 average while playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was called up to the major leagues late in that season and played for the Boston Red Sox (1966-73), St. Louis Cardinals (1974–76), Los Angeles Dodgers (1976–81) and San Francisco Giants (1982). Smith appeared in four World Series, including during his rookie 1967 season for the Red Sox, and three (1977, 1978 and 1981) for the Dodgers. He hit three home runs in the 1977 series.
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Rick Manning
Richard Eugene Manning (born September 2, 1954 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians (1975-1983) and Milwaukee Brewers (1983–1987). The Indians selected him out of high school with the second overall pick in the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft.
Manning made his major league debut with the Indians during the 1975 season. In 1977, Manning had surgery for a broken back suffered sliding into second base at the now-demolished Kingdome in Seattle.
Manning played a major role in Cleveland's trade of Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley. Eckersley was traded with Fred Kendall on March 30, 1978 to the Boston Red Sox for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton, Bo Diaz, and Ted Cox. In the book The Curse of Rocky Colavito, author Terry Pluto noted that the trade was necessitated by an awkward situation, namely that Eckersley's wife had left him for Manning.
Manning had stayed with the Eckersleys while recovering from back surgery the previous year, and in that time became romantically involved with Denise Eckersley, Dennis' wife.
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Rick Sutcliffe
Richard Lee "Rick" Sutcliffe (born June 21, 1956 in Independence, Missouri), nicknamed "The Red Baron" for his red hair and beard, is a former Major League Baseball starting pitcher and current television sportscaster.
A right-hander, Sutcliffe was a three-time All-Star. He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1979 and the National League Cy Young Award in 1984.
Sutcliffe broke into the majors in 1979. He won 17 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and was the first of four consecutive Rookies of the Year for the Dodgers from 1979–1982 (Steve Howe, Fernando Valenzuela, and Steve Sax were the others). The Dodgers traded Sutcliffe to the Cleveland Indians for Jorge Orta, a journeyman outfielder.
Sutcliffe won 31 games over the course of the next two seasons for Cleveland and led the American League in earned run average in 1982. In mid-1984, Cleveland traded a struggling Sutcliffe to the Chicago Cubs for Mel Hall and Joe Carter. Sutcliffe rebounded and won 16 games for the Cubs while losing only one, helping them to the division championship. On October 2, 1984, he started the first game of the NLCS against the San Diego Padres, giving up two hits and no runs, not only gaining the victory, but also hitting a home run in the third inning. Five days later, Sutcliffe pitched the final game of the series at Jack Murphy Stadium, but posted the loss after giving up four runs in the seventh inning.
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Rickey Henderson
Richard Nelson Henley "Rickey" Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder who played for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four stints with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. Nicknamed The Man of Steal, he is widely regarded as the sport's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds the major league records for career stolen bases, runs scored, unintentional walks and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the ten-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in bases on balls. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance.
In addition to the career steals record, Henderson also holds the single-season record for stolen bases (130 in 1982) and is the only player in AL history to steal 100 bases in a season, having done so three times. His 1,406 career steals is 50% higher than the previous record of 938 by Lou Brock. Henderson is the all-time stolen base leader for the Oakland A's and previously held the New York Yankees' franchise record from 1988-2011. He was among the league's top ten base stealers in 21 different seasons.
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Roberto Alomar
Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez (/ˈæləmɑr/; Spanish pronunciation: [aloˈmar]; born February 5, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball player (1988–2004), regarded by many as one of the best second basemen in MLB history. During his career he won more Gold Gloves (10) than any other second baseman in history, and also won the second-most Silver Slugger Awards (4) for a second baseman. On January 5, 2011, Alomar was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, in his second year of eligibility.
Alomar was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He is the son of Sandy Alomar, Sr., a former All-Star second baseman with a 15-year MLB career. His older brother, Sandy Alomar, Jr., was a Major League All-Star catcher and currently serves as bench coach for the Cleveland Indians.
Alomar was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico and was raised in Salinas, Puerto Rico.
In 1985, Alomar signed with the San Diego Padres at age 17, and joined the team's Class-A affiliate in Charleston. The following year, playing in Reno, he won the California League batting championship with a .346 average.
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Robin Yount
Robin R. Yount ( /ˈjɒnt/; nicknamed,"The Kid", and "Rockin' Robin", born September 16, 1955) is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and center fielder. He spent his entire 20-year baseball career with the Milwaukee Brewers (1974–1993). In 1999, Yount was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Yount was born in Danville, Illinois. During his youth, his family moved to southern California, where he attended William Howard Taft High School in Woodland Hills.
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Rod Carew
Rodney Cline "Rod" Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman, second baseman and coach. He played from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels and was elected to the All-Star game every season except his last. In 1991, Carew was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. While Carew was never a home run threat (hitting fewer than 100 career home runs), he made a career out of being a consistent contact hitter. He threw right-handed and batted left-handed.
Carew is a Zonian and was born to a Panamanian mother on a train in the town of Gatún, which, at that time, was in the Panama Canal Zone. The train was racially segregated; white passengers were given the better forward cars, while non-whites, like Carew's mother, were forced to ride in the rearward cars. When she went into labor, a physician traveling on the train, Dr. Rodney Cline, delivered the baby. In appreciation for this, Mrs. Carew named the boy Rodney Cline Carew.
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Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "The Rocket", is an American former baseball pitcher who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for four teams. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 earned run average (ERA), and 4,672 strikeouts, the third-most all time. An 11-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won seven Cy Young Awards during his career, the most of any pitcher. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and for his hard-throwing pitching style that he used to intimidate batters.
Clemens debuted in the major leagues in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox, whose pitching staff he anchored for 12 years. In 1986, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award, the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and the All-Star Game MVP Award, and he struck out an MLB-record 20 batters in a single game. After the 1996 season, Clemens left Boston via free agency and joined the Toronto Blue Jays. In each of his two seasons with Toronto, Clemens won a Cy Young Award, as well as the pitching triple crown by leading the league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts. Prior to the 1999 season, Clemens was traded to the New York Yankees where he won his only two World Series titles. In 2003, he reached his 300th win and 4,000th strikeout in the same game. Clemens left for the Houston Astros in 2004, where he spent three seasons and won his seventh Cy Young Award. He rejoined the Yankees in 2007 for one last season.
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Roger Maris
Roger Eugene Maris (September 10, 1934 – December 14, 1985) was an American baseball right fielder who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) on four teams, from 1957 through 1968. Maris hit a record 61 home runs during the 1961 season for the New York Yankees, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60 home runs in 1927. Maris' record stood for the next 37 years.
Maris appeared in seven World Series games. He was a two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (1960–1961), seven-time All-Star (1959–62), and an AL Gold Glove winner in 1960. His accomplishment of 61 home runs in a season, which was greatly debated in its own time, came back to the forefront in 1998, when the record was broken by both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. On September 24, 2011, the 50th anniversary of Maris' home run record was celebrated in Yankee Stadium.
Roger Maris was the son of Croatian immigrants. He was born Roger Eugene Maras(he later changed his last name to Maris) in Hibbing, Minnesota. He grew up in Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota, where he attended Shanley High School. Maris, a gifted athlete, participated in many sports while in Fargo, and excelled at football and still holds the official high school record for most kickoff return touchdowns in a game, with four.
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Roger Salkeld
Roger William Salkeld (born March 6, 1971 in Burbank, California) is an American former Major League Baseball player. A pitcher, Salkeld played Major League Baseball for the Seattle Mariners in 1993 and 1994 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1996. His career ended in 2000, with the Akron Aeros of Minor League Baseball.
He is the grandson of Bill Salkeld, who played five years in the major leagues from 1945-1950.
He attended Saugus High School in Saugus, California
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Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby, Sr. (April 27, 1896 – January 5, 1963), nicknamed "The Rajah", was an American baseball infielder, manager, and coach who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the St. Louis Cardinals (1915–1926, 1933), New York Giants (1927), Boston Braves (1928), Chicago Cubs (1929–1932), and St. Louis Browns (1933–1937). Hornsby had 2,930 hits, 301 home runs, and a .358 batting average during his career; he was named the National League (NL)'s Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, and was a member of one World Series championship team.
Born and raised in Texas, Hornsby played for several semi-professional and minor league teams. In 1915, he began his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals and remained with the team for 12 seasons; during this period, Hornsby won his first MVP Award and the Cardinals won the 1926 World Series. After that season, he spent one season at the New York Giants and another with the Boston Braves before being traded to the Chicago Cubs. He played with the Cubs for four years and won his second MVP Award before the team released him in 1932. Hornsby re-signed with the Cardinals in 1933, but was released partway through the season and was picked up by the St. Louis Browns. He remained there until his final season in 1937. From 1925 to 1937, Hornsby was intermittently his own manager. After retiring as a player, he managed the Browns in 1952 and the Cincinnati Reds from 1952 to 1953.
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Rollie Fingers
Roland Glen Fingers (born August 25, 1946) is a retired American Major League Baseball relief pitcher. During his 18-year baseball career, he pitched for the Oakland Athletics (1968–76), San Diego Padres (1977–80) and Milwaukee Brewers (1981–85). He became only the second reliever to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. Fingers is also one of only a few MLB players to have his number retired by more than one club (Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers).
Fingers was born in Steubenville, Ohio to George Michael Fingers and Edna Pearl (née Stafford) Fingers.
His father (who had also played minor league baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and roomed with Stan Musial), worked in a Steubenville steel mill. George Fingers came home from work fed-up one day, said "That's it, we're moving to California," and sold the house for $1,500 and bought a car and took the family to Cucamonga. They could not afford hotels so they slept in sleeping bags beside the highway. After getting to California George Fingers had to eventually go back to work in another steel mill.
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Ron Blomberg
Ronald Mark Blomberg (born August 23, 1948, in Atlanta, Georgia), nicknamed Boomer, is a former Major League Baseball designated hitter, first baseman, and right fielder. He played for the New York Yankees (1969, 1971–76) and Chicago White Sox (1978), and he was the manager of the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the Israel Baseball League (2007). He was the first designated hitter in Major League Baseball history.
He batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.
In his 8-season career, Blomberg compiled a .293 batting average (391-for-1,333) with 52 home runs, 224 RBIs, 184 runs, 67 doubles, and 8 triples in 461 games. He added a .360 on base percentage and a .473 slugging average. For his career, he hit .304 against right-handers, and .304 with 2 out and runners in scoring position, as well as .325 when the score was tied.
Blomberg attended Druid Hills High School, earning four letters each in baseball, basketball, and track, and graduated in 1967. He was an all-star in baseball, football, and basketball. He is the only athlete ever chosen for the Parade All-America teams in football, basketball, and baseball.
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Ron Villone
Ronald Thomas Villone Jr. (born January 16, 1970 in Englewood, New Jersey) is a retired Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher. He did not play on the same team for more than two years in his major league career and due to his many baseball travels, some of his teammates affectionately referred to him as "Suitcase" Villone.[citation needed] Villone currently shares the major league record for most teams played for, alongside pitchers Mike Morgan and Octavio Dotel and first baseman/outfielder/designated hitter Matt Stairs with 12 teams.
Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Villone grew up in Bergenfield, New Jersey.
Villone attended the University of Massachusetts and was a two-sport star, playing baseball and football. At 6’-3’’ and 245 pounds, Villone was a tight end when he played football, and he had success with it. In 1990, he was selected as a first team All-Yankee Conference tight end.
His natural strength was on the pitcher’s mound. In 1991, Villone was the recipient of the Atlantic-10 Left Handed Pitcher of the Year. Not only did he pitch for Team USA in 1992, he also was a third-team All American Selection after striking out 89 in just 591⁄3 innings.
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Roy Sievers
Roy Edward Sievers (born November 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a former first baseman/left fielder in Major League Baseball. From 1949 through 1965, Sievers played for the St. Louis Browns (1949–53), the original Washington Senators (1954–59), Chicago White Sox (1960–61), Philadelphia Phillies (1962–64), and finally the new Senators (1964–65). He batted and threw right-handed.
Signed by the St. Louis Browns as a free agent in 1947, Sievers debuted in the major leagues on April 21, 1949.
Sievers won the American League Rookie of the Year and TSN Rookie of the Year awards in 1949, batting .306 with 16 home runs and 75 RBI. He struggled to .238 in 1950, and for the next three years he suffered shoulder and arm injuries that limited his playing time to 134 games. He was traded to the Washington Senators for Gil Coan before the 1954 season.
In Washington, Sievers collected 95 or more RBI and played at least 144 games during five consecutive years (1954–58) and made the AL All-Star team three times (1956–57, 1959). His most productive season came in 1957, when he led the league in home runs (42), RBI (114), extra base hits (70) and total bases (331), batting .301. He finished third in the MVP ballot with four first-place votes and 205 points –Mickey Mantle got six and 233, Ted Williams five and 209.
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Rubén Sierra
Rubén Angel Sierra García (born October 6, 1965 in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Sierra also goes by the nicknames El Caballo and El Indio.
In a 20-season career, Sierra has played for the Texas Rangers (1986–92, 2000–01, 2003), Oakland Athletics (1992–95), New York Yankees (1995–96, 2003–05), Detroit Tigers (1996), Cincinnati Reds (1997), Toronto Blue Jays (1997), Chicago White Sox (1998), Seattle Mariners (2002), Minnesota Twins (2006).
Sierra graduated from Liceo Interamericano Castro High School in Puerto Rico in 1983, where he played baseball, basketball and volleyball.
In November 1985, the Texas Rangers signed 20-year old Sierra out of Puerto Rico. Sierra made his major league debut on June 1, 1986 as an outfielder and hit a home run in just his second MLB at bat becoming the first Texas Rangers player to accomplish this feat. Sierra had a decent rookie year hitting .264 with 16 home runs and 55 RBIs.
In 1989, Sierra hit 29 home runs, and led the league in RBI (119), slugging (.543), and extra bases (78). Despite superior numbers, he finished second in MVP voting to Robin Yount. He went on to have 3 years with 100+ RBIs with the Rangers. In August 1992, the Rangers traded Sierra to the Oakland Athletics for José Canseco. He later played more years with both the Rangers and A's.
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Rudy York
Preston Rudolph York (August 17, 1913 – February 5, 1970) was a Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Detroit Tigers (1934, 1937–45), Boston Red Sox (1946–47), Chicago White Sox (1947) and Philadelphia Athletics (1948). York was born in Ragland, Alabama. He batted and threw right-handed.
With one-eighth Cherokee ancestry and less-than-perfect fielding abilities, York prompted one sportswriter to declare: "He is part Indian and part first baseman".
York's family moved from Ragland, Alabama, to Aragon, Georgia, when Rudy was a small boy. Rudy's mother moved the family to the Cartersville, Georgia, area sometime in the late 1920s. They lived in the American Textile Company (ATCO) mill town on the outskirts of Cartersville, where Rudy began working in his early teens.
In his mid-teens, Rudy was playing baseball with older men on the ATCO mill team and receiving local attention for his prowess at the plate. Rudy would become the team's star player from 1930 to 1933.
York received a tryout and was signed by the Knoxville club of the Southern League in April 1933 but was released after appearing in just three games. Rudy returned to the Atco community and briefly resumed play with the mill team. He spent most of June of that year playing for a semi-pro team in Albany, Georgia, before returning to Atco for another brief stint with the mill team. In early July, Detroit scout Eddie Goosetree signed him for the Tigers. Assigned briefly to Shreveport of the Dixie League, he finished the 1933 season with Beaumont of the Texas League.
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Ryan Freel
Ryan Paul Freel (born March 8, 1976 in Jacksonville, Florida) is a retired baseball utility player. He played second base, third base, and all three outfield positions.
Freel attended Tallahassee Community College and was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of the 1994 amateur entry draft, but did not sign. A year later, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 1995 amateur draft. Freel played 6 seasons in the Toronto minor league system before making his Major League debut on April 4, 2001. He only played in 9 games for the Blue Jays in his rookie year, hitting .273 with 0 home runs, 3 RBI and 2 stolen bases. After the season was over, Freel was granted free agency and signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Freel played the entire 2002 season in the minor leagues with the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A affiliate of the Devil Rays. He hit .261 with 8 home runs, 48 RBI, and 37 steals. On November 18, 2002, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent.
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Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard (born November 19, 1979) is an American Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands 6 feet 4 inches (193 cm) and weighs 240 pounds (110 kg). He bats and throws left-handed.
Howard was the 2006 National League MVP. Howard is the fastest player to reach both the 100 and 200 home run milestones in Major League Baseball history, passing the marks in 2007 and 2009, respectively.
Due to Howard's reputation as an extreme pull hitter, opposing managers often utilize an unusual infield shift with him at the plate, with the third baseman playing shortstop, the shortstop playing second base, and the second baseman playing in shallow right field.
Howard was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He played for Missouri State University from 1998 to 2001. Howard finished his collegiate career with 50 home runs, 183 RBIs and a .335 career average in 172 games. He was the 1999 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year. Missouri State Retired his number on December 18, 2010.
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Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Dee Sandberg (born September 18, 1959), nicknamed "Ryno," is a former Major League Baseball second baseman. He played major-league baseball for sixteen years (1981–1994 and 1996–97) and spent nearly his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. He was named for relief pitcher Ryne Duren, and is recognized as one of the best second basemen in baseball history. Sandberg was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in January 2005; he was formally inducted in ceremonies on July 31, 2005.
Sandberg is currently the manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sandberg established himself as a perennial All-Star and Gold Glove candidate, making 10 consecutive All-Star appearances and winning nine consecutive Gold Gloves from 1983 to 1991. His career .989 fielding percentage is a major-league record at second base.
Sandberg was a star high-school quarterback in Spokane, Washington, where he graduated from North Central High School. In 1977, he was named to Parade Magazine's High School All-American football team, identifying him as one of the top two football players in the state of Washington. After his high school graduation, the school's baseball field was named in his honor as "Ryne Sandberg Field".
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Sam Crawford
Samuel Earl Crawford (April 18, 1880 – June 15, 1968), nicknamed "Wahoo Sam", was a Major League Baseball player who played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1957.
Crawford batted and threw left-handed, stood 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall and weighed 190 pounds. He was one of the greatest sluggers of the dead-ball era and still holds the Major League's records for triples in a career (309) and inside-the-park home runs in a season (12). He has the second best all-time record for most inside-the-park home runs in a career (51). He finished his career with 2,961 hits and a .309 batting average, and became first player to lead both American League and the National League in home runs (1901 and 1908).
Baseball legend, Ed Barrow, who managed Crawford in his first two years with Detroit, and went on to convert Babe Ruth to an outfielder as general manager of the Yankees, once said that “there never was a better hitter” than Crawford.” One of his contemporaries, Fielder Jones, said of Crawford: “None of them can hit quite as hard as Crawford. He stands up at the plate like a brick house and he hits all the pitchers, without playing favorites.”
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Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa (born November 12, 1968) is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007.
Sosa's Major League career began with the Texas Rangers in 1989. After three seasons with the Chicago White Sox, Sosa became a member of the Chicago Cubs in 1992 and subsequently became one of the league's best hitters. In 1998, Sosa and Mark McGwire achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' home run record. Sosa finished his career with brief stints with the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers. With the Rangers, Sosa hit his 600th career home run to become the fifth player in MLB history to reach the milestone. He is also the all-time home run leader among foreign-born MLB players. Furthermore, Sosa is one of only two National League Players to ever reach 160 RBI in a season, a milestone he reached in 2001. The other was Cubs player and RBI Champion Hack Wilson during his record setting 1930 season in which he recorded 191 RBI. Sosa is the only player to have hit 60 or more home runs in a single season three times.
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Sandy Alomar, Jr.
Santos "Sandy" Alomar, Jr., or in the Spanish-language naming system Santos Alomar Velázquez (Spanish pronunciation: [aloˈmar], English: /ˈæləmɑr/; born June 18, 1966 in Salinas, Puerto Rico), is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the San Diego Padres (1988–1989), Cleveland Indians (1990–2000), Chicago White Sox (2001–2002, 2003–2004) and (2006), Colorado Rockies (2002), Texas Rangers (2005), Los Angeles Dodgers (2006), and New York Mets (2007). He is the son of former major leaguer Sandy Alomar, Sr., and the brother of former second baseman Roberto Alomar. He is now the bench coach for the Cleveland Indians.
Alomar was a highly regarded catcher in the San Diego organization after being named Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year in both 1988 and 1989, but he was stuck behind Benito Santiago at the Major League level. After two short call-ups with the Padres, he finally got his chance at an everyday job after being traded to Cleveland after the 1989 season along with Carlos Baerga and Chris James, in exchange for power-hitter Joe Carter. Once in Cleveland, he established himself immediately, becoming the first rookie catcher to start an All-Star game and winning both Rookie of the Year honors and a Gold Glove Award.
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Sandy Koufax
Sanford "Sandy" Koufax ( /ˈkoʊfæks/; born Sanford Braun, December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1955–1966). Retiring at the peak of his career, in 1972 he became, at age 36 and 20 days, the youngest player ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame .
Koufax's career peaked with a run of six outstanding seasons from 1961 to 1966, before arthritis in his left elbow ended his career prematurely at age 30. He was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1963. He also won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young Awards by unanimous votes, making him the first 3-time Cy Young winner in baseball history and the only one to win 3 times when the award was for all of baseball, not just one league. In each of his Cy Young seasons, Koufax won the pitcher's triple crown by leading the NL in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average. Koufax's totals would also have led the American League in those seasons.
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Scot Shields
Robert Scot Shields (born July 22, 1975 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a former American Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He played his entire baseball career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, serving as their setup man since 2005. He was the last member of the Anaheim Angels' 2002 World Series Championship team remaining on the team's roster when he announced his retirement in 2011.
He graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School and attended Lincoln Memorial University while majoring in kinesiology. He was drafted by the then-Anaheim Angels in the 38th round (1137th overall) of the 1997 Major League Baseball Draft.
He began his career as a reliever in 1997 with Low-A Boise, earning a 7-2 record with two saves and a 2.94 ERA. The next year, he moved to Single-A Cedar Rapids, compiling a 6-5 record, seven saves and a 3.65 ERA. In 1999, he split his time as a starter and a reliever at High-A Lake Elsinore, gaining a 10-3 record with a 2.52 ERA and one save. In nine starts, he pitched two complete games and one shutout. For his efforts that year, he was named Angels Minor League Pitcher of the Year. He was promoted to Triple-A Edmonton in 2000, where he struggled with a 7-13 record and a 5.41 ERA.
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Scott Burrell
Scott David Burrell (born January 12, 1971) is an American retired professional basketball player and current assistant coach for Quinnipiac University. He has played internationally and was also a professional baseball player. Burrell was also the first American athlete to be a first round draft-pick of two major sporting organizations (the NBA and MLB).
Burrell was born in New Haven, Connecticut. A 6'7" multi-sport star at Hamden High School in Connecticut, Burrell was drafted by baseball's Seattle Mariners during his senior year. The Mariners wanted to develop Burrell as a pitcher and suggested that he bypass college for the minor leagues. However, Burrell wanted to attend college and made plans to play football and baseball at the University of Miami (FL) before University of Connecticut assistant basketball coach Howie Dickenman convinced Burrell to play basketball for the Huskies.
After his freshman year at University of Connecticut, Burrell was drafted by another baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays, and Burrell decided to spend his summers playing minor league baseball while concentrating on basketball for the rest of the year. Burrell's basketball career would quickly overshadow his baseball career, however, as he became the first player in NCAA history to compile over 1,500 points, 750 rebounds, 275 assists and 300 steals. Scott will forever be remembered in the annals of UConn basketball history for his full court pass with 1 second on the clock to Tate George, who hit a shot as time expired to beat Clemson in the East Regional Semi-final in the 1990 NCAA tournament.
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Scott Eyre
Scott Alan Eyre (born May 30, 1972 in Inglewood, California) is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball.
Eyre attended the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Idaho and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 9th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1994 and made his major league debut in Chicago on August 1, 1997. Eyre was traded in 2000 to the Toronto Blue Jays. Eyre was selected off waivers from the Blue Jays by the San Francisco Giants in 2002. He spent the next several seasons as an effective reliever for the Giants.
On November 18, 2005, Eyre signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs and pitched his way to an ERA of 3.38. He was one of the more consistently used relievers on a pitching staff that often struggled. He was used mainly in 7th and 8th inning situations in tandem with Bob Howry with Eyre being used more often in lefty vs. lefty situations.
Eyre has noted that Lou Piniella could not remember his name for the longest time and called him "Stevie" for a while, jokingly, even after he learned Scott's real name. According to Cubs play-by-play broadcaster Len Kasper, Piniella has since begun intentionally pronouncing his name "Stevie Aye-er."[citation needed]
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Shawn Abner
Shawn Wesley Abner (born June 17, 1966 in Hamilton, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1987 to 1992. He is best known for being chosen first in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft, although he would go on to have a marginal career.
Abner attended high school at Mechanicsburg Area High School in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was identified by New York Mets scouts as an all-around "can't miss" outfield prospect after his sophomore year. He was also a star at football, and his number "16" was retired by the school for use in both sports. The Mets owned the first pick in the 1984 amateur draft and had had recent draft successes with Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, two players who became stars almost immediately despite their young age. Shawn Abner was chosen first in the draft; his brother Ben was also taken, in the fifth round by the Montreal Expos. Other players chosen in the first round included Bill Swift, Cory Snyder, Terry Mulholland, Jay Bell, Oddibe McDowell, and, perhaps most importantly, Mark McGwire.
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Shawn Estes
Aaron Shawn Estes (born February 18, 1973, in San Bernardino, California) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. After he attended Douglas High School in Minden, Nevada, he was offered a scholarship by Stanford University. He turned it down, however, in favor of signing with the Seattle Mariners after he was selected by the Mariners in the 1st round of the 1991 MLB Draft out of Douglas High School.
He began his career with the Bellingham Mariners in "A" ball in 1991. He then played with the Appleton Foxes, Arizona League Mariners and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers from 1992-1995. The Mariners traded Estes to the San Francisco Giants on May 21, 1995 for Salomon Torres.
The Giants moved him through their farm system rapidly during the 1995 season, sending him to the Burlington Bees, San Jose Giants and Shreveport Captains.
Estes made his Major League debut with the Giants on September 16, 1995, working 5.1 innings as a starter against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He allowed five earned runs and collected the loss. He was 0-3 in three starts for the Giants that September.
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Shawn Green
Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972, in Des Plaines, Illinois) is a former Major League Baseball player.
Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star. He drove in 100 runs four times and scored 100 runs four times, hit 40 or more home runs three times, led the league in doubles, extra base hits, and total bases, won both a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award, and set the Dodgers single-season record in home runs. Green was also in the top five in the league in home runs, RBIs, intentional walks, and MVP voting.
Green holds or is tied for the following major league records: most home runs in a game (4), most extra base hits in a game (5), most total bases in a game (19), most runs scored in a game (6), most home runs in two consecutive games (5), most home runs in three consecutive games (7), and most consecutive home runs (4). He hit his 4 home runs, 5 extra base hits, and 19 total bases against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2002. Green broke the record of 18 total bases (4 home runs and double) set by Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves (vs. Brooklyn Dodgers) in 1954.
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Shawon Dunston
Shawon Donnell Dunston (born March 21, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former shortstop and right-handed batter in Major League Baseball. He resides in Fremont, CA. He was the first overall pick in the 1982 MLB draft by the Chicago Cubs, and played for the Cubs (1985–95, 1997), San Francisco Giants (1996, 1998, 2001–02), Pittsburgh Pirates (1997), Cleveland Indians (1998), St. Louis Cardinals (1999, 2000) and New York Mets (1999). He played baseball in the summer for the Youth Service League
In 1988 and 1990 he joined double-play partner Ryne Sandberg as an All-Star and was a key contributor to the Cubs' NL East division title in 1989, hitting .278 with 20 doubles, 6 triples, 9 home runs, 60 runs batted in and 19 stolen bases. Dunston was a career .269 hitter with 150 home runs and 668 RBI in 1814 games. He seldom walked, so in spite of his decent batting average, his on-base percentage was the second worst of those with at least 4500 plate appearances during his 18 year career.
At the end of his career, he was used mainly as a fourth outfielder and a role player off the bench.
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Sixto Lezcano
Sixto Joaquin Lezcano Curras (born November 28, 1953 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico) is a retired baseball player who played for 12 seasons as an outfielder in the Major Leagues between 1974 and 1985. He played for 5 different teams in the Majors and won a Gold Glove during his career.
Lezcano was originally signed as an amateur in 1970 by the Milwaukee Brewers. After spending four seasons in their minor league system, Lezcano reached the big leagues for the first time in 1974. He became the Brewers' starting right fielder in 1975, a job he would hold for the next 6 seasons. He showed a particularly strong throwing arm in right field, and led American League outfielders in assists in 1978.
His best offensive numbers came in 1979, when he finished among the top 10 in the AL in batting average and home runs, and finished with the third-highest slugging percentage in the American League. That season, he was honored for his defensive skills with the only Gold Glove of his major league career.
While with the Brewers, he became the only player in Major League Baseball history to hit a grand slam on Opening Day twice, doing so in both 1978 and 1980.
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Socks Seybold
Ralph Orlando "Socks" Seybold (November 23, 1870 – December 22, 1921) was an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He played over parts of nine seasons with the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Athletics. Known as a power hitter, Seybold set the American League record for home runs in 1902, which would not be broken until 1919. He stood at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) and weighed 200 lbs.
Seybold was born in Washingtonville, Ohio. He started his professional baseball career in 1892, and over the next few years he played in the Pennsylvania State League and Atlantic League. In 1896, he had a breakout season, hitting .352 at Lancaster, and in 1897, he led the team to the pennant by slugging a league-leading 14 home runs. Seybold led the Atlantic League in homers again in 1898 and was leading in 1899 when he was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds.
Seybold made his major league debut on August 20. He did not hit well in Cincinnati, and returned to the minors in 1900. He led the American League in home runs, with 9. Seybold then got his second shot in the majors in 1901, with the Philadelphia Athletics, and this time, he stuck. That season, he hit .334 and had a 27-game hitting streak in July and August.
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Spike Owen
Spike Dee Owen (born April 19, 1961 in Cleburne, Texas) is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners (1983–86), Boston Red Sox (1986–88), Montreal Expos (1989–92), New York Yankees (1993) and California Angels (1994–95). He made his Major League debut on June 25, 1983.
In a 13-season career, Owen compiled a .246 batting average with 46 home runs and 439 RBI in 1544 games.
A switch-hitter, Owen attended The University of Texas at Austin and was the All-Tournament Team shortstop in the 1982 College World Series. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 1st round (6th pick) of the 1982 amateur draft.
On June 25, 1983 Owen went 1 for 4 against the Toronto Blue Jays in his major league debut in with the Mariners. His first hit came off Jim Gott. On July 13, 1983, Owen hit his first big league home run against Boston Red Sox pitcher Doug Bird at Fenway Park.
In 1986, he was named team captain of the Mariners. On August 19, Owen and center fielder Dave Henderson were traded to the Boston Red Sox for Rey Quiñones and cash. In his third game with the Red Sox, he tied a major league record with six runs scored in a game. In the 1986 American League Championship Series, Owen hit .429 as the Red Sox defeated the California Angels 4 games to 3. In the 1986 World Series he hit .300, as the Red Sox lost to the New York Mets 4 games to 3.
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Stan Musial
Stanley Frank "Stan" Musial ( /ˈmjuːziəl/ or /ˈmjuːʒəl/; born November 21, 1920) is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals (1941–1963). Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection (tied with Willie Mays), and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He compiled 3,630 hits (ranking fourth all-time and most in a career spent with only one team). With 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 on the road, he is also considered to be the most consistent hitter of his era. He also compiled 475 home runs during his career, was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, and won three World Series championship titles. Musial was a first-ballot inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969 and is currently the longest tenured living Hall of Famer.
Musial was born in Donora, Pennsylvania, where he frequently played baseball in both informal and organized settings, eventually playing on the baseball team at Donora High School. Signed to a professional contract by the St. Louis Cardinals as a pitcher in 1938, Musial was converted into an outfielder prior to his major league debut in 1941. Noted for his unique batting stance, he quickly established himself as a consistent and productive hitter. In his first full season, 1942, the Cardinals won the World Series. The following year, he led the National League in six different offensive categories and earned his first MVP award. He was also named an All-Star for the first time; he would be selected to every All-Star Game in every subsequent season he played. Musial won his second World Series ring in 1944, then missed the entire 1945 season while serving with the United States Navy.
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Stephen Strasburg
Stephen James Strasburg ( /ˈstrɑːzbərɡ/; born July 20, 1988) is a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Nationals, who selected him with the first pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. Strasburg signed a record $15.1 million contract with the Nationals. He made his MLB debut with the Nationals in 2010.
Strasburg was called the "most-hyped pick in draft history" by ESPN and the "most hyped and closely watched pitching prospect in the history of baseball" by Sports Illustrated.
In 2008, as a sophomore at San Diego State University, Strasburg went 8–3 with a 1.58 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 98⅓ innings for the Aztecs. Four of his thirteen starts in 2008 were complete games, two of which were shutouts. On April 11 of that year, he struck out a Mountain West Conference record 23 batters in a game versus the University of Utah.
Strasburg finished the 2009 season 13–1 with a 1.32 ERA, 59 hits allowed, 16 earned runs, 19 walks, and 195 strikeouts in 109 innings pitched. In his final home start on May 8, 2009, Strasburg threw his first career no-hitter while striking out 17 Air Force batters. His lone loss came against the Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA Regionals as Virginia advanced toward the College World Series, but he still struck out 15 in seven innings during the loss.
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Steve Chilcott
Steven Lynn Chilcott (born September 23, 1948 in Lancaster, California) is a former baseball catcher from Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, California, who was drafted by the New York Mets as the first overall pick in the 1966 Major League Baseball Draft, a spot ahead of Reggie Jackson. He was awarded a $75,000 signing bonus, which he invested in real estate.
He played six seasons in the minor leagues for the Mets and later the Yankees after the Mets released him before retiring due to injury, plateauing at Triple-A.
Chilcott played six seasons in the minor leagues before suffering career-ending injuries. As of May 2010, Chilcott and Brien Taylor are the only number-one picks in the baseball draft to retire without ever reaching the major leagues; however, the 2004 #1 overall pick, Matt Bush, has been on the Tampa Bay Rays 40-man roster but has yet to play in the Majors and could join Chilicott and Taylor on the list.
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Steve Garvey
Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948), nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held throughout his career in baseball, is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman and current Southern California businessman. Garvey was the 1974 NL MVP, 10-time All-Star, and holds the National League record for consecutive games played (1,207).
Born in Tampa, FL to parents who had recently relocated from Long Island, New York, from 1956 to 1961, Garvey was a bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. Garvey played football and baseball at Michigan State University after graduating from Chamberlain High School. Garvey played his entire career in the National League West for two teams; the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969–82) and the San Diego Padres (1983–87). He batted right and threw right. In a 19-year career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1308 RBI in 2332 games played.
Garvey was part of the most enduring infield in baseball history along with third baseman Ron Cey, shortstop Bill Russell and second baseman Davey Lopes. The four infielders stayed together as the Dodgers' starters for eight and a half years.
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Steven Baron
Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Seattle Mariners system.
Jorge Agudelo (born May 30, 1989) is a professional baseball player currently in the Seattle Mariners organization.
Agudelo was signed by the Mariners as an un-drafted free agent on January 25, 2006.
Denny Almonte (born on September 24, 1988 in Miami, Florida) is a professional baseball player currently in the Seattle Mariners organization. He was drafted in the second round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He attended Florida Christian School.
Almonte had a fabulous high school career as an Aflac All American despite one slip up. On March 3rd 2007 Almonte faced University School of NSU Cuban Defector Andrew Bromley in a controversial at bat. During this at bat Bromley struck out Almonte swinging on a 52 mile per hour fast ball. Almonte recounted "It was the slowest pitch I have ever seen since my grandfathers slow pitch soft ball league in 1997." Renown Florida Christian School head baseball coach Ernie Padron argued the call on the basis of it being below the FHSAA's minimum speed requirement for fastballs.
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Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox (1939–1942 and 1946–1960). Williams was a two-time American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner, led the league in batting six times, and won the Triple Crown twice. A nineteen-time All-Star, he had a career batting average of .344, with 521 home runs, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. Williams recorded a hit 34 percent of the time; he reached base an astounding 48 percent of the time.
Williams was the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941). Williams holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. His career year was 1941, when he hit .406 with 37 HR, 120 RBI, and 135 runs scored. His .551 on base percentage set a record that stood for 61 years. Nicknamed "The Kid", "The Splendid Splinter", "Teddy Ballgame", "The Thumper" and, because of his hitting prowess, "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived", Williams's career was twice interrupted by service as a U.S. Marine Corps fighter-bomber pilot. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television program about fishing, and he was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.
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Terry Bell
Terence William Bell (born October 27, 1962 in Dayton, Ohio) is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for two seasons. He played for the Kansas City Royals for eight games during the 1986 Kansas City Royals season and for one game for the Atlanta Braves during the 1987 Atlanta Braves season.
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Terry Pendleton
Terry Lee Pendleton (born July 16, 1960 in Los Angeles, California) is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball, and a former hitting coach and current first base coach of the Atlanta Braves. He played primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves, but he also spent time with the Florida Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Kansas City Royals. During his fifteen year career, he went to the World Series five times, yet his team never won a championship.
Terry Pendleton started his baseball career as an Eastside Little League player, then moved on to play [second baseman] at Channel Islands High, then moved on to a collegiate baseball career at Fresno State. He played the 1981 and 1982 seasons with the Bulldogs, and was a key contributor to the team's fourth consecutive conference title in the 1982 season when he set a school record with 98 hits. That feat led to his recognition as an All-American. As a result, Pendleton had his jersey retired in 2007, alongside the jerseys of Tex Clevenger and Jimy Williams. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1982 amateur draft, and subsequently signed with the team on June 12, 1982.
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Terry Steinbach
Terry Lee Steinbach (born March 2, 1962 in New Ulm, Minnesota) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for 14 years from 1986 to 1999. He was drafted in 1980 out of New Ulm High School by the Cleveland Indians. He was the starting catcher for Oakland Athletics teams that won three straight American League pennants from 1988 to 1990, and the World Series in 1989. After leaving the A's following his career year in 1996, he played his last three years with the Minnesota Twins.
He was elected to the American League All-Star team 3 times (1988, 1989 and 1993). His 1988 selection was highly controversial because Steinbach had posted modest numbers in the first half of the season. However, during the game he accounted for both AL runs with a home run and sacrifice fly, and was named the game's MVP.
Steinbach caught two no-hitters during his career (Dave Stewart in 1990, Eric Milton in 1999).
Steinbach is currently a coach for the Wayzata High School boys varsity baseball team in Plymouth, Minnesota.
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Thurman Munson
Thurman Lee Munson (June 7, 1947 – August 2, 1979) was an American Major League Baseball catcher. He played his entire 11-year career for the New York Yankees (1969–1979). A perennial All-Star, Munson is the only Yankee ever to win both the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.
Born in Akron, Ohio, Munson was selected as the fourth pick of the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft. Munson hit over .300 in his two seasons in the Minor Leagues, establishing himself as a hot prospect. He became the starting catcher late in the 1969 season, when the Yankees were reestablishing themselves after a few losing seasons. Munson played his first complete season in 1970, becoming Rookie of the Year after hitting .302.
Considered the "heart and soul" of the Yankees, Munson became the first team captain since Lou Gehrig. He led the Yankees to three consecutive World Series, winning two of them.
Munson died at age 32 while practicing landing his Cessna Citation at Akron-Canton Airport. Munson suffered a broken neck as result of the crash and his cause of death was asphyxiation. His two companions escaped the burned aircraft.
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Tilly Walker
Clarence William "Tilly" Walker (September 4, 1887 – September 20, 1959) was an American left and center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1923. Born in Telford, Tennessee, Walker hit .281, and he was one of the first power hitters, slugging 17 home runs in 1920, 23 in 1921, and 37 (with a .549 slugging percentage and a .283 batting average) in 1922. For a time he was among the top ten lifetime home run leaders. He died at age 72 in Unicoi, Tennessee.
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Tim Beckham
Timothy Lamar Beckham (born January 27, 1990, in Griffin, Georgia) is a minor league shortstop for the Class AAA Durham Bulls of the International League. He was the first overall selection of the 2008 MLB Draft, and signed with the Rays on June 19, receiving a signing bonus of $6.15 million.
Beckham was rated by publications such as Baseball America as the top high school baseball prospect in the nation. Beckham is described as a potential five tool player at the major league level. Beckham runs the 60 yard dash in 6.35 seconds, and bench presses 280 lbs. He stands 6'3" and weighs 195 lbs.
Beckham, the youngest son of Jimmy and Ella Beckham, grew up in the Crestview Heights neighborhood of Griffin, Georgia. He often played baseball in his yard with his older brothers Stephen and Jeremy. During his younger years Beckham was involved in football, basketball and baseball. However, he quit baseball while in grade school to focus on football and basketball. Encouraged by his brothers, he got back into baseball, and began to excel. Jeremy introduced him to baseball coach Anthony Dye, who coached the Atlanta Blue Jays. Dye realized the potential Beckham possessed, and worked closely with him. Beckham was the shortstop for the Griffin JV baseball team as an eighth grader, and the varsity team at Griffin High School in 2005 as a freshman.
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Tim Belcher
Timothy Wayne Belcher (born October 19, 1961 in Mount Gilead, Ohio) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He won the Sporting News Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award in 1988 for the National League. He is currently the pitching coach for the Cleveland Indians.
During his 14-year baseball career, Belcher pitched from 1987-2000 for seven different ballclubs: the Los Angeles Dodgers (1987-1991), Cincinnati Reds (1992-1993), Chicago White Sox (1993), Detroit Tigers (1994), Seattle Mariners (1995), Kansas City Royals (1996-1998), and Anaheim Angels (1999-2000).
Belcher played high school baseball at Highland High School (Sparta, Ohio) and intercollegiate varsity baseball at Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He was the first draft pick in the 1983 Major League Baseball Entry Draft, selected by the Minnesota Twins. However, he refused to sign with the Twins, and instead was selected in the 1984 supplemental draft by the New York Yankees. He was picked up by the Oakland Athletics in the compensation pool.
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Tim Foli
Timothy John Foli (born December 8, 1950), nicknamed Crazy Horse, is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, California Angels and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1985. At age 17, Foli was the first pick in the Major League Baseball Draft in 1968 and went on to be a member of the 1979 World Series champion Pirates.
Foli was known as a fiery player who was a reliable fielder, but only an average hitter. Foli was a free swinger, especially in 1982 when he walked only 14 times, the lowest total ever for 150 or more games played (Ozzie Guillén broke Foli's notorious record three years later). His free swinging did not aim for the fences, however, as he averaged less than two home runs per season. His lack of power, combined with a lack of running speed (averaging approximately a stolen base every 20 games) resulted in Foli typically batting either second in the lineup or near the bottom. Although he accumulated few walks, Foli was also one of the most difficult to strikeout, posting the league's best strikeout percentage three times and finishing in the top ten five times. Foli hit well when it counted most as he compiled a .333 batting average in the 1979 postseason contributing to Pittsburgh's last World Championship. He was an accomplished bunter, finishing in the league top ten in sacrifice hits eight times including an American League-leading 26 in 1982.
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Tim Hudson
Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Atlanta Braves. Hudson began his major league career with the Oakland Athletics (1999–2004) and played his last two years of college eligibility at Auburn University. In a 13-season career, Hudson has compiled a 181–97 win-loss record with 1,699 strikeouts and a 3.40 ERA in 2,503.1 innings with the Oakland Athletics and the Atlanta Braves. Also, he has never had a season where he has suffered more losses than wins.
Hudson attended Glenwood School in Phenix City, Alabama where in his senior season, he led the team to the 1993 AISA state championship. He finished his high school career with a 12–1 record and a 1.78 ERA. Despite his record, Hudson was considered undersized by scouts at 6'0 tall and 160 pounds and was not drafted nor was he offered a scholarship to a major college. Hudson decided to attend a local two year college, Chattahoochee Valley Community College (CVCC).
In 1994, his freshman year at CVCC, he earned First-team All American honors while leading his team to the AJCCC Division II championship. He also led the CVCC team in batting average (.385), home runs (9), RBI (42), wins (10–2), strikeouts (76), and was second on the team with a 2.76 ERA. As a sophomore, he was named Second-team All American and set a school and conference record with 117 strikeouts which also led the nation. As a hitter, Hudson batted .345 with 5 home runs, and 29 RBI. His sophomore season ERA of 1.95 was the team and conference best.
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Tim Leary (baseball)
Timothy James Leary (born December 23, 1958, in Santa Monica, California) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.
Leary posted a 10-2 record in his senior year at Santa Monica High School, and was named to the 1976 All-CIF first-team. He went 19-1 to lead his American Legion Baseball team to the national championship.
He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a three year letterwinner in baseball on top of completing an economics degree. Over his college career, Leary compiled a 21-15 record with a 3.09 earned run average. His sixteen complete games is a school record, and his 258 strikeouts are the school's fourth highest total.
In 1978, he helped lead the USA Amateur Team to the silver medal in the World Cup played in Italy. He was also a member of the 1979 Pan Am Team.
Leary was selected by the New York Mets as the second overall pick of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft. He went 15-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 138 strikeouts for the Jackson Mets in his first professional season, prompting the Mets to make the controversial decision to bring him all the way to the majors for his second season. Making his major league debut on April 12, 1981, Leary faced just seven batters, before leaving the game after just two innings with a strained elbow. After four months inactive, he appeared in six games with the Mets' triple A affiliate, the Tidewater Tides toward the end of the 1981 season. He strained his elbow a second time during Spring training 1982, and was shut down for the entire 1982 season.
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Tim Raines
Timothy Raines (born September 16, 1959 in Sanford, Florida), nicknamed "Rock", is a former American professional baseball player. He played as a left fielder in Major League Baseball for six teams from 1979 to 2002 and was best known for his 13 seasons with the Montreal Expos. He is regarded as one of the best leadoff hitters and baserunners in baseball history.
The Montreal Expos selected Raines in the fifth round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. After debuting with six games as a pinch runner in 1979, he played briefly as a second baseman for the Expos in 1980 but soon switched to playing the outfield, and rapidly became a fan favorite due to his aggressiveness on the basepaths. In his strike-interrupted 1981 rookie season, he batted .304 and stole 71 bases – then the second most ever by a rookie, behind only Benny Kauff's 75 for the 1914 Indianapolis Hoosiers in the Federal League. Raines was caught stealing for the first time in 1981, after having begun his career with a major league record 27 consecutive successful stolen bases. Raines was the runner-up for the National League's Rookie of the Year Award in 1981, which was won by Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.
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Tino Martinez
Constantino "Tino" Martinez (born December 7, 1967 in Tampa, Florida) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman.
Martinez was the first round draft pick for the Seattle Mariners in 1988 out of the University of Tampa where he starred during his time on campus. He began his Major League career in 1990 and has played for the Mariners, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and rejoined the Yankees in the 2005 season. During his 16-year MLB career, he scored 1,008 runs, drove in 1,271 runs, and hit 339 home runs. He had 100 or more RBI in six different seasons and was twice named to the All-Star team.
Tino Martinez was born and raised in neighborhood of West Tampa in Tampa, Florida. His grandfather owned a small cigar factory in which Tino, his brothers, and childhood friend and fellow future major-leaguer Luis Gonzalez worked as young boys . Tino attended St. Joseph School in West Tampa until 8th grade, then attended Tampa Catholic High School for 9th and 10th grade before transferring to Jefferson High School for his final two years of high school. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Tampa.
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Tito Nanni
Tito Angelo Nanni (December 3, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a former professional baseball player. Over his career, Nanni primarily played first base and outfield. Nanni played in the Seattle Mariners organization for the majority of his career, but also spent part of a season in the California Angels organization, and the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Despite playing for the aforementioned organizations and being a high draft pick, Nanni never made an appearance in Major League Baseball. He is considered to be one of the worst first-round draft picks of all-time. Nanni played seven seasons in minor league baseball, and had a career batting average of .253 with a .384 slugging percentage, 701 hits, 122 doubles, 22 triples, and 66 home runs in 2775 at-bats.
For high school, Nanni attended Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Nanni is a hall of fame member at his school. During his athletics career at Chestnut Hill, Nanni played baseball, basketball, and football. He was captain and the most valuable player for each sport he played. He was an All-City selection if football, an All-Inter-Ac for basketball, and All-City and All-American for baseball.
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Todd Jones
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.
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. 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.
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Tom Tresh
Thomas Michael Tresh (September 20, 1938 – October 15, 2008) was a Major League Baseball infielder and outfielder who played for the New York Yankees (1961–69) and Detroit Tigers (1969). Tresh was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He was the son of catcher Mike Tresh.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Tresh started his career with the Yankees as a shortstop when Tony Kubek was in military service. On Opening Day of the 1962 season, Tresh was in the Yankees' lineup at shortstop. Not until Derek Jeter in 1996 would another Yankee rookie shortstop gain such an honor.
In 1962 he won both the MLB Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards, after hitting .286 (the highest mark of his career) with 20 home runs and 93 RBI in 157 games. When Kubek returned during the 1962 season, Tresh was moved to left field. At various times with the Yankees, Tresh played shortstop, outfield, and third base. In Game 5 of the 1962 World Series, he broke a 2–2 tie with a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 8th inning off Jack Sanford (who had won 24 games that season), leading to a 5–3 Yankee win and a 3–2 lead in games.
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Tommie Agee
Tommie Lee Agee (August 9, 1942 – January 22, 2001) was a Major League Baseball center fielder most noted for making two of the greatest catches in World Series history, both of which occurred in game three of the 1969 World Series.
Agee was born in Magnolia, Alabama, and played baseball and football at Mobile County Training School with future New York Mets teammate Cleon Jones. After one season at Grambling State University (1961), Agee signed with the Cleveland Indians for a $60,000 bonus.
After two seasons in the Indians' farm system, Agee received a September call-up to Cleveland in 1962. With the Indians already behind 11-1 to the Minnesota Twins, Agee made his major league debut on September 14 at Metropolitan Stadium pinch-hitting for pitcher Bill Dailey in the ninth inning. He received September call-ups to the majors the following two seasons as well, playing a total of 31 games with the Indians in which he batted .170 with one home run and five runs batted in. Following the 1964 season, he was dealt to the Chicago White Sox with Tommy John as part of a three team blockbuster trade between the Indians, ChiSox and Kansas City Athletics that returned All-Star Rocky Colavito to the Indians.
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Tommy John
Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball whose 288 career victories rank as the seventh highest total among left-handers in major league history. He is also known for the revolutionary surgery, now named after him, which was performed on a damaged ligament in his pitching arm.
John was an outstanding basketball player at Gerstmeyer High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he held the city single game scoring record. Choosing baseball when he realized he would not go on to play professional basketball, John signed with the Cleveland Indians and made his major league debut at twenty years-old in 1963. Following two partial seasons with the Indians, John showed occasional excellence during seven respectable years as a starting pitcher with the Chicago White Sox. However, it was a trade before the 1972 season to the Los Angeles Dodgers for mercurial slugger Dick Allen that began a skein of John's most famous years, first with the Dodgers and subsequently with the New York Yankees, where he posted a pair of 20-win seasons and was twice an All-Star. John was also named an All-Star in 1968 with the White Sox and 1978 with LA. He played in all three Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series of his era (1977, 1978 and 1981), having switched over to the Yankees by the time the Dodgers won the Series in 1981.
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Tomoya Satozaki
Tomoya Satozaki (里崎 智也, Satozaki Tomoya?, born May 20, 1976 in Naruto, Tokushima, Japan) is a Japanese professional baseball player. He is currently with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball.
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Tony Conigliaro
Anthony Richard Conigliaro (January 7, 1945 – February 24, 1990), nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1964–67, 1969–1970, 1975) and California Angels (1971). He was born in Revere, Massachusetts, and was a 1962 graduate of St. Mary's High School (Lynn, Massachusetts). During the Red Sox "Impossible Dream" season of 1967, he was hit in the face by a pitch, causing a severe eye injury and derailing his career. Though he would make a dramatic comeback from the injury, his career was not the same afterwards.
Conigliaro was signed by the Red Sox in 1962, at the age of 17. In 1963, he batted .363 with 24 home runs in the New York - Penn League and was subsequently called up to the majors.
During his 1964 rookie season, Conigliaro batted .290 with 24 home runs and 52 RBI in 111 games, but broke his arm and his toes in August.
In his sophomore season in 1965, Conigliaro led the league in home runs (32), becoming the youngest home run champion in American League history. He was selected for the All-Star Game in 1967. In that season, at age 22, he reached a career total of 100 home runs.
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Tony Oliva
Tony Pedro Oliva (born Antonio Oliva Lopez Hernandes Javique on July 20, 1938 in Pinar del Río, Cuba) is a former Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He played his entire 15-year baseball career for the Minnesota Twins (1962–1976). He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. His career was hampered by knee injuries, forcing him to become a designated hitter during his final four years of baseball.
Oliva was born in Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. He played baseball weekly with his father, brothers, and neighbors in a vacant lot near the Olivas' farm. Oliva's father, who worked in a tobacco factory and was famous for rolling the leaves to make the best cigars, was also a former semi-professional player who instructed Oliva and helped him become "the best hitter in Pinar del Río". A scout for the Minnesota Twins noticed him and brought him to the United States to play professionally. He was reluctant to leave his mother, father, and nine siblings, but his father encouraged him to become "rich and famous" in America.
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Torii Hunter
Victorii 'Torii' Kedar Hunter ( /ˈtɔriː/; born July 18, 1975) is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Hunter has taken away many home runs throughout his 13-year major league career by "climbing the fence" in the outfield. He has won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder.
Hunter was selected as the Twins' first-round pick in 1993 out of high school, and made his first appearance with the Twins as a pinch runner in Baltimore on August 22, 1997. It was not until 1999 that Hunter began starting regularly, playing in 135 games for the Twins. He finished with only one error in 292 chances in the outfield.
Hunter exploded onto the scene in the beginning of April in 2000, but his batting average dropped to .207 by the end of May. He was subsequently sent down to Triple-A to work on his mechanics at the plate; however with Hunter's new approach at the plate, he caught fire in the month of June, capping it with a two-home run, seven-RBI game and being named the Twins' Minor League Player of the Week and Player of the Month. After a 16-game hitting streak, four consecutive games with home runs and three grand slams, Hunter was recalled by the Twins on July 28. Hunter was named both Best Defensive Outfielder and Most Exciting Player in Pacific Coast League by Baseball America for 2000.
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Tris Speaker
Tristram E. Speaker (April 4, 1888 – December 8, 1958), nicknamed "Spoke" and "The Grey Eagle", was an American baseball player. Considered one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in the history of Major League Baseball, he compiled a career batting average of .345 (sixth all-time), and still holds the record of 792 career doubles. Defensively, his career records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder still stand. His fielding glove was known as the place "where triples go to die."
Speaker led the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships, and then carried the Cleveland Indians, as player-manager, to that team's first-ever World Series title. His innovations, most notably the platoon system and the infield rotation play, revolutionized the game. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in its second year of voting, 1937.
Tris Speaker was born on April 4, 1888 in Hubbard, Texas, to Archie and Nancy Poer Speaker. As a youth, he suffered a fractured right arm in a fall from a horse, forcing him to throw left-handed, which he continued to do throughout his baseball career. In 1905, Speaker played his only year of college baseball, for Fort Worth Polytechnic Institute. His left arm was severely injured in a football accident, to the extent that surgeons advised amputation. Tris refused, and fully recovered.
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Troy Glaus
Troy Edward Glaus ( /ˈɡlɔːs/; born August 3, 1976 in Tarzana, California) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and third baseman. Previously, Glaus played with the Anaheim Angels (1998-2004), Arizona Diamondbacks (2005), Toronto Blue Jays (2006-2007), St. Louis Cardinals (2008-2009), and the Atlanta Braves (2010). Glaus lettered in baseball while attending UCLA. He bats and throws right-handed.
Through 10-plus seasons, Glaus has hit .256 with 304 home runs and 877 RBI in 1395 games. In 19 postseason games, he hit .347 with nine home runs and 16 RBI. Glaus has been selected to four All-Star Games.
Glaus began his career with the Angels in 1998 and was installed as the team's starting third baseman in 1999.
Glaus had a breakout season in 2000, becoming the all time single season home run leader for third basemen in Angels history with 47 while leading third baseman in adjusted range factor (2.95) in 2000.
Glaus started in the 2001 MLB All-Star Game and posted his second consecutive 40 home run season with 41 on the year.
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Ty Cobb
Tyrus Raymond "Ty" Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was an American Major League Baseball outfielder. He was born in Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the last six as the team's player-manager, and finished his career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1936, Cobb received the most votes of any player on the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame ballot, receiving 222 out of a possible 226 votes.
Cobb is widely credited with setting 90 Major League Baseball records during his career. He still holds several records as of 2012, including the highest career batting average (.366 or .367, depending on source) and most career batting titles with 11 (or 12, depending on source). He retained many other records for almost a half century or more, including most career hits until 1985 (4,189 or 4,191, depending on source), most career runs (2,245 or 2,246 depending on source) until 2001, most career games played (3,035) and at bats (11,429 or 11,434 depending on source) until 1974, and the modern record for most career stolen bases (892) until 1977. He committed 271 errors in his career, the most by any American League outfielder.
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Vern Law
Vernon Sanders Law (born March 12, 1930 in Meridian, Idaho) is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for 16 seasons (1950-1951 and 1954-1967) for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Law was a member of the National League All Star Team in 1960. He won the Cy Young Award, and led the National League in complete games that year.
The interruption in his baseball career between the 1951 and 1954 seasons were due a stint in U.S. military service.
He is the pitching coach for Provo High School (PHS) varsity baseball team (PHS is located across the street from BYU where his son is the head coach), and is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During his playing career, Law was tagged with the nickname "Deacon" by Pirate broadcaster Bob Prince. According to Law, it was given to him by former Pirate teammate Wally Westlake because he is a member of the ordained priesthood of the LDS Church.
Law has been credited with saying, "A winner never quits and a quitter never wins." and "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards."
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Vern Stephens
Vernon Decatur Stephens (October 23, 1920 – November 3, 1968) was an American shortstop in professional baseball who played 15 seasons in the American League for four different teams. A native of McAlister, New Mexico, Stephens batted and threw right-handed. He was also nicknamed "Pop-up Stephens", "Junior", and "Buster".
One of the strongest-hitting shortstops in major league history, Stephens compiled a .286 batting average with 247 home runs and 1174 RBI in 1720 games. Breaking with American Major League baseball, Stephens signed a five-year contract with the Mexican League in 1946. He had been in Mexico only a few days when his father, a minor league umpire, and the Browns scout Jack Fournier drove down and brought him back to the United States.
Vern Stephens died of a heart attack in Long Beach, California at 48 years of age.
In August 2008, he was named as one of the ten former players who began their careers before 1943 to be considered by the Veterans Committee for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
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Vernon Wells
Vernon M. Wells III (born December 8, 1978) is a Major League Baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Wells has appeared on three All-Star teams in his career, been awarded three Gold Glove Awards, and one Silver Slugger Award. He is second all time for the Toronto Blue Jays in career hits, home runs, doubles, runs, RBI and total bases.
Wells was born in Shreveport, Louisiana to a father who played CFL football, and grew up in Arlington, Texas, where his family moved in 1988. In 1993, Wells entered Arlington's Bowie High School where he played quarterback on the football team and was an outfielder on the baseball team. In his senior year, he batted .565 with 7 home runs and 20 RBI. Before entering the Major League Baseball Draft, Wells signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Texas at Austin to play baseball and football (as a wide receiver).
The Toronto Blue Jays made Wells round one's fifth pick in the 1997 amateur draft. He spent several years as a top prospect in the Blue Jays organization, starting with the St. Catharines Stompers, Toronto’s Class-A team in the short-season New York – Penn League. In 1999 he played in the Australian Baseball League with the Sydney Storm. From 1999 through 2001, Wells was a regular September call-up and played in 57 games.
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Vic Davalillo
Víctor José Davalillo Romero [da-va-LEE-yo] (July 31, 1936 in Cabimas, Zulia), is a former Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Cleveland Indians (1963–68), California Angels (1968-69), St. Louis Cardinals (1969-70), Pittsburgh Pirates (1971-73), Oakland Athletics (1973-74) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1977-80). Davalillo batted and threw left-handed.
Davalillo was a leadoff hitter known for his speedy baserunning and capable defensive ability. Later in his career, he became a valuable utility player and a record-setting pinch hitter. Davalillo also had an exceptional career in the Venezuelan Winter League where he is the all-time leader in total base hits and in career batting average.
Although many baseball references show Davalillo’s birthplace as Cabimas, Venezuela, in 2006, he told a biographer that he was actually born in Churuguara, Falcón. His family moved to Cabimas a few days after he was born where he grew up in Venezuela's oil producing region on the eastern shores of Lake Maracaibo. His older brother, Pompeyo Davalillo played briefly for the Washington Senators in 1953. Davalillo began his professional baseball career as a pitcher when he signed a contract as an amateur free agent with the Cinncinnati Reds in 1958. He was sold to the Indians organisation in 1961 where he quickly moved up the ladder to their Triple-A club in Jacksonville. Davalillo won the first batting title in the Jacksonville Suns history with a .346 batting average in 1962.
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Vida Blue
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.
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.
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Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Alvino Guerrero (born February 9, 1975, in Don Gregorio, Nizao, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball right fielder and designated hitter. He is currently with the Toronto Blue Jays, having been offered a minor league contract and an "extended spring training" opportunity to get into game shape at the team's Dunedin, Florida facility before an expected summer call up.
In 2004, he was voted the American League MVP. He helped lead the Angels to five American League West championships (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009), and was voted as one of the most feared hitters in baseball in a 2008 poll of all 30 major league managers.
A nine-time All Star, he is widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the game because of his impressive offensive production, regularly hitting for power and average, and -- prior to injuries that robbed him of range -- stellar defense highlighted by one of the strongest throwing arms in baseball. He is also regarded as the game's premier "bad ball hitter," for his ability to consistently hit balls thrown well outside of his strike zone, a skill made evident on August 14, 2009, when Guerrero hit a pitch which bounced in front of home plate.
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Wally Joyner
Wallace Keith "Wally" Joyner (born June 16, 1962 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a former first baseman and hitting coach in Major League Baseball. He played for four major league teams during a 16-year career, most notably for the California Angels, for whom he was an All-Star. He was a member of the pennant-winning 1998 San Diego Padres.
Joyner attended Redan High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. He attended college at Brigham Young University.
He credited a stint with the Mayagüez Indians of the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League as fundamental in his improvement as a slugger.[citation needed] Then-batting coach José Manuel Morales forced him to do power weight training and modify his posture at the batting cage as to develop upper body strength. He was consequently the top hitter on Puerto Rico's winter league on the 1985-1986 season, winning the Triple Crown (356, 14 HR, 48 RBI) in 54 games.
During his rookie season in MLB with the California Angels, Joyner became a fan favorite and briefly inspired a sensation in which Anaheim Stadium was dubbed "Wally World". The film National Lampoon's Vacation had featured a fictional theme park by that name, and the Angels' proximity to Disneyland may also have helped inspire the moniker. Additionally, ESPN announcer Chris Berman famously called him Wally "Absorbine" Joyner, a nickname that stuck.
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Wally Pipp
Walter Clement Pipp (February 17, 1893 – January 11, 1965) was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball, now best remembered as the man who lost his starting role to Lou Gehrig at the beginning of Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games.
After playing 12 games with the Detroit Tigers in 1913, Pipp graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1914. The Chicago-born Pipp then joined the New York Yankees for the 1915 season, and would play 136 or more games for them every season until 1925 (except 1918, when his playing was curtailed by injury), hitting .282 with a little power, even after the end of the "dead ball" era. Pipp did lead the American League with 12 home runs in 1916, and again with 9 in 1917. Pipp was the first Yankee to win a home run title. Pipp scouted and asked Miller Huggins to sign young Lou Gehrig from Columbia University, whom Pipp personally helped develop as a young first baseman.
On June 2, 1925, Pipp was removed from the Yankees' starting lineup and replaced with Gehrig. While many stories over the years have said Pipp sat out the game due to a headache, others suggest Yankee manager Miller Huggins may have actually benched Pipp and other veterans in order to "shake up" the slumping lineup. A month later, Pipp received a skull fracture when he was hit by a practice pitch from Charlie Caldwell, an event that had also been mistakenly linked to his initial benching. Pipp was later traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1926 season.
wn.com/Wally_Pipp -
Walter Johnson
Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946), nicknamed "Barney" and "The Big Train", was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Washington Senators (1907–1927). He would later serve as manager of the Senators from 1929 through 1932 and for the Cleveland Indians from 1933 through 1935.
One of the most celebrated and dominating players in baseball history, Johnson established several pitching records, some of which remain unbroken. He remains by far the all-time career leader in shutouts with 110, second in wins with 417, and fourth in complete games with 531. He once held the career record in strikeouts with 3,509 and was the only player in the 3,000 strikeout club for over 50 years until Bob Gibson recorded his 3,000th strikeout in 1974. Johnson led the league in strikeouts a Major League record 12 times – one more than current strikeout leader Nolan Ryan – including a record eight consecutive seasons.
Walter Johnson was the second of six children born to Frank and Minnie (Perry) Johnson on a rural farm four miles west of Humboldt, Kansas. Although he was sometimes said to be of Swedish ancestry and referred to by sportwriters as the "The Big Swede", Johnson's ancestors came from the British Isles.
wn.com/Walter_Johnson -
Warren Spahn
Warren Edward Spahn (April 23, 1921 – November 24, 2003) was an American Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 21-year baseball career in the National League. He won 20 games each in 13 seasons, including a 23-7 record when he was age 42. Spahn was the 1957 Cy Young Award winner, and was the runner-up three times, all during the period when just one award was given. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, with 83% of the total vote. (His eligibility was delayed, under the rules of the time, by 2 years of token minor league play.)
Spahn won 363 games, more than any other left-handed pitcher in history, and more than any other pitcher who played his entire career in the post-1920 live-ball era. He is acknowledged as one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball history. The Warren Spahn Award, given to the major leagues' best left-handed pitcher, is named after him.
Regarded as a "thinking man's" pitcher who liked to outwit batters, Spahn once described his approach on the mound: "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."
wn.com/Warren_Spahn -
Willie Hernández
Guillermo "Willie" Hernández Villanueva (born November 14, 1954 in Aguada, Puerto Rico) is a former relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs (1977–1983), Philadelphia Phillies (1983), and the Detroit Tigers (1984–1989). He threw and batted left-handed.
Hernández signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1973. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs from the Phillies in the 1976 Rule V Draft. In his first two years in the majors (1977 and 1978), Hernandez went 16–9 with a 3.03 ERA in '77 and a 3.77 ERA in '78. The Cubs gave him a try as a starter in 1980, but he went 1–9 that year in 7 starts and 53 games pitched.
From 1979 to 1982, Hernández was 9–19 and gave up 128 earned runs in that time. After being traded to the Phillies for Bill Johnson and Dick Ruthven, he went 8–4 with 3.29 ERA and 7 saves. The Phillies made the World Series that year, losing to the Baltimore Orioles in 5 games.
Prior to the 1984 season, Hernández was traded to the Detroit Tigers with Dave Bergman for Glenn Wilson and John Wockenfuss. He had a 9–3 record, 32 saves and a 1.92 ERA in 140 innings pitched, while recording 112 strikeouts. In the entire season, Hernandez gave up only 6 home runs, 30 runs, 36 base on balls, and 96 hits. His 32 saves came in 33 opportunities.
wn.com/Willie_Hernández -
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. (born May 6, 1931) is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. Most baseball fans and historians agree that Mays was the greatest all-around baseball player to have played in the Major Leagues.
Mays won two MVP awards and tied Stan Musial's record with 24 appearances in the All-Star Game. Mays ended his career with 660 home runs, third at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-time. An outstanding center fielder, he won a record-tying twelve Gold Gloves starting the year the award was introduced six seasons into his career.
In 1999, Mays placed second on The Sporting News' List of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the highest-ranking living player. Later that year, he was also elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Mays is one of five NL players to have eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, along with Mel Ott, Sammy Sosa, Chipper Jones and Albert Pujols. Mays hit 50 or more home runs in both 1955 and 1965. This time span represents the longest stretch between 50 plus home run seasons for any player in Major League Baseball history.
wn.com/Willie_Mays -
Willie Stargell
Wilver Dornell "Willie" Stargell (March 6, 1940 – April 9, 2001), nicknamed "Pops" in the later years of his career, was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder and first baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1962-1982). Over his 21-year career with the Pirates, he batted .282, with 2,232 hits, 423 doubles, 475 home runs and 1540 runs batted in, helping his team capture six National League East division titles, two National League pennants and two World Series (1971, 1979). Stargell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988.
Stargell was born in Earlsboro, Oklahoma, but later moved to Alameda, California where he attended Encinal High School. He was signed by the Pirates at age 22, and made his Major League debut at the end of the 1962 season. He soon became a standout player, making his first of 7 trips to the All-Star Game in 1964.
Beloved in Pittsburgh for his style of play and affable manner, Stargell was known for hitting monstrous home runs, including 7 of the 16 balls ever hit completely out of Forbes Field and several of the upper-tier home runs at its successor, Three Rivers Stadium. At one time, Stargell held the record for the longest homer in nearly half of the National League parks. Standing 6 feet 2 inches, Stargell seemed larger, with his long arms and unique bat-handling practice of holding only the knob of the bat with his lower hand combining to provide extra bat extension, Stargell's swings seemed designed to hit home runs of the Ruthian variety. When most batters would use a simple lead-weighted bat in the on-deck circle, Stargell took to warming up with a sledgehammer, adding another layer of intimidation. While standing in the batter's box, he would windmill his bat until the pitcher started his windup.
wn.com/Willie_Stargell -
Yadel Martí
Yadel Martí Carrillo (born July 22, 1979 in Havana) is a Cuban right-handed pitcher in the Oakland Athletics organization.
Martí formerly played for the Cuba national baseball team and Industriales of the Cuban National Series.
Martí was 1-0 with two saves and no earned runs at the 2006 World Baseball Classic, helping Cuba to a second-place finish. He was named to the all-tournament team. He also pitched for Cuba in the 2007 Baseball World Cup, coming one out short of a seven-inning perfect game against Venezuela.
Martí was originally slated to play in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, but he and Yasser Gómez were kicked off the team in November 2008 for an unspecified reason, believed to be an attempted defection to the United States. Marti, Gómez and Juan Yasser Serrano reportedly defected from Cuba in December 2008 in an effort to get to the Dominican Republic to seek a Major League Baseball career. In August 2009, they were declared free agents.
Martí pitched in the Dominican Winter Baseball League in the winter of 2009-10 and joined Veracruz of the Mexican League in 2010, going 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA in eight starts.
wn.com/Yadel_Martí -
Yoandy Garlobo
Yoandy Garlobo Romay (born January 12, 1977 in Jovellanos, Matanzas Province, Cuba) is a baseball player who starred for Cuba at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Garlobo was the designated hitter for Cuba at the tournament, where he had a .480 batting average—second only to Ken Griffey, Jr. among players with at least 20 plate appearances—and was named to the all-tournament team.
In Cuba, Garlobo is the DH for Matanzas of the Cuban National Series. During the 2005-06 season, he had a .407 batting average.
wn.com/Yoandy_Garlobo -
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra (born May 12, 1925) is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career (1946–1965) for the New York Yankees. Berra was one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times and is one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series. As a player, coach, or manager, Berra appeared in 21 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. According to the win shares formula developed by sabermetrician Bill James, Berra is the greatest catcher of all time and the 52nd greatest non-pitching player in major-league history.
Berra, who quit school after the eighth grade, has a tendency toward malapropism and fracturing the English language. "It ain't over till it's over" is arguably his most famous example, often quoted. Simultaneously denying and confirming his reputation, Berra once stated, "I really didn't say everything I said."
wn.com/Yogi_Berra -
Yulieski Gourriel
Yulieski Gourriel (born June 9, 1984) is a Cuban baseball player. A member of Cuba's national team and Sancti Spíritus in the Cuban National Series, Gourriel is primarily a third baseman, though he has also played other positions, such as shortstop and 2nd base. The son of former Cuban player Lourdes Gourriel, Yulieski is currently regarded as the best player in Cuba and, at the World Baseball Classic in 2006, Major League Baseball scouts projected that Gourriel would be a first-round draft pick if he were eligible for the draft.
Gourriel's contributions helped the national team win a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics and World Cup of Baseball championships in 2003 and 2005. During the 2005 World Cup, he led all batters with eight home runs.
He played second base for Cuba in the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic, making the final out for Cuba in their championship game loss to Japan. He batted .273 in the tournament, with a .342 on base percentage and a .515 slugging percentage. Coincidentally, later in the finals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics Tournament, he again made the final out by grounding out into double play against South Korea.
wn.com/Yulieski_Gourriel -
Zoilo Versalles
Zoilo Casanova Versalles Rodriguez (/vɛərˈsaɪ/ vair-SY ; December 18, 1939 – June 9, 1995), nicknamed "Zorro", was a Cuban shortstop in Major League Baseball, who was considered a solid leadoff man, and a good baserunner whose speed helped him to cover a huge area at shortstop. He was the spark plug who led the 1965 Minnesota Twins to their first World Series, a year in which he also won the American League Most Valuable Player award.
Versalles was born in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba and he had difficulty adjusting to life in the U.S., due largely to the language barrier and his fear of failure, leaving him eternally homesick for his native Cuba. Versalles was signed as an amateur free agent by the Washington Senators prior to the 1958 season and was assigned to the Elmira Pioneers in the Class D New York-Penn League where he held his own and hit .292 in 124 games. The following spring, he went north with the Senators and made his major league debut on 1 April 1959. However, he was obviously overmatched and after hitting .153 with 15 strikeouts in 59 at-bats, Versalles was sent back down and spent the rest of the season with the Fox Cities Foxes in the Class B Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League, hitting .278 with 9 home runs. In 1960 Versalles split time between Washington and AAA Charleston trying to grow as a player and work through a stereotype that he was too sure of himself and was thus incapable of taking instruction. Although he hit .278 at Charleston with 8 home runs, 50 RBI and 24 stolen bases, he committed 42 errors and had only a .940 fielding percentage.
wn.com/Zoilo_Versalles
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Ken Griffey Jr. Highlight video
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:02
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
The greatest player of our generation, 10 straight gold gloves, 7 silver sluggers, all in the 90's. 630 home runs, sits behind only Aaron, Ruth and Mays on the all-time list. Make sure to subscribe I have tons of other wicked videos. New Challenge: Tell me your top 20 list of the last 25 years including pitchers. Now I'm not making any rules about steroid usage, this is up to you.
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Highlight_video
The greatest player of our generation, 10 straight gold gloves, 7 silver sluggers, all in the 90's. 630 home runs, sits behind only Aaron, Ruth and Mays on the all-time list. Make sure to subscribe I have tons of other wicked videos. New Challenge: Tell me your top 20 list of the last 25 years including pitchers. Now I'm not making any rules about steroid usage, this is up to you.
Official Ken Griffey Jr. Highlight Video
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:11
- Updated: 22 Dec 2012
I have been making a lot of videos but they keep getting taken down do to copyright so i will try and post some and hope they won't get removed from YouTube. George "Junior" Kenneth Griffey Played: 1989 - 2010 HR: #630 AVG: #.284 - My Oh My -By Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Laser Beam -By Flipsyde I DONT OWN THIS MUSIC,AUDIO, OR VIDEO. Some Rights Go To: iWay Media
http://wn.com/Official_Ken_Griffey_Jr_Highlight_Video
I have been making a lot of videos but they keep getting taken down do to copyright so i will try and post some and hope they won't get removed from YouTube. George "Junior" Kenneth Griffey Played: 1989 - 2010 HR: #630 AVG: #.284 - My Oh My -By Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Laser Beam -By Flipsyde I DONT OWN THIS MUSIC,AUDIO, OR VIDEO. Some Rights Go To: iWay Media
- published: 24 Dec 2011
- views: 47949
- author: 3BraHeem
Ken Griffey Jr Mariners Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:36
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
I made these 2 videos a long time ago, I figured I would share them with everyone. Let me know how you like them
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Mariners_Highlights
I made these 2 videos a long time ago, I figured I would share them with everyone. Let me know how you like them
- published: 23 May 2012
- views: 12727
- author: fasterob24
David Letterman Top 10 Ken Griffey Jr.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:30
- Updated: 07 Nov 2012
A favorite clip of mine
http://wn.com/David_Letterman_Top_10_Ken_Griffey_Jr
Ken Griffey Jr. Career Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:30
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Highlights from Grifffey's HOF career
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Career_Highlights
Ken Griffey Jr. & Mark McGwire 1997 (ALL Home Runs)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:19
- Updated: 12 Dec 2012
All of Ken Griffey Jr's and Mark McGwire's home runs from the 1997 season (in order). RIP Dave Niehaus
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Mark_McGwire_1997_ALL_Home_Runs
All of Ken Griffey Jr's and Mark McGwire's home runs from the 1997 season (in order). RIP Dave Niehaus
- published: 25 Jul 2012
- views: 10606
- author: wazzumichael
SNES - Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball - World Series Game 1 (Part 1/3)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:43
- Updated: 06 Dec 2012
Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball is a 1994 video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was programmed by Software Creations, and was published by Nintendo. This is the first game of a World Series matchup between the Seattle Mariners of the American League (played by myself) and the Chicago Cubs of the National League.
http://wn.com/SNES_Ken_Griffey_Jr_Presents_Major_League_Baseball_World_Series_Game_1_Part_1_3
Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball is a 1994 video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was programmed by Software Creations, and was published by Nintendo. This is the first game of a World Series matchup between the Seattle Mariners of the American League (played by myself) and the Chicago Cubs of the National League.
- published: 14 Jun 2010
- views: 33601
- author: areyoustilllistening
Ken Griffey Jr Highlights
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:31
- Updated: 21 Dec 2012
Like TYF on Facebook www.facebook.com Song: Coolio Gangsters Paradise
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Highlights
Like TYF on Facebook www.facebook.com Song: Coolio Gangsters Paradise
- published: 29 Feb 2012
- views: 74558
- author: TrueYankeeforever
Michael Jordan Asking For Ken Griffey, Jr.'s Autograph at 1993 All Star Game!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:11
- Updated: 19 Dec 2012
www.courtsidetweets.com Michael Jordan, at the 1993 All Star Game, interrupts a media scrum with Ken Griffey, Jr. and asks him for an autograph in this great clip. Later on, Griffey, Jr. asks Jordan for his White Sox jersey and Michael Jordan returns the favor by autographing the jersey for Griffey, Jr. Great, great clip!
http://wn.com/Michael_Jordan_Asking_For_Ken_Griffey,_Jr's_Autograph_at_1993_All_Star_Game!
www.courtsidetweets.com Michael Jordan, at the 1993 All Star Game, interrupts a media scrum with Ken Griffey, Jr. and asks him for an autograph in this great clip. Later on, Griffey, Jr. asks Jordan for his White Sox jersey and Michael Jordan returns the favor by autographing the jersey for Griffey, Jr. Great, great clip!
- published: 09 Aug 2012
- views: 16062
- author: CourtsideTweets
Ken Griffey Jr Retirement Video Tribute at Safeco 6/2/10
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:49
- Updated: 11 Dec 2012
Tribute video played on the big screen at safeco field pre-game celebrating griffey's 22 Major League Seasons
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Retirement_Video_Tribute_at_Safeco_6_2_10
Tribute video played on the big screen at safeco field pre-game celebrating griffey's 22 Major League Seasons
- published: 03 Jun 2010
- views: 24847
- author: Shea Yeutsy
Ken Griffey Jr. Hits The Warehouse at Camden Yards, 1993 Home Run Derby!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:10
- Updated: 08 Dec 2012
www.courtsidetweets.com Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners hits the Camden Yards Warehouse at the 1993 All Star Game Home Run Derby, but Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers hits the farthest shot and wins the competition against an impressive field! A short clip of a young Prince Fielder, too, watching his dad compete!
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Hits_The_Warehouse_at_Camden_Yards,_1993_Home_Run_Derby!
www.courtsidetweets.com Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners hits the Camden Yards Warehouse at the 1993 All Star Game Home Run Derby, but Juan Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers hits the farthest shot and wins the competition against an impressive field! A short clip of a young Prince Fielder, too, watching his dad compete!
- published: 09 Aug 2012
- views: 7569
- author: CourtsideTweets
Ken Griffey Jr. Tribute Mix
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:13
- Updated: 29 Nov 2012
Non slideshow. All highlights/clips,
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Tribute_Mix
BASEBALL LEGEND & HALL OF FAMER KEN GRIFFEY JR.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:13
- Updated: 13 Dec 2012
KEN GRIFFEY JR. ROCKIN HIS NEW BLACK PYTHON LOUIS STEWART DUBAI BACKPACK. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES ! ALL ORDERS ARE CUSTOM ! ANY COLOR YOU WANT ! ORDER NOW info@louisstewartcollection.com
http://wn.com/BASEBALL_LEGEND_HALL_OF_FAMER_KEN_GRIFFEY_JR
KEN GRIFFEY JR. ROCKIN HIS NEW BLACK PYTHON LOUIS STEWART DUBAI BACKPACK. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES ! ALL ORDERS ARE CUSTOM ! ANY COLOR YOU WANT ! ORDER NOW info@louisstewartcollection.com
- published: 23 Mar 2012
- views: 5625
- author: MrLouisstewart
Ken Griffey Swing Analysis
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 8:20
- Updated: 15 Dec 2012
Ken Griffey is one of the best players of our generation. If you take away all of the guys who "allegedly" took steroids, there aren't too many hitters who even compare to his numbers. Therefore, he makes for the perfect swing analysis. Here are a few of the swing positions that made Griffey such a great hitter and can make you great too. Check out The Swing Mechanic blog at www.theswingmechanic.com/blog
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Swing_Analysis
Ken Griffey is one of the best players of our generation. If you take away all of the guys who "allegedly" took steroids, there aren't too many hitters who even compare to his numbers. Therefore, he makes for the perfect swing analysis. Here are a few of the swing positions that made Griffey such a great hitter and can make you great too. Check out The Swing Mechanic blog at www.theswingmechanic.com/blog
- published: 03 Jun 2010
- views: 105106
- author: Jaime Cevallos
"Ken Griffey, Jr." Gets To Play With Dad In 1990!
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:10
- Updated: 16 Dec 2012
www.courtsidetweets.com Ken Griffey, Jr. got to play with his dad Ken Griffey, Sr. in 1990 when the Seattle Mariners acquired Senior! The two hit back-to-back home runs in California against the Angels!
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey,_Jr_Gets_To_Play_With_Dad_In_1990!
www.courtsidetweets.com Ken Griffey, Jr. got to play with his dad Ken Griffey, Sr. in 1990 when the Seattle Mariners acquired Senior! The two hit back-to-back home runs in California against the Angels!
- published: 25 Sep 2012
- views: 1732
- author: CourtsideTweets
Ken Griffey Jr. #1 Hitter of the 90's
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 1:51
- Updated: 17 Dec 2012
Ken Griffey Jr - The greatest player of the 1990's
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_1_Hitter_of_the_90's
Ken Griffey Jr - The greatest player of the 1990's
- published: 08 May 2012
- views: 7864
- author: wazzumichael2
CGRundertow - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL FEATURING KEN GRIFFEY, JR. for Nintendo 64 Video Game Review
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:46
- Updated: 08 Dec 2012
Classic Game Room presents a CGRundertow video game review of Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. for the Nintendo 64 (N64), developed by Angel Studios and published by Nintendo. Step up to the plate in this action-packed, arcade-style baseball title featuring one of baseball's all-time greatest sluggers as its cover boy. This title has earned fans of all ages who consider it to be one of the best N64 games ever made. This CGRundertow video game review features video gameplay footage of Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. and audio commentary from Classic Game Room's Eric. Get more CGRundertow goodness at www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/CGRundertow_MAJOR_LEAGUE_BASEBALL_FEATURING_KEN_GRIFFEY,_JR_for_Nintendo_64_Video_Game_Review
Classic Game Room presents a CGRundertow video game review of Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. for the Nintendo 64 (N64), developed by Angel Studios and published by Nintendo. Step up to the plate in this action-packed, arcade-style baseball title featuring one of baseball's all-time greatest sluggers as its cover boy. This title has earned fans of all ages who consider it to be one of the best N64 games ever made. This CGRundertow video game review features video gameplay footage of Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. and audio commentary from Classic Game Room's Eric. Get more CGRundertow goodness at www.youtube.com
- published: 08 Jul 2011
- views: 10468
- author: CGRundertow
Ken Griffey Jr Home Run at Safeco Field 6/24
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 0:48
- Updated: 16 Nov 2012
Second of two homers by KGJr in the inter-league game between Seattle and Cincinnati at Safeco Field on June 23, 2007. Check out that swing!!!! A home run as viewed from 2nd row seats.
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Home_Run_at_Safeco_Field_6_24
Second of two homers by KGJr in the inter-league game between Seattle and Cincinnati at Safeco Field on June 23, 2007. Check out that swing!!!! A home run as viewed from 2nd row seats.
- published: 25 Jun 2007
- views: 149516
- author: ravello99
Brotherly Love -- Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball Game part 1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:26
- Updated: 17 Dec 2012
Romero and Dployal in an epic game of Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for the N64. www.youtube.com www.youtube.com Nintendo 64 and Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball are copyright 1996, 1997
http://wn.com/Brotherly_Love_-_Ken_Griffey_Jr_Baseball_Game_part_1
Romero and Dployal in an epic game of Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for the N64. www.youtube.com www.youtube.com Nintendo 64 and Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball are copyright 1996, 1997
- published: 30 Jun 2008
- views: 85867
- author: dployal
Random Ken Griffey Jr. Clips
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:49
- Updated: 20 Dec 2012
Not a final video...just some random clips I found while going through different footage The HR at 3:10 is from the final game in the Kingdome in June of 1999 against the Texas Rangers (off Aaron Sele). The catch that follows is from the same game.
http://wn.com/Random_Ken_Griffey_Jr_Clips
Not a final video...just some random clips I found while going through different footage The HR at 3:10 is from the final game in the Kingdome in June of 1999 against the Texas Rangers (off Aaron Sele). The catch that follows is from the same game.
- published: 31 May 2012
- views: 2432
- author: wazzumichael2
Cirrus Owner: Ken Griffey, Jr.
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:25
- Updated: 16 Dec 2012
http://wn.com/Cirrus_Owner_Ken_Griffey,_Jr
Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball - "I Hate Olga Kay!" - Part 7
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:36
- Updated: 21 Oct 2012
Twitter- www.Twitter.com Follow my LIVE Streaming & LIVE Chat Channel!- www.uvidy.com Playlists: www.youtube.com Main Channel - youtube.com Daily Vlog Channel - youtube.com Facebook- www.facebook.com Google Plus- www.gplus.to IMDB- www.imdb.com Shirts!- www.SeanKlitzner.Spreadshirt.com Ken Griffey Jr. Presents: Major League Baseball Tags: yt:quality=high Sean Klitzner Games Gaming "Sean Klitzner" KlitznerGames "Klitzner Games" Klitz Let's Lets Play "Let's Play" "Lets Play" "Ken Griffey Jr" Ken Griffey Jr Major League Baseball SNES "Games played" Super Nintendo "Shane Dawson" Tobuscus iJustine "Philip DeFranco" DeStorm "Epic Meal Time" "Ray William Johnson" "Shay Carl" Smosh "Charles Trippy" "Freddie Wong" "Mystery Guitar Man" Annoying Orange" KassemG "Lisa Nova" "Tay Zonday" Freeze File Machinima "How To" ASIN B000035Y6H
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey_Jr_Baseball_I_Hate_Olga_Kay!_Part_7
Twitter- www.Twitter.com Follow my LIVE Streaming & LIVE Chat Channel!- www.uvidy.com Playlists: www.youtube.com Main Channel - youtube.com Daily Vlog Channel - youtube.com Facebook- www.facebook.com Google Plus- www.gplus.to IMDB- www.imdb.com Shirts!- www.SeanKlitzner.Spreadshirt.com Ken Griffey Jr. Presents: Major League Baseball Tags: yt:quality=high Sean Klitzner Games Gaming "Sean Klitzner" KlitznerGames "Klitzner Games" Klitz Let's Lets Play "Let's Play" "Lets Play" "Ken Griffey Jr" Ken Griffey Jr Major League Baseball SNES "Games played" Super Nintendo "Shane Dawson" Tobuscus iJustine "Philip DeFranco" DeStorm "Epic Meal Time" "Ray William Johnson" "Shay Carl" Smosh "Charles Trippy" "Freddie Wong" "Mystery Guitar Man" Annoying Orange" KassemG "Lisa Nova" "Tay Zonday" Freeze File Machinima "How To" ASIN B000035Y6H
- published: 16 Oct 2011
- views: 6828
- author: KlitznerGames
Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball SNES Music - Title
- Order: Reorder
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Title music for the SNES game Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
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Title music for the SNES game Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
- published: 11 Mar 2009
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- author: Otouto72
photo: AP / Fahd al-Bakoush
20 Dec 2012
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three senior U.S. State Department officials were asked to resign after an official inquiry harshly criticized their offices for failing to provide adequate security at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, before it came under attack in September, a U.S. official said on Wednesday ... State Department officials declined to comment on the matter, saying it was a personnel issue ... Joint Chiefs of Staff ... facilities....(size: 5.4Kb)
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
20 Dec 2012
Obama held a White House news conference on Wednesday to announce that Vice President Joe Biden will lead an interagency effort to craft new gun policies. The group is expected to offer its proposals in January. “We know this is a complex issue that stirs deeply held passions and political divides,” Obama said. “But the fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing.” ... WAKE-UP CALL ... ....(size: 6.1Kb)
photo: AP / Alfred de Montesquiou
21 Dec 2012
UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council on Thursday authorized military action to wrest northern Mali from the control of al-Qaida-linked extremists, but it demanded progress first on political reconciliation, elections and training African troops and police ... Instead, it set out benchmarks to be met before the start of offensive operations, starting with progress on a political roadmap to restore constitutional order ... U.N ... On Nov ... ....(size: 3.1Kb)
photo: AP / Narciso Contreras
19 Dec 2012
GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed on Wednesday for $1.5 billion (920.1 million pounds) to provide life-saving aid to Syrians suffering from a "dramatically deteriorating" humanitarian situation ... "The magnitude of this humanitarian crisis is indisputable," said Radhouane Nouicer, U.N ... Inside Syria, U.N ... ....(size: 1.5Kb)
photo: AP / Ahn Young-joon
20 Dec 2012
SEOUL, South Korea — Park Geun-hye's election as South Korea's first female president could mean a new drive to start talks with bitter rival North Korea, though it's unclear how much further she will go than the hard-line incumbent, a member of her own conservative party ... On Thursday, Park mentioned the North Korean rocket launch during a nationally televised speech ... Ties between the Koreas plummeted during Lee's term ... ....(size: 4.5Kb)
STL Today
22 Dec 2012
“There aren’t too many bad shots in his offense,” forward Tyler Griffey said ... Griffey (43 percent) has added a new dimension by hitting 18 ... Richardson nailed one at the buzzer in overtime to beat Hawaii and Griffey connected with four seconds left to edge Gardner-Webb. He has seen them pull away with the 3, as happened when Abrams, Paul and Griffey hit consecutive bombs to open a 15-point lead against Butler....(size: 4.4Kb)
Kansas City Star
22 Dec 2012
Senior forward Tyler Griffey said it’s been “unbelievable” watching Paul grow into his own this season. “He’s playing the best basketball I’ve ever seen him play,” Griffey said ... Griffey said Groce’s offensive system, which calls for a high number of ball screens, maximizes Paul’s skill-set ... “He’s happy,” Griffey said....(size: 5.4Kb)
Yahoo Daily News
22 Dec 2012
CHAMPAIGN, Ill ... No ... Louis ... Missouri, two spots back at No ... Richardson and Tyler Griffey, the three seniors who are the heart of the Illini lineup, this is their last shot at beating the Tigers unless there's a postseason meeting ... Missouri is No ... Outside of 6-11 center Nnanna Egwu and 6-9 forward Griffey - known more for his shooting than inside play - the Illini don't have players who, on paper, match up ... Missouri is also deep ... --- ... ....(size: 4.1Kb)
The Washington Post
22 Dec 2012
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There is a little something extra in this year’s Braggin’ Rights game between Missouri and Illinois ... Richardson and Tyler Griffey are getting their last shot at beating the Tigers unless there’s a postseason meeting ... Outside of 6-11 center Nnanna Egwu and 6-9 forward Griffey — known more for his shooting than inside play — the Illini don’t have players who, on paper, match up ... ....(size: 5.0Kb)
Philadelphia Daily News
22 Dec 2012
Ryan Lawrence, Daily News Staff Writer. Posted. Saturday, December 22, 2012, 2.04 AM ... Mullet? Check ... But along with his Bo Jackson-ish combo of power and speed and his Ken Griffey Jr.-like wall climbing in centerfield, Trout's stats were similarly historic ... assistant coach Ken Williams, who has known Trout since he was 6 ... Although area scout Eric Valent was on Trout already, the Phils sent their entire brass, including Ruben Amaro Jr ... ... ... ... ....(size: 33.2Kb)
Chicago Tribune
22 Dec 2012
The way Missouri players ran down the court and celebrated last season is something Illinois guard D.J. Richardson has not forgotten. "Some of their players (acted) like they won the national championship after they won," Richardson said. "Running around the gym, running and yelling." ... Louis ... No ... 12 Missouri (9-1). "Oh man," Richardson said ... We can't wait ... Center Nnanna Egwu and forward Tyler Griffey combine for just 7.3 boards per game ... ....(size: 2.7Kb)
Kansas City Star
22 Dec 2012
No. 12 Missouri vs. No. 10 Illinois. • WHEN/WHERE. 5 p.m. Saturday at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. • TV/RADIO. ESPN2, KMBZ (980 AM, 98.1 FM). • ABOUT MISSOURI. (9-1) ... (12-0) ... Richardson and sophomore Tracy Abrams make up a high-scoring backcourt that averages close to 42 points per game, while senior forward Tyler Griffey (8.9 points per game) effectively stretches the floor with his outside shooting ... ....(size: 2.7Kb)
Buffalo News
22 Dec 2012
Area Bowling ... Vazquez, Jr ... Kenmore Renting — Vinny Fermo 257-734, Dan Chamberlin 705, Chris Patterson 692, Fran Bax 680, Mark Wybieracki Jr. 299 ... Kenmore Minors — Gerald Grabner 269-258-719, Joe Czyrny 698, Ray Bellet 298-676, Joe Mercurio Jr ... Eagles — Ed Osuch 267-739, Dan Sieczka 257-704, Tim Wanad 266-701, Ken Misnik 279-700, Mike Borodzik 258-694 ... Pat Galligan Jr., in a 743 series in Race & Roll at Brad Angelo....(size: 5.6Kb)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
22 Dec 2012
Memo to Highmark Inc. and West Penn Allegheny Health System from the state Insurance Department. Let's get this show on the road ... In a Thursday letter to his WPAHS counterparts, new Highmark CEO William Winkenwerder Jr ... we have a great future before us." ... Originally, when former Highmark CEO Ken Melani first announced the merger a year ago, he said the two parties had hoped to seal the deal by the second quarter of 2012 ... As Dr ... ....(size: 4.1Kb)
MSNBC
22 Dec 2012
Kyle Allen Desert Mountain Jr ... Matt Guida Queen Creek Jr ... Mark Andrews Desert Mountain Jr ... Casey Tucker Hamilton Jr ... Natrell Curtis Mountain Pointe Jr ... Qualen Cunningham Hamilton Jr ... Jalen Brown Mountain Pointe Jr ... Austin Hall Brophy Jr ... Luke Rubenzer Saguaro Jr ... Luis Bustillos Mountain View Jr ... Erick Belcher Campo Verde Jr ... Grant Thompson Highland Jr ... Wesley Payne Mountain Pointe Jr ... Levi Sterling Hamilton Jr ... OL/LB; Tre Tyler, Jr., LB;....(size: 21.8Kb)
Sun Star
22 Dec 2012
NONITO Donaire Jr ... Donaire Jr., the current World Boxing Organization (WBO) super bantamweight champion, overtook Adrien Broner for the fifth spot in the rankings from being at sixth place ... The four boxers who ranked better than Donaire Jr. are unbeaten American boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr ... Donaire Jr ... Donaire Jr ... After that, Donaire Jr ... Donaire Jr....(size: 1.6Kb)
STL Today
22 Dec 2012
 |
This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (May 2010) |
| Ken Griffey, Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Griffey with the Mariners in 2009. |
|
| Center fielder | |
| Born: (1969-11-21) November 21, 1969 (age 42) Donora, Pennsylvania |
|
| Batted: Left | Threw: Left |
| MLB debut | |
| April 3, 1989 for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| May 31, 2010 for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .284 |
| Home runs | 630 |
| Hits | 2,781 |
| Runs batted in | 1,836 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter.[1] Griffey was both one of the most prolific home run hitters and best defensive players in baseball history, sixth on the list of most career home runs, and is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8 games, tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).[2] Griffey, playing for the Seattle Mariners in two separate tenures, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox, won 10 Gold Glove awards and appeared in 13 All-Star games. Upon his retirement, the Associated Press noted: "In his prime, Ken Griffey Jr. was unanimously considered the best player in baseball."[3]
Throughout his major league baseball career, Griffey was a popular player and a fan favorite around the league. Griffey attained widespread recognition by signing lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo (owners of the Mariners); his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some[4][5] with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute. He currently works in the Mariners' front office as a special consultant.[6] Griffey is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four different calendar decades. He is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey, Sr.
Contents |
Early life[link]
Griffey shares his birthday (November 21) and birthplace (Donora, Pennsylvania) with Hall of Famer Stan Musial.[7] His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where father Ken Griffey, Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds when Jr. was six. Ken was in the clubhouse during his father's back-to-back championships in the 1975 and 1976 World Series. He attended Archbishop Moeller High School,[8] where he was the U.S high school baseball player of the year in 1987. He also played wide receiver on the football team and was pursued by many top D1 football programs around the country.
Professional career[link]
Seattle Mariners[link]
1989–1999 seasons[link]
In 1987, Griffey was selected with the first overall pick of that year's amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners. In his eleven seasons with Seattle (1989–1999) Griffey established himself as one of the most prolific and exciting players of the era, racking up 1,752 hits, 398 home runs, 1,152 RBIs, and 167 stolen bases. He led the American League in home runs four seasons (1994, 1997, 1998, and 1999), was voted the A.L. MVP in 1997, and maintained a .297 batting average. His first major league at-bat was a double, and the first time he stepped to the plate in Seattle, he homered.[3]
His defense in center field was widely considered the standard of elite fielding during the decade, exemplified by his streak of 10 straight Gold Gloves from 1990-1999. His impressive range allowed frequent spectacular diving plays, and he often dazzled fans with over-the-shoulder basket catches and robbed opposing hitters of home runs by leaping up and pulling them back into the field of play. He was featured on the Wheaties cereal box and had his own signature sneaker line from Nike, Inc..
File:Kicks.jpg
One of Ken Griffey, Jr. signature sneakers, the Nike Air Griffey Max.
Griffey was a frequent participant in the All-Star Game during the 1990s. He led his league multiple times in different hitting categories.[9]
In 1990 and 1991, Griffey and his father became the first son and father to play on the same team at the same time. In his father's first game as a Mariner, on August 31, 1990, the pair hit back-to-back singles in the first inning and both scored.[10] On September 14, the pair hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the first off California Angels pitcher Kirk McCaskill, becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs.[11] The duo played a total of 51 games together before Griffey, Sr., retired in June 1991.
At the MLB Home Run Derby in 1993, which was held at Oriole Park in Baltimore, Griffey hit the warehouse beyond the right field wall on the fly and, he is still the only player ever to do so. As with every home run that hits Eutaw Street, each feat is honored with a circular plaque, embedded horizontally onto the concourse's walkway, in the exact spot where the home run landed.[12][13] In 1994, he led the league in voting for All Star game selection. That season, which ended prematurely on August 12 due to the labor dispute, saw Griffey hit 30 home runs in the Mariners' first 65 games. He would go on to have 4 multi-home run games that year. While his pace cooled somewhat in the final eight weeks of the season (he only hit 10 home runs in the Mariners' last 47 games), his 40 home runs by August 12 still put him two ahead of Chicago's Frank Thomas and four ahead of Cleveland's Albert Belle for the AL lead. In 1997, Griffey won the American League Most Valuable Player Award, hitting .304, with 56 home runs and 147 RBIs.
One of the most memorable moments of Griffey's career with the Mariners came during the 1995 American League Division Series (ALDS) against the New York Yankees. After losing the first two games, the Mariners and Griffey were on the verge of elimination, but came back to win the next two games, setting up a decisive fifth game. In the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 5, with Griffey on first base, teammate Edgar Martínez hit a double. Griffey raced around the bases, slid into home with the winning run, and popped up into the waiting arms of the entire team. The 1995 AL Division Series would kick off a brief rivalry between the Yankees and the Mariners. Griffey may have escalated it by saying that he would never play for the Yankees, because the Yankees allegedly treated his father, Ken Griffey Sr. badly. Also, when Griffey was a kid visiting his dad in the Yankee clubhouse, Yankee manager Billy Martin would chase him out, believing that children did not belong in the clubhouse. Although the Mariners subsequently lost the ALCS to the Cleveland Indians (managed by later Mariners manager Mike Hargrove), that moment remains one of the most memorable in Mariners history, capping a season that "saved baseball in Seattle",[14][15] Seattle's improbable late season playoff run that year, spurred by the return of Griffey from injury, led to the construction of Safeco Field and the future security of a franchise rumored for years to be on the move.[3] The play also inspired the title of the video game Ken Griffey, Jr.'s Winning Run for the Super Nintendo.
In 1999, he ranked 93rd on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.[16] This list was compiled during the 1998 season, counting only statistics through 1997. At age 29 (going on 30), he was the youngest player on the list. That same year, Griffey was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. However, when TSN updated their list for a new book in 2005, despite having surpassed 400 and 500 home runs, Griffey remained at Number 93.
While playing with Seattle, Griffey was a 10-time American League Gold Glove winner, the 1992 All-Star Game MVP, 1997 AL MVP, 1998 ESPY co-winner for Male Athlete of the Year, 1999 Players Choice Awards Player of the Decade (by the players), and was named to the All-Century team in 1999.[17]
Departure from Seattle (1999–2000)[link]
Griffey used to live in the same neighborhood in Orlando as golfer Payne Stewart. After Stewart's death in a plane crash on October 25, 1999, Griffey started expressing a desire to live closer to his relatives in his hometown of Cincinnati. Not only did Griffey want to live closer but he wanted to be able to raise his kids, Trey and Taryn (Tevin wasn't born at this time). On February 12, 2000, Griffey was traded to the Reds for pitcher Brett Tomko, outfielder Mike Cameron, and minor leaguers Antonio Perez and Jake Meyer. Griffey signed a 9 year $112.5 million dollar contract with the Reds after the trade was completed, with a club option for a tenth.[18]
Cincinnati Reds[link]
2000–2004 seasons[link]
The 2000 season began what has generally been seen by the media as a decline in Griffey's superstar status. Although his statistics during this season were respectable, they were far below his previous level of play: in 145 games, Griffey hit .271 with 40 home runs, but his .943 on-base plus slugging was his lowest mark in five years. In 2000, Griffey also changed his number from 24 to 30, the number his father wore while playing in both Cincinnati and Seattle. The number 24 was already retired in honor of Tony Pérez. Additionally, from 2001 through 2004, Griffey was plagued by a string of injuries, including season-ending injuries in 2002, 2003, and 2004.[19] Worse yet for Griffey, the cumulative effects of the injuries lowered his bat speed,[20] resulting in less power and fewer home runs (he slugged only .426 before succumbing to injury in 2002, his lowest output in seven years). Injuries forced Griffey to miss 260 out of 486 games from 2002 through 2004, diminishing both his skills and his star reputation.
In 2004, Griffey avoided major injury during the first half of the season, and on June 20 became the 20th player to hit 500 career home runs. His 500th home run came on Father's Day in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, with his father in the stands; the homer tied Griffey with his father in career hits with 2,143. However, the injury bug bit again just before the All-Star break; he suffered a partial hamstring tear, knocking him out of the All-Star Game and putting him on the disabled list yet again.
Griffey finished the 2004 season on the disabled list after suffering a rupture of his right hamstring in San Francisco.[21] The play in question occurred at AT&T Park in a game against the San Francisco Giants. Griffey was starting in right field for the first time in his 16-year Major League career when he raced toward the gap to try to cut off a ball before it got to the wall. He slid as he got to the ball, but in the process hyper-extended his right leg, tearing the hamstring completely off the bone. He later came out of the game, complaining of "tightness" in the hamstring exacerbated by chilly conditions in San Francisco.[22] However, there was far more to it than anyone realized at the time.
Shortly after this injury, the Reds' team physician, Timothy Kremchek, devised an experimental surgery dubbed "The Junior Operation"[23] that would use three titanium screws to reattach Griffey's hamstring. For several weeks, Griffey's right leg was in a sling that kept it at a 90-degree angle, and he was not able to move the leg until late October. After an intense rehabilitation period, he returned for the 2005 season. In April, he hit .244 with one homer (on April 30) and nine RBIs.[24]
2005–2006 seasons[link]
Starting May 1, the 2005 season saw the resurgence of a healthy Griffey. His 35 home runs were his highest since his first year with the Reds as Griffey slowly moved up the career home run list. He ended the season tied with Mickey Mantle, after having passed Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Willie McCovey, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Mel Ott, and Eddie Murray.
Early in September, he strained a tendon in his left foot (an injury unrelated to his past hamstring and calf problems), and was listed as day-to-day for several weeks.[25] On September 22, with the Reds out of playoff contention, the team decided to bench him for the rest of the season so he could immediately have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and a separate operation to repair scars from his 2004 hamstring operation. Still, his 128 games in 2005 were the most he had played since 2000. Griffey's resurgence was recognized when he was named National League Comeback Player of the Year. He played in the World Baseball Classic for the American team that off-season with his father as a coach. Griffey batted .524, but the USA failed to reach the semifinals.
During the second game of the 2006 regular season, Griffey hit home run #537, surpassing Mickey Mantle for 12th on the all-time list. He returned on May 11 from a knee injury suffered April 12, and hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Washington Nationals. On June 5, Griffey tied Fred McGriff's record by hitting a home run in his 43rd different ballpark, at the St. Louis Cardinals' Busch Stadium.[26] On June 19, Griffey hit career home run 548, tying him with Mike Schmidt, and then six days later passed Schmidt with 549. On June 27, he hit his 550th career home run against the Kansas City Royals. On September 25, 2006, Griffey hit his 27th home run of the season against Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Scott Eyre to tie Reggie Jackson for tenth on the all time home run list.
Griffey's injuries continued in the 2006 off-season. While on holiday in the Bahamas with his family, he broke his wrist.[19] Griffey said his hand felt fine and he expected to be ready to go for 2007 spring training.[27]
2007 season[link]
At the beginning of the 2007 Major League Baseball season, Ryan Freel took over center field for the Reds, and Griffey Jr. was moved to right field. Reds manager Jerry Narron said that "I've got to do everything I can do to put our best club out there. My feeling is that with Ryan Freel out there, it gives us strong defense up the middle."[28] Griffey changed his number from 30 to 3 to honor his three children.[29] During the next two seasons, Griffey would wear number 42 on April 15, beginning a tradition known as Jackie Robinson Day.[30]
On May 10, 2007, Griffey hit his sixth home run of the season and the 569th of his career, tying Rafael Palmeiro for ninth place on the career home runs list. He passed Palmeiro on May 13. Griffey tied Harmon Killebrew for eighth on the all-time list hitting his 573rd career home run on May 22. He then surpassed him on May 25.
On June 22, 2007, Griffey made his first return to Seattle after his trade to the Reds. Before the game, the Mariners honored him with a 15-minute presentation which included a highlight reel of his playing career with the Mariners, a presentation of a "The House that Griffey Built" memorial by Mariners hall-of-famers and former teammates Jay Buhner and Edgar Martínez, and a 4 minute standing ovation from the sold-out crowd.[31] Griffey did not expect such a welcome or a turnout by fans when he came back, and a short but emotional speech was given by Griffey afterwards.[32] Many of the fans in attendance made signs professing their gratitude and adoration toward him with quotes such as: "The House that Griffey Built", "Seattle ♥ Junior", and "Griffey we miss you."[32] Griffey went 1–5 in the game. On June 24, Griffey hit his 583rd and 584th career home runs, tying and passing Mark McGwire for 7th place on the all-time career home run list.
Wow. Never did I imagine that it would be like this coming back. I spent 11 years here, 11 wonderful years here...This place will be [my] home...I didn't realize how much I missed being in Seattle.
– An excerpt from Griffey's short speech as noted above.[33]
In an interview on an episode of "In My Own Words" with Angie Mentink on FSN Northwest, Griffey stated that he would like to end his career as a Seattle Mariner and that he feels that he owes it to the fans of Seattle: "Would I do it? Yeah. I think for the simple reason that this is the place where I grew up, and I owe it to the people of Seattle and to myself to retire as a Mariner."[citation needed]
Following the Cincinnati Reds versus Seattle Mariners series from June 22–24, 2007, a fan movement emerged petitioning Mariners' management to bring Griffey back. Over 1,900 signatures were collected on a fan vid-blog/petition.[34]
Griffey received the most votes of any player in the National League for the 2007 All-Star balloting and on the July 10 game, he went on to drive in two runs for the National League. On July 16, 2007, Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 587th home run to pass Frank Robinson for 6th place on the all-time home run list. On July 18, 2007, Griffey hit his 2,500th hit, a first inning single off Atlanta Braves starting pitcher John Smoltz.
On September 19, 2007, in a game against the Chicago Cubs, Griffey fielded a Derrek Lee single in right field, then suddenly went down in pain. He was on the ground for several minutes, but eventually walked off under his own power.[citation needed] The injury, first thought to be a lower abdominal strain, was later revealed to be a season-ending groin strain. This marked one of many seasons in Cincinnati in which Griffey had to end the year on the disabled list. Griffey ended the 2007 season with 593 career home runs.
On August 22, 2007, Griffey was selected as an all-time Gold Glove winner, on a list of nine players considered the greatest defensive players in the last fifty years.[35] He finished the season with 78 runs, 146 hits, 24 doubles, one triple, 30 home runs, 93 RBIs, and a .277 batting average.
2008 season[link]
On April 4, 2008, Ken Griffey, Jr. passed Reggie Jackson for 16th on the all-time list after driving in his 1,702nd RBI.[36] On June 9, Griffey hit his 600th home run on a 3–1 pitch from Mark Hendrickson of the Florida Marlins in the first inning at Land Shark Stadium in Miami. Fans of both teams gave him a standing ovation.[37]
Despite being ranked second in the National League All-Star voting for outfielders for most of the first half of the season, Griffey finished fourth with 2,907,746 ballots, 87,000 votes behind Kosuke Fukudome. He was not selected to the All-Star Game as a reserve. At the All-Star Break, Griffey was batting .239 with 12 home runs and 42 RBIs. "I always have a backup plan...If you can't hit a tough lefty, bunt. If you can't hit a tough righty, bunt. If you can't go to the All-Star Game, go to the Bahamas," Griffey said.[38]
On July 30, Griffey hit his 608th career home run in his last game for the Reds.[39] When the 2008 season ended he said he wouldn't retire, saying "I've got things to do."[citation needed]
Griffey was criticized by some for his effort during his stint with the Reds. Gregg Doyel had this to say of the years Griffey was with the Reds in comparison to the 2010 Reds team. "It's a different Reds team than the older, beer-bellied softball teams of recent years. Those Reds were Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn lounging on the clubhouse's leather couches, hitting home runs, misplaying balls in the outfield and thinking they had it all figured out, when all they knew how to do was lose."[40]
Chicago White Sox[link]
On July 31, 2008, at the MLB trade deadline, Griffey was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar, ending his nine-year tenure in Cincinnati.[41] In his first game with the White Sox, he went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, a walk, and a run.[42]
On August 20, 2008, Griffey hit his first home run as a member of the White Sox, off of the Mariners' R. A. Dickey, which moved him into a tie with former Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa for career home runs.[43] He surpassed Sosa on September 23, with one off Minnesota's Matt Guerrier.[44]
On October 30, 2008 the White Sox declined a $16 million option on Griffey, making him a free agent for the first time in his career. Griffey would instead receive a buyout for $4 million, split between the Reds and White Sox.[citation needed] Griffey hit 18 home runs with the Reds and White Sox in 2008.[45]
Return to Seattle[link]
Griffey accepted a contract offer from the Seattle Mariners to join the team again on February 18, 2009. After declaring free agency, Griffey was courted by the Mariners and the Atlanta Braves, and ultimately decided with the Mariners after "agonizing" over the decision. Griffey was motivated by sentimental reasons toward Seattle, where he received an overwhelmingly positive reception when he last played there as a Cincinnati Red in June 2007, but was inclined towards the Braves for its proximity to his home in Orlando, Florida, and his desire to be with his family during the season.[46] Apparently, Griffey was very close to signing with the Braves; however, a premature report emerged from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that an Atlanta deal was done and a conversation with Willie Mays and his own 13-year-old daughter played a factor in his choice.[47] Griffey once again sported #24 with the Mariners. During the nine seasons (2000–2008) that he was away, the Mariners did not issue the #24 jersey to any player or coaching staff member that passed through (including during spring training).
Griffey went 1–2 with a home run in his regular season debut against the Minnesota Twins. On April 15, 2009, Griffey hit his 400th home run as a Mariner (613th of career) off of Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver, becoming the first MLB player to hit 400 home runs with one club (Mariners) and 200 home runs with another (Reds). So popular and well respected he was in Seattle, he almost single-handedly transformed what had been a fractured, bickering clubhouse with his leadership, energy and constant pranks.[3]
On June 23, 2009, at Safeco Field, Griffey hit the 5,000th home run in franchise history off of San Diego Padres pitcher Chad Gaudin.[48] This was Griffey's 619th career home run. On September 1, Griffey hit career home run #621 at the new Yankee Stadium off of Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte in the 6th inning. It marked the 44th different ballpark in which he has hit a home run. On August 12, 2009, against his former team, the Chicago White Sox, he hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 14th inning to win the game, 1–0, for the Mariners.
Griffey returned to the Mariners for the 2010 campaign with a similar contract to that of 2009, but struggled offensively over the first two months while posting a mere .184 batting average.[49] On May 20, 2010, in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Griffey hit a walk-off RBI single off Blue Jays' closer Kevin Gregg to win the game, 4–3, for the Mariners. After starting the 9th inning trailing 3–1, the Mariners rallied in the bottom of the 9th to load the bases on 2 singles and a walk, then tied the game at 3 via a walk and a sacrifice fly. The walk-off single was the final hit of Griffey's Major League Baseball career.
Retirement[link]
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On June 2, 2010, weeks after being taken out of the lineup due to a lack of productivity, Griffey released a statement through the Seattle Mariners organization announcing his retirement from Major League Baseball effective immediately. Griffey retired fifth on the all-time home run list. His retirement was announced at Safeco Field before the Mariners played the Twins and received much praise from the crowd.[50] In an interview on March 17, 2011, Griffey revealed that the only reason he had retired was that he had become a distraction for the team, and not because of any rift with the Mariners or Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu.[6]
A campaign has been formed to rename a section of First Avenue South, which runs adjacent to Safeco Field, to Ken Griffey Jr. Drive.[51]
Post-playing career[link]
On February 15, 2011, Griffey was hired by the Mariners as a special consultant. In his return to Seattle, his role is still being defined, but it is confirmed he'll be involved with the Mariners at spring training and the regular season, along with visiting most of the Mariners minor-league affiliates.[52]
Philanthropy[link]
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This section requires expansion. |
In 2008, Griffey released a series of charity wines to support The Ken Griffey, Jr. Family Foundation, a fund that supports several causes, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and several children's hospitals across the United States of America.[53]
Personal[link]
In April 2007, Griffey was diagnosed with pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining of the cavity surrounding the lungs which can cause painful respiration and other symptoms.[54][55]
Griffey and his wife Melissa have three children: Trey Griffey, daughter Taryn Kennedy, and adopted son Tevin Kendall. The Griffey family resides in Winter Garden, Florida, where Ken Griffey, Sr. is also a resident.[56]
Griffey was named an American Public Diplomacy Envoy by then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on November 18, 2008.[57]
Suicide attempt[link]
In January 1988, Griffey, at the age of 18, attempted to commit suicide by swallowing 278 aspirin pills but wound up in intensive care in Providence Hospital in Mount Airy, Ohio.[58] Griffey, Jr. cited arguments with his father, Ken Griffey, Sr., depression, and anger as reasons for his attempted suicide.[59] On his failed attempt, Griffey, Jr. stated, "It seemed like everyone was yelling at me at baseball, then I came home and everyone was yelling at me there...I got depressed. I got angry. I didn't want to live."[59] He stated that he had before contemplated taking his own life, however, he had not acted on it until this incident.[59] After swallowing the aspirin, Griffey's girlfriend's mother drove him to the hospital.[59] While in intensive care, he ripped the IV from his arm in order to stop an argument between him and his father.[59] Both Griffey, Jr. and his father have stated that the incident changed their relationship, and there is now more "understanding" on both parts.[59]
Trey Griffey[link]
When Trey was born in 1994, the Mariners' then-General Manager, Woody Woodward, sent him a player's contract dated 2012.[citation needed] Peter Gammons once wrote in a column that Trey would indeed be the major league's #1 draft pick that year.[60] At age twelve, Trey served as a batboy for the US team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, with his father as a player and his grandfather as a coach.[citation needed] When he was sixteen, Trey seemed to have more of an interest in football, playing linebacker and running back on a youth-league team that includes Shane Larkin, son of Barry Larkin,[61] and now being recruited to play wide receiver in college. He did, however, spend his summers with his father, often being spotted on the field during batting practice and in the dugout during games. Trey Griffey currently attends Dr. Phillips High School near Orlando, Florida where he plays wide receiver for the Panthers.[citation needed] Trey has accepted a scholarship offer to play wide receiver at The University of Arizona beginning in fall 2012.
See also[link]
.jpg){kind=small}
- 50 home run club
- 500 home run club
- List of Major League Baseball home run records
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
- List of Major League Baseball individual streaks
- List of Major League Baseball players with 2000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBIs
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
References[link]
- ^ "Ken Griffey Jr. stats". espn.com. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/2148/type/fielding/ken-griffey-jr. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
- ^ "',Consecutive Home Run Records by Baseball Almanac',". Baseball-almanac.com. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_hr5.shtml. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Tim Booth (June 3, 2010). "Ken Griffey Jr. retiring at age 40". The Washington Post. Associated Press. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/02/AR2010060204410.html.
- ^ Hayek, Todd. Ken Griffey Jr. vs. Albert Pujols? Jr. Gets the Nod. Bleacher Report. June 3, 2010.
- ^ Ken Griffey Jr and the Synthesis of Baseball. February 13, 2010.
- ^ a b "2011 spring training: Ken Griffey Jr. discusses retirement, says he didn't want to be a distraction - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2011-03-17. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2011/news/story?id=6227136. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ "Donora Pennsylvania, borough profile (Washington County) – hotels, festivals, genealogy, newspapers". US-PA: ePodunk. http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=13843. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Ken Griffey Jr.: Biography and Career Highlights , whitesox.com: Players". Mlb.mlb.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player_career.jsp?player_id=115135. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ MLB.com. "Ken Griffey Jr. Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights". http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=115135&c_id=mlb#sectionType=career&statType=1&season=2010&gameType=%27R%27. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "August 31, 1990 Kansas City Royals at Seattle Mariners Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. August 31, 1990. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SEA/SEA199008310.shtml. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "September 14, 1990 Seattle Mariners at California Angels Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. September 14, 1990. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CAL/CAL199009140.shtml. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Now Fielder Is Where He Knows He Belongs", The New York Times July 13, 1993
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- ^ Baseball's 100 Greatest Players. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
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- ^ "Griffey Dealt to Reds in Five Player Deal". CNN/Sports Illustrated. February 12, 2000. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2000/02/10/griffey_trade_ap/. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ a b "Griffey Jr.'s Broken Hand Adds to List of Injuries Over Last 6 years". http://www.blogging-baseball.com/2006/12/24/griffey-jrs-broken-hand-adds-to-list-of-injuries-over-last-6-years/. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "Baseball Bat Speed". http://www.faqs.org/sports-science/A-Ba-and-timeline/Baseball-Bat-Speed.html. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ Kinney, T. "Griffey Jr. nabbed by injury again", USAToday.com August 14, 2004.
- ^ MRI: Griffey has partial hamstring tear, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=1837903
- ^ Castrovince A. "Griffey nominated for Comeback Award", MLB.com August 22, 2005.
- ^ By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com (June 24, 2005). "The Official Site of The Cincinnati Reds: News: Cincinnati Reds News". Cincinnati.reds.mlb.com. http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050819&content_id=1176033&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Reds not counting out Griffey's return this season". http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2154461.
- ^ "Griffey homers in 43rd stadium, ties big league record". http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2472098.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ 6:47 pm ET (March 19, 2007). "Off center: Griffey moving to right field - Baseball". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17687610/. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Notes: Jr. swaps uniform numbers". http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20051209&content_id=1280298&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin.
- ^ "mlb.mlb.com". http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20070404&content_id=1879309&vkey=pr_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.
- ^ Mariners.com. "Safeco Field History". http://mlb.mlb.com/sea/ballpark/sea_ballpark_history.jsp.
- ^ a b "Seattle icon Griffey to return to Safeco". http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070620&content_id=2038527&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.
- ^ "Griffey honored at Seattle". Major League Baseball. June 22, 2007. http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/media/player/mp_tpl_3_1.jsp?w=2007/open/tp/archive06/062207_cinsea_griffey_ceremony_tp_350.wmv&pid=mlb_tp&gid=2007/06/22/cinmlb-seamlb-1&mid=200706222043893&cid=mlb&fid=mlb_tp400&v=2&id=579571. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
- ^ "城咲仁「今からモテにいくぞ！」出会い術〜ルックス・口下手関係無し！". Bringgriffeyback.com. http://bringgriffeyback.com/. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ Rawlings to Present First-Ever Junior Rawlings Gold Glove Award[dead link]
- ^ "ESPN – Phillies vs. Reds – Recap – April 4, 2008". ESPN. April 4, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=280404117. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Griffey Hits 600th Career Home Run". Fox News. June 9, 2008. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,364781,00.html.
- ^ By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com (June 26, 2008). "Volquez named to All-Star staff , reds.com: News". Cincinnati.reds.mlb.com. http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080706&content_id=3076321&vkey=news_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "ESPN – Reds vs. Astros – Box Score – July 30, 2008". ESPN. July 30, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=280730118. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Cincinnati deserves this fun, successful Reds team – MLB – CBSSports.com Baseball". Cbssports.com. September 2, 2010. http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/13867227/cincinnati-deserves-this-fun-successful-reds-team. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ FOX Sports on MSN – Ken Rosenthal – Griffey accepts trade to White Sox[dead link]
- ^ By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com (February 10, 2000). "Griffey moves from Reds to White Sox , MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080731&content_id=3230331&vkey=trade2008&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ By Scott Merkin / MLB.com (August 20, 2008). "Griffey moves into tie for fifth on HR list , MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080820&content_id=3338798&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Griffey passes Sosa for fifth on all-time home run list – MLB – ESPN". ESPN. September 24, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3605690. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ By Scott Merkin / MLB.com. "Sox decline options of Griffey, Hall , whitesox.com: News". Chicago.whitesox.mlb.com. http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081030&content_id=3655185&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Ken Griffey chooses to return to Seattle Mariners – ESPN". ESPN. February 19, 2009. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3917214. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ By Jim Street / MLB.com (February 18, 2009). "Griffey headed back to Mariners , MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090218&content_id=3846072&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ Johns, Greg (June 23, 2009). "Griffey adds piece of history: M's 5,000th home run". Seattle PI. http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlesports/archives/172083.asp.
- ^ "Ken Griffey Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/griffke02.shtml. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
- ^ "Mariners' Griffey calls it a career". http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5244661. Retrieved June 2, 2010.
- ^ "Rename 1st Ave to Ken Griffey Jr. Way". http://www.kengriffeyjrway.com/. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
- ^ Spratt, Gerry (February 11, 2011). "Griffey returns to Mariners as special consultant , Mariners blog – Seattle Post-Intelligencer". Blog.seattlepi.com. http://blog.seattlepi.com/baseball/2011/02/15/griffey-returns-to-mariners-as-special-consultant/. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ [2] [3] [4]
- ^ "Patience for Patient Griffey". WTAP-TV. April, 27 2007. http://www.wtap.com/sports/headlines/7232761.html.
- ^ "Griffey is limited by pleurisy". Los Angeles Times. April 28, 2007. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/28/sports/sp-bbnotes28.
- ^ "Dad: Ken Griffey Jr. happy and relieved to be retired – ESPN". ESPN. June 5, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5253282. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ By 'Duk (September 3, 2009). "Ken Griffey Jr. goes to Washington, makes us all feel older". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Ken-Griffey-Jr-goes-to-Washington-makes-us-all?urn=mlb,123207. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ "Griffey Jr. Recalls Attempted Suicide". The New York Times. March 16, 1992. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/16/sports/griffey-jr-recalls-attempted-suicide.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Bob Finnigan (March 15, 1992). "Young Cry For Help – At 17, Griffey Jr. Attempted Suicide; Now He Warns Others". The Seattle Times (The Seattle Times Company). http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19920315&slug=1481176. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Gammons, Peter. "ESPN.com – Gammons: All about arms". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=1996738. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
- ^ Hobson, Geoff. "Bengals News Home". Bengals.com. http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=5321. Retrieved February 16, 2011.
External links[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ken Griffey, Jr. |
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Griffey, Ken, Jr. |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Baseball outfielder |
| Date of birth | 1969-11-21 |
| Place of birth | Donora, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Ken_Griffey,_Jr.
Related pages:
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http://de.wn.com/Ken Griffey junior
http://it.wn.com/Ken Griffey Jr.
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Griffey,_Jr.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| David Letterman | |
|---|---|
 Letterman performing on his show in June 2011. |
|
| Pseudonym | Earl Hofert |
| Born | (1947-04-12) April 12, 1947 (age 65) Indianapolis, Indiana, United States[1] |
| Medium | Stand-up, talk show |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Genres | Observational comedy, surreal humor, deadpan |
| Subject(s) | Self-deprecation, everyday life |
| Influences | Steve Allen,[citation needed] Johnny Carson,[2] Jack Paar,[citation needed] Paul Dixon[3] |
| Influenced | Jimmy Kimmel, Jim Gaffigan, Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon |
| Spouse | Michelle Cook (1969–1977) Regina Lasko (2009–present) |
| Domestic partner(s) | Regina Lasko (1986–2009) |
| Notable works and roles | Host of The David Letterman Show (NBC) Host of Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) Host of Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | CBS.com/latenight/lateshow |
| Emmy Awards | |
| Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Variety Series 1981 The David Letterman Show Outstanding Individual Achievement — Writers 1981 The David Letterman Show Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program 1984 Late Night with David Letterman 1985 Late Night with David Letterman 1986 Late Night with David Letterman 1987 Late Night with David Letterman Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series 1994 Late Show with David Letterman |
|
| American Comedy Awards | |
| Funniest Male Performer in a TV Special (Leading or Supporting) Network, Cable or Syndication 1989 Late Night with David Letterman 1995 Late Show with David Letterman: Video Special Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series (Leading Role) Network, Cable or Syndication 1994 Late Show with David Letterman 2001 Late Show with David Letterman |
|
David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host and comedian.[1] He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC. Letterman recently surpassed friend and mentor Johnny Carson for having the longest late-night hosting career in the United States of America.[4]
Letterman is also a television and film producer. His company Worldwide Pants produces his show as well as its network follow-up The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. Worldwide Pants has also produced several prime-time comedies, the most successful of which was Everybody Loves Raymond, currently in syndication.
In 1996, David Letterman was ranked #45 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.[5]
Contents |
Early life and career[link]
Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. His father, Harry Joseph Letterman (April 1915 – February 1973),[6] was a florist of British descent; his mother Dorothy Letterman (née Hofert, now Dorothy Mengering), a Presbyterian church secretary of German descent, is an occasional figure on the show, usually at holidays and birthdays.
Letterman lived on the north side of Indianapolis (Broad Ripple area), not far from Speedway, IN, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he enjoyed collecting model cars, including racers.[7] In 2000, he told an interviewer for Esquire that, while growing up, he admired his father's ability to tell jokes and be the life of the party. Harry Joseph Letterman survived a heart attack at age 36, when David was a young boy. The fear of losing his father was constantly with Letterman as he grew up.[8] The elder Letterman died of a second heart attack[9] at age 57.
Letterman attended his hometown's Broad Ripple High School at the same time as Marilyn Tucker (future wife of Dan Quayle) and worked as a stock boy at the local Atlas supermarket.[10] According to the Ball State Daily News, he originally had wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades weren't good enough, so he decided to attend Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana.[11] He is a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and he graduated from what was then the Department of Radio and Television, in 1969. A self-described average student, Letterman endowed a scholarship for what he called "C students" at Ball State.[12]
Though he registered for the draft and passed his physical after graduating from college, he was not drafted for service in Vietnam due to receiving a draft lottery number of 352 (out of 365).[13]
Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college's student-run radio station—WBST—a 10-watt campus station which now is part of Indiana Public Radio.[14] He was fired for treating classical music with irreverence.[14]
Letterman then became involved with the founding of another campus station—WAGO-AM 570 (now WWHI, 91.3).[15]
Letterman credits Paul Dixon—host of the Paul Dixon Show, a Cincinnati-based talk show also shown in Indianapolis while Letterman was growing up—for inspiring his choice of career:[3]
- "I was just out of college [in 1969], and I really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then all of a sudden I saw him doing it [on TV]. And I thought: That's really what I want to do!"
Weatherman[link]
Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS (AM), and on Indianapolis television station WLWI (now called WTHR) as an anchor, and weatherman. He received some attention for his unpredictable on-air behavior, which included congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and predicting hail stones "the size of canned hams."[16] He would also occasionally report the weather and the day's very high and low temps for fictitious cities ("Eight inches of snow in Bingree and surrounding areas.") while on another occasion saying that a state border had been erased.[17] ("From space you can see the border between Indiana and Ohio has been erased. I'm not in favor of this.") He also starred in a local kiddie show, made wisecracks as host of a late night TV show called "Freeze-Dried Movies" (he once acted out a scene from "Godzilla" using plastic dinosaurs),[18] and hosted a talk show that aired early on Saturday mornings called "Clover Power,"[19] in which he interviewed 4-H members about their projects.[20]
In 1971, Letterman appeared as a pit road reporter for ABC Sports' tape-delayed coverage of the Indianapolis 500.[21] David initially is introduced as Chris Economaki in his job as a corner reporter. Letterman interviews Mario Andretti who has just crashed out of the race and asks him a question about traffic on the course.
Move to Los Angeles[link]
In 1975, encouraged by his then-wife Michelle and several of his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, Letterman moved to Los Angeles, California, with hope of becoming a comedy writer.[22] He started off by writing material for comedian Jimmie Walker.[23] He also began performing stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store, a proving ground for unknown comics.
In the summer of 1977, Letterman was a writer and regular on the six-week summer series The Starland Vocal Band Show, broadcast on CBS.[24] He hosted a 1977 pilot for a game show entitled The Riddlers[25][26] that was never picked up and co-starred in the Barry Levinson-produced comedy special Peeping Times that aired in January 1978. Later that year, Letterman was a cast member on Mary Tyler Moore's variety show, Mary.[27] Letterman made a guest appearance on Mork & Mindy (as a parody of EST leader Werner Erhard[28]) and appearances on game shows such as The $20,000 Pyramid,[29] The Gong Show, Password Plus[30] and Liar's Club, as well as talk shows such as The Mike Douglas Show.[31] He was also screen tested for the lead role in the 1980 film Airplane!, a role that eventually went to Robert Hays.[32]
His dry, sarcastic humor caught the attention of scouts for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and Letterman was soon a regular guest on the show. Letterman became a favorite of Carson's and was a regular guest host for the show beginning in 1978. Letterman credits Carson as the person who influenced his career the most.[2]
NBC[link]
Morning show[link]
Main article: The David Letterman Show
On June 23, 1980, Letterman was given his own morning comedy show on NBC, The David Letterman Show. It was originally 90 minutes long, but was shortened to 60 minutes in August 1980.[33] The show was a critical success, winning two Emmy Awards, but was a ratings disappointment and was canceled in October 1980.
[edit] Late Night with David Letterman
Main article: Late Night with David Letterman
NBC kept Letterman under contract to try him in a different time slot. Late Night with David Letterman debuted February 1, 1982; the first guest on the first show was Bill Murray.[34] Murray also guested on January 31, 2012 – 30 years later. The show ran Monday through Thursday at 12:30 a.m. Eastern Time, immediately following The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (a Friday night broadcast was added in June 1987). It was seen as being edgy and unpredictable, and soon developed a cult following (particularly among college students). Letterman's reputation as an acerbic interviewer was borne out in verbal sparring matches with Cher[35] (who even called him an asshole on the show), Shirley MacLaine,[36] Charles Grodin, and Madonna. The show also featured comedy segments and running characters, in a style heavily influenced by the 1950s and 1960s programs of Steve Allen.[37] Although Ernie Kovacs is often cited as an influence on the show,[38] Letterman has denied this.[2]
The show often featured quirky, genre-mocking regular features, including "Stupid Pet Tricks[39] ", dropping various objects off the roof of a five-story building,[40] demonstrations of unorthodox clothing (such as suits made of Alka-Seltzer,[41] Velcro[42] and suet), a recurring Top 10 list, the Monkey-Cam[43] (and the Audience Cam), and a facetious letter-answering segment.[44] The Top 10 list, several "Film[s] by My Dog Bob" in which a camera was mounted on Letterman's own dog[45] (often with comic results), Stupid Human Tricks,[46] Small Town News,[47] and Stupid Pet Tricks[48] (which had its origins on Letterman's morning show) all eventually moved with Letterman to CBS.
Other memorable moments included Letterman using a bullhorn to interrupt a live interview on The Today Show, announcing that he was the NBC president while not wearing any pants; interrupting Al Roker on WNBC-TV's broadcast of Live at Five by walking into their studio (which occupied the same floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza as Letterman's studio); and staging "elevator races", complete with commentary by NBC Sports' Bob Costas. In one infamous appearance, in 1982, Andy Kaufman (who was already wearing a neck brace) appeared to be slapped and knocked to the ground by professional wrestler Jerry Lawler (though Lawler and Kaufman's friend Bob Zmuda later revealed that the event was staged.)[49] In another memorable exchange, sex expert Dr. Ruth Westheimer included cucumbers in a list of handy sex objects that women could find at home. The following night, guest Ted Koppel asked Letterman "May I insert something here?" and Dave responded "OK, as long as it's not a cucumber."[citation needed]
[edit] Late Show with David Letterman
Main article: Late Show with David Letterman
In 1992, Johnny Carson retired, and many fans believed that Letterman would become host of The Tonight Show. When NBC instead gave the job to Jay Leno, Letterman departed NBC to host his own late-night show on CBS, opposite The Tonight Show at 11:30 p.m., called the Late Show with David Letterman. The new show debuted on August 30, 1993 and was taped at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, where Ed Sullivan taped his eponymous variety series from 1948 to 1971. For Letterman's arrival, CBS spent $8 million in renovations.[50] In addition to that cost, CBS also signed Letterman to a lucrative three-year, $14 million/year contract,[51] doubling his Late Night salary. The total cost for everything (renovations, negotiation right paid to NBC, signing Letterman, announcer Bill Wendell, Shaffer, the writers and the band) was over $140 million.
But while the expectation was that Letterman would retain his unique style and sense of humor with the move, Late Show was not an exact replica of his old NBC program. Recognizing the more formal mood (and wider audience) of his new time slot and studio, Letterman eschewed his trademark blazer with khaki pants and white sneakers wardrobe combination in favor of expensive shoes, tailored suits and light-colored socks. The monologue was lengthened and Paul Shaffer and the "World's Most Dangerous Band" followed Letterman to CBS, but they added a brass section and were rebranded the "CBS Orchestra" as a short monologue and a small band were mandated by Carson while Letterman occupied the 12:30 slot. Additionally, because of intellectual property disagreements, Letterman was unable to import many of his Late Night segments verbatim,[52] but he sidestepped this problem by simply renaming them (the "Top Ten List" became the "Late Show Top Ten", "Viewer Mail" became the "CBS Mailbag", etc.)
Popularity[link]
The main competitor of The Late Show is NBC's The Tonight Show, which was hosted by Jay Leno for nearly 16 years, but from June 1, 2009, to January 22, 2010, was hosted by Conan O'Brien. In 1993 and 1994, The Late Show consistently gained higher ratings than The Tonight Show. But in 1995, ratings dipped and Leno's show consistently beat Letterman's in the ratings from the time that Hugh Grant came on Leno's show after Grant's arrest for soliciting a prostitute.;[53] Leno typically attracted about 5 million nightly viewers between 1999 and 2009. The Late Show lost nearly half its audience during its competition with Leno, attracting 7.1 million viewers nightly in its 1993–94 season and about 3.8 million per night as of Leno's departure in 2009.[54] In the final months of his first stint as host of The Tonight Show, Leno beat Letterman in the ratings by a 1.3 million viewer margin (5.2 million to 3.9 million), and Nightline and The Late Show were virtually tied.[55] Once O'Brien took over Tonight, however, Letterman closed the gap in the ratings.[56][57][58] O'Brien initially drove the median age of Tonight Show viewers from 55 to 45, with most older viewers opting to watch The Late Show instead.[59]
Following Leno's return to The Tonight Show, however, Leno has regained his lead.[60]
Letterman's shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning 12 times in his first 20 years in late night television. From 1993–2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation's Favorite TV Personality 12 times.[61] For example, in 2003 and 2004 Letterman ranked second in that poll, behind only Oprah Winfrey, a year that Leno was ranked fifth.[62] Leno was higher than Letterman on that poll three times during the same period, in 1998, 2007, and 2008.[61]
Hosting the Academy Awards[link]
On March 27, 1995, Letterman acted as the host for the 67th Academy Awards ceremony. Critics blasted[63] Letterman for what they deemed a poor hosting of the Oscars, noting that his irreverent style undermined the traditional importance and glamor of the event.[citation needed] In a joke about their unusual names (inspired by a similar joke by Woody Allen), he started off by introducing Uma Thurman to Oprah Winfrey, and then both of them to Keanu Reeves: "Oprah...Uma. Uma...Oprah," "Have you kids met Keanu?"[64] This and many of his other jokes fell flat.[citation needed] Although Letterman attracted the highest ratings to the annual telecast since 1983, many felt that the bad publicity garnered by Letterman's hosting caused a decline in the Late Show's ratings.[65]
Letterman recycled the apparent debacle into a long-running gag. On his first show after the Oscars, he joked, "Looking back, I had no idea that thing was being televised." He lampooned his stint two years later, during Billy Crystal's opening Oscar skit, which also parodied the plane-crashing scenes from that year's chief nominated film, The English Patient.
For years afterward, Letterman recounted his hosting the Oscars, although the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued to hold Letterman in high regard and they had invited him to host the Oscars again.[66][67] On September 7, 2010, he made an appearance on the premiere of the 14th season of The View, and confirmed that he had been considered for hosting again.
Heart surgery hiatus[link]
On January 14, 2000, a routine check-up revealed that an artery in Letterman's heart was severely obstructed. He was rushed to emergency surgery for a quintuple bypass.[68]
During the initial weeks of his recovery, reruns of the Late Show were shown and introduced by friends of Letterman including Drew Barrymore,[58] Ray Romano, Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Megan Mullally, Bill Murray, Regis Philbin, Charles Grodin, Nathan Lane, Julia Roberts,[58] Bruce Willis, Jerry Seinfeld, Martin Short, Steven Seagal, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Danny DeVito, Steve Martin, and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Subsequently, while still recovering from surgery, Letterman revived the late night tradition that had virtually disappeared on network television during the 1990s of 'guest hosts' by allowing Bill Cosby, Kathie Lee Gifford (recommended by Regis Philbin, who was asked first but had no time in his schedule), Dana Carvey, Janeane Garofalo, and others to host new episodes of The Late Show. Cosby—the show's first guest host—refused to sit at Letterman's desk out of respect, using the couch instead; Garofalo followed suit, utilizing a set of grade-school desks instead.
Upon his return to the show on February 21, 2000, Letterman brought all of the doctors and nurses on stage who had participated in his surgery and recovery (with extra teasing of a nurse who had given him bed baths—"This woman has seen me naked!"),[69] including Dr. O. Wayne Isom and physician Louis Aronne, who frequently appears on the show. In a show of emotion, Letterman was nearly in tears as he thanked the health care team with the words "These are the people who saved my life!" The episode earned an Emmy nomination. For a number of episodes, Letterman continued to crack jokes about his bypass, including saying, "Bypass surgery: it's when doctors surgically create new blood flow to your heart. A bypass is what happened to me when I didn't get The Tonight Show! It's a whole different thing." In a later running gag he lobbied his home state of Indiana to rename the freeway circling Indianapolis (I-465) "The David Letterman Bypass." He also featured a montage of faux news coverage of his bypass surgery, which included a clip of Dave's heart for sale on the Home Shopping Network. Letterman became friends with his doctors and nurses. In 2008, a Rolling Stone interview stated "he hosted a doctor and nurse who'd helped perform the emergency quintuple-bypass heart surgery that saved his life in 2000. 'These are people who were complete strangers when they opened my chest,' he says. 'And now, eight years later, they're among my best friends.' "[4]
Additionally, Letterman invited the band Foo Fighters to play "Everlong",[70] introducing them as "my favorite band, playing my favorite song."[71] During a later Foo Fighters appearance, Letterman said that Foo Fighters had been in the middle of a South American tour which they canceled to come play on his comeback episode.
Letterman again handed over the reins of the show to several guest hosts (including Bill Cosby, Brad Garrett, Elvis Costello, John McEnroe, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell, Bonnie Hunt, Luke Wilson and bandleader Paul Shaffer) in February 2003, when he was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles. Later that year, Letterman made regular use of guest hosts—including Tom Arnold and Kelsey Grammer—for new shows broadcast on Fridays. In March 2007, Adam Sandler—who had been scheduled to be the lead guest—served as a guest host while Letterman was ill with a stomach virus.[72]
Re-signing with CBS[link]
In March 2002, as Letterman's contract with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for long-running news program Nightline with Ted Koppel. Letterman was interested as he believed he could never match Leno's ratings at CBS due to Letterman's complaint of weaker lead-ins from the network's late local news programs, but was reluctant to replace Koppel.[73] Letterman addressed his decision to re-sign on the air, stating that he was content at CBS and that he had great respect for Koppel.
On December 4, 2006, CBS revealed that Letterman signed a new contract to host The Late Show with David Letterman through the fall of 2010. "I'm thrilled to be continuing on at CBS," said Letterman. "At my age you really don't want to have to learn a new commute."[74] Letterman further joked about the subject by pulling up his right pants leg, revealing a tattoo, presumably temporary, of the ABC logo.
"Thirteen years ago, David Letterman put CBS late night on the map and in the process became one of the defining icons of our network," said Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corporation. "His presence on our air is an ongoing source of pride, and the creativity and imagination that the Late Show puts forth every night is an ongoing display of the highest quality entertainment. We are truly honored that one of the most revered and talented entertainers of our time will continue to call CBS 'home.'"[75]
According to a 2007 article in Forbes magazine, Letterman earned $40 million a year.[76] A 2009 article in The New York Times, however, said his salary was estimated at $32 million per year.[77] In June 2009, Letterman's Worldwide Pants and CBS reached agreement to continue the Late Show until at least August 2012. The previous contract had been set to expire in 2010, and the two-year extension is shorter than the typical three-year contract period negotiated in the past.[77] Worldwide Pants agreed to lower its fee for the show, though it had remained a "solid moneymaker for CBS" under the previous contract.[77]
On the February 3, 2011, edition of the Late Show, during an interview with Howard Stern, Letterman said he would continue to do his talk show for "maybe two years, I think."[78]
2007–2008 writers' strike[link]
The Late Show went off air for eight weeks during the months of November and December because of the Writers Guild of America strike. Letterman's production company—Worldwide Pants—was the first company to make an individual agreement with the WGA,[79] thus allowing his show to come back on air on January 2, 2008. On his first episode since being off air, he surprised the viewing audience with his newly grown beard, which signified solidarity with the strike.[80] His beard was shaved off during the show on January 7, 2008.
Controversy over jokes about daughter of Sarah Palin[link]
On June 8 and June 9, 2009, Letterman told a sexually-themed joke on his show each night about a daughter of Sarah Palin.[81] Palin was in New York City at the time with her fourteen year-old daughter, Willow, and the jokes were said to be aimed at the daughter, never named, who was visiting New York City with her mother.[81] Palin criticized the jokes, saying in a statement posted on the internet that "I doubt he'd ever dare make such comments about anyone else's daughter," and "laughter incited by sexually-perverted comments made by a 62-year-old male celebrity aimed at a 14-year-old girl" is "disgusting."[82] On June 10, Letterman responded to the controversy on his show by stating that the jokes were meant to be about Palin's eighteen year-old daughter, Bristol, whose pregnancy as an unmarried teenager had caused controversy during the 2008 Presidential election, and that "(t)hese are not jokes made about (Palin's) 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl."[82] His remarks didn't put an end to the public criticism, however, with the National Organization for Women, who supported Palin in a statement, noting he had given only "something of an apology."[81] With the controversy not subsiding, Letterman addressed the issue again on his June 15 show, faulting himself for the error and apologizing "especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke."[83]
Letterman and Carson[link]
In spite of Johnny Carson's clear intention to pass his title to Letterman, NBC selected Jay Leno to host The Tonight Show after Carson's departure.[84] Letterman maintained a close relationship with Carson through his break with NBC. Three years after he left for CBS, HBO produced a made-for-television movie called The Late Shift, based on a book by New York Times reporter Bill Carter, chronicling the battle between Letterman and Leno for the coveted Tonight Show hosting spot. Letterman would mock the film for months afterward, specifically on how the actor playing him, John Michael Higgins, did not resemble him in the least.[citation needed]
Carson later made a few cameo appearances as a guest on Letterman's show. Carson's final television appearance came May 13, 1994, on a Late Show episode taped in Los Angeles, when he made a surprise appearance during a 'Top 10 list' segment. The audience went wild as Letterman stood up and proudly invited Carson to sit at his desk. The applause was so protracted that Carson was unable to say anything, and he finally returned backstage as the applause continued (it was later explained that Carson had laryngitis, though Carson can be heard talking to Letterman during his appearance).
In early 2005, it was revealed that Carson still kept up with current events and late-night TV right up to his death that year, and that he occasionally sent jokes to Letterman, who used these jokes in his monologue; according to CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally (a onetime producer for both men), Carson got "a big kick out of it."[85] Letterman would do a characteristic Johnny Carson golf swing after delivering one of Carson's jokes. In a tribute to Carson, all of the opening monologue jokes during the first show following Carson's death were written by Carson.
Lassally also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor."[86] Letterman also frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including "Carnac the Magnificent" (with Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump the Band" and the "Week in Review."
Letterman and Oprah Winfrey[link]
Letterman and Oprah had a 16 year feud which according to Letterman started when he and his girlfriend decided to skip out on a bill, tricking the waiter into thinking Oprah agreed to pay it.[87]
On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He shared pictures of his son and live-in girlfriend. The so-called feud between Letterman and Winfrey apparently ended in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on December 2, in an event Letterman jokingly referred to as "the Super Bowl of Love".[88] Winfrey had previously appeared on Letterman's show when he was hosting NBC's Late Night on May 2, 1989.
Winfrey and Letterman also appeared together in a Late Show promo that aired during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLI in February 2007, with the two sitting next to each other on the couch watching the game. Since the game was played between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis-born Letterman wears a Peyton Manning jersey, while Winfrey—who tapes her show in Chicago—is in a Brian Urlacher jersey.[89] Three years later, during CBS's coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, the two appeared again, this time with Winfrey sitting on a couch between Letterman and Jay Leno. The appearance was Letterman's idea: Leno flew to New York City in an NBC corporate jet, sneaking into the Ed Sullivan Theater during the Late Show's February 4 taping wearing a disguise, meeting Winfrey and Letterman at a living room set created in the theater's balcony where they taped their promo.[90]
Response to Internet death threat[link]
On August 17, 2011, it was reported that a Muslim militant had posted a death threat against Letterman on a website frequented by Al-Qaeda supporters, calling on American Muslims to kill Letterman for making a joke about the death of an Al-Qaeda leader killed in a drone strike in Pakistan in June 2011.[91] In his show on August 22, Letterman joked about the threat, saying "State Department authorities are looking into this. They're not taking this lightly. They're looking into it. They're questioning, they're interrogating, there's an electronic trail—but everybody knows it's Leno."[92]
Appearances in other media[link]
Letterman appeared in issue 239 of the Marvel comic book The Avengers, in which the title characters are guests on Late Night.[93] A parody of Letterman, named "David Endochrine," is gassed to death along with his bandleader named "Paul" and their audience in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns.[94]
Letterman appeared in the pilot episode of the short-lived 1986 series "Coach Toast", and he appears with a bag over his head as a guest on Bonnie Hunt's ca. 1993 sitcom The Building. He also appears in The Simpsons, as himself in a couch gag when The Simpsons find themselves (and the couch) in "Late Night with David Letterman." He had a cameo in the feature film Cabin Boy, with Chris Elliott, who worked as a writer on Letterman's show. In this and other appearances, Letterman is listed in the credits as "Earl Hofert", the name of Letterman's maternal grandfather. He also appeared as himself in the Howard Stern biopic Private Parts as well as the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, in a few episodes of Garry Shandling's 1990s TV series The Larry Sanders Show and in "The Abstinence", a 1996 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. Letterman also made an uncredited appearance in the first episode of the third season of the sitcom The Nanny.
Letterman provided vocals for the Warren Zevon song "Hit Somebody" from My Ride's Here,[95] and provided the voice for Butt-head's father in the 1996 animated film Beavis and Butt-head Do America.
In 2010, a documentary Dying to Do Letterman was released directed by Joke Fincioen and Biagio Messina featuring Steve Mazan, a stand up comic, who has cancer and wants to appear on the Letterman Show. The film won Best Documentary and Jury Awards at the Cinequest Film Festival.[96] Steve Mazan published a same-titled book (full title, Dying to Do Letterman: Turning Someday into Today) about his own saga.[97]
Known for rarely giving television interviews, Letterman appeared as an exclusive guest on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight on May 29, 2012. He was interviewed for one full hour by a long-time friend and fellow television host Regis Philbin, who guest hosted the show during Piers Morgan's leave during that week.
Other projects[link]
Worldwide Pants[link]
Letterman started his own production company—Worldwide Pants Incorporated—which produced his show and several others, including Everybody Loves Raymond, The Late Late Show, and several critically acclaimed, but short-lived television series for Bonnie Hunt. Worldwide Pants also produced the dramedy program Ed, which aired on NBC from 2000–2004. It was Letterman's first association with NBC since he left the network in 1993. During Ed's run, the star, Tom Cavanagh, appeared as a guest on The Late Show several times.
In 2005, Worldwide Pants produced its first feature film, Strangers with Candy, which was a prequel to the Comedy Central TV series of the same title. In 2007, Worldwide Pants produced the ABC comedy series, Knights of Prosperity.
Worldwide Pants made significant news in December 2007 when it was announced that Letterman's company had independently negotiated its own contract with the Writers Guild of America, East, thus allowing Letterman, Craig Ferguson, and their writers to return to work, while the union continued its strike against production companies, networks and studios who had not reached an agreement.
Record company[link]
In late April 2010, several music industry websites reported that Letterman started a record label named Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and signed his first artist, Runner Runner.[98][99] Lucy Walsh announced on her MySpace page that she has been signed by Letterman and Clear Entertainment/C.E. Music and is working on her album.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing[link]
Main article: Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLLR) is an auto racing team that currently races in the American Le Mans Series, and part-time in the Indy Racing League. It is co-owned by 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal, businessman Mike Lanigan, and Letterman himself, and is based in Hilliard, Ohio. The team won the 2004 Indianapolis 500 with driver Buddy Rice. Letterman was a pit reporter for ABC in the 1971 Indianapolis 500.[21]
American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming[link]
Main article: American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming
American Foundation for Courtesy and Grooming is Letterman's private foundation. Through it, Letterman has donated millions of dollars to charities and other non-profits in Indiana and Montana, celebrity-affiliated organizations such as Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, universities such as Ball State, and other organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Salvation Army, and Doctors Without Borders.
Personal life[link]
Marriages and long-term relationships[link]
In 1969, Letterman married Michelle Cook; the marriage ended by divorce in 1977.[100] He also had a long-term relationship with former head writer and producer on Late Night, Merrill Markoe. Markoe was the mind behind several Late Night staples, such as "Stupid Pet/Human Tricks".
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Wikinews has related news: TV late night show host David Letterman marries girlfriend of 23 years |
Letterman has a son, Harry Joseph Letterman (born on November 3, 2003), with Regina Lasko. Harry is named after Letterman's father.[101] In 2005, police discovered a plot to kidnap Harry Letterman and ransom him for $5 million. Kelly Frank, a house painter who had worked for Letterman, was charged in the conspiracy.[102]
Letterman and Lasko, who had been together since 1986, wed on March 19, 2009, during a quiet courthouse civil ceremony in Choteau, Montana, where he purchased a ranch in 1999.[103][104][105] Letterman announced the marriage during the taping of his March 23 show, shortly after congratulating Bruce Willis for getting married the previous week. Letterman told the audience he nearly missed the ceremony because his truck became stuck in mud two miles from their house.[106] The family resides in North Salem, New York, on a 108-acre (44 ha) estate.[107]
Stalking incident[link]
Beginning in May 1988, Letterman was stalked by Margaret Mary Ray, a woman suffering from schizophrenia. She once stole his Porsche, repeatedly broke into his house, and camped out on his tennis court. Her exploits drew national attention, and Letterman occasionally joked about her behavior in his show, although never mentioning her name. After she committed suicide in 1998, Letterman told the New York Times that he had had great compassion for her,[108] and publicly expressed sympathy.[109]
[edit] Extortion attempt and revelation of affairs
On his October 1, 2009, show, Letterman announced that he had been the victim of an extortion attempt by someone threatening to reveal that he had had sex with several of his female employees, and at the same time, he confirmed that he had had such relationships.[110] He stated that three weeks earlier (on September 9, 2009) someone had left a package in his car with material he said he would write into a screenplay and a book if Letterman did not pay him $2 million. Letterman said that he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney's office, ultimately cooperating with them to conduct a sting operation involving giving the man a phony check.[111] Subsequently, Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer of the CBS true crime journalism series 48 Hours, was arrested after trying to deposit the check. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury and pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempted grand larceny on October 2, 2009.[112] Eventually, on March 9, 2010, he pleaded guilty to this same felony and served a 6-month jail sentence, followed by probation and community service.[113]
A central figure in the case and one of the women Letterman had had a sexual relationship with was his longtime personal assistant Stephanie Birkitt, who often appeared with him on his show. She had also worked for 48 Hours.[114] Until a month prior to the revelations, she had shared a residence with Halderman,[115] who allegedly had copied her personal diary and used it, along with private emails, in the blackmail package.[116]
On October 3, 2009, a former CBS employee, Holly Hester, announced that she and Letterman had engaged in a year-long "secret" affair in the early 1990s while she was his intern and a student at New York University.[117]
In the days following the initial announcement of the affairs and the arrest, several prominent women, including Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host of NBC's Today Show, and NBC news anchor Ann Curry questioned whether Letterman's affairs with subordinates created an unfair working environment.[118] A spokesman for Worldwide Pants said that the company's sexual harassment policy did not prohibit sexual relationships between managers and employees.[119] According to business news reporter Eve Tahmincioglu, "CBS suppliers are supposed to follow the company's business conduct policies" and the CBS 2008 Business Conduct Statement states that "If a consenting romantic or sexual relationship between a supervisor and a direct or indirect subordinate should develop, CBS requires the supervisor to disclose this information to his or her Company's Human Resources Department..."[120]
On October 5, 2009, Letterman devoted a segment of his show to a public apology to his wife and staff.[121][122] Three days later, Worldwide Pants announced that Birkitt had been placed on a "paid leave of absence" from the Late Show.[123] On October 15, CBS News announced that the company's Chief Investigative Correspondent, Armen Keteyian, had been assigned to conduct an "in-depth investigation" into Halderman's blackmail of Letterman.[124]
Awards and honors[link]
Awards[link]
Main article: List of David Letterman awards
In his capacities as either a writer, producer, performer, or as part of a writing team, Letterman is among the most nominated people in Emmy Award history with 52 nominations, winning two Daytime Emmys and five Primetime Emmys since 1981. His nomination record is second only to producer Jac Venza, who holds the record for the most Emmy nominations for an individual (57). Letterman has been nominated every year since 1984, when he first appeared on late night television as the host of Late Night with David Letterman. Additionally, he has won four American Comedy Awards. Letterman was the first recipient of the Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence at The Comedy Awards in 2011.
David Letterman Communication and Media Building[link]
On September 7, 2007, Letterman visited his alma mater, Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, for the dedication of a communications facility named in his honor for his dedication to the university throughout his career as a comedian. The $21 million, 75,000-square-foot (7,000 m2) David Letterman Communication and Media Building opened for the 2007 fall semester. It features state-of-the-art recording equipment and facilities. Thousands of Ball State students, faculty, and local residents welcomed Letterman back to Indiana.[125] Letterman's emotional speech touched on his struggles as a college student and his late father, and also included the "top ten good things about having your name on a building", finishing with, "if reasonable people can put my name on a $21 million building, anything is possible."[126]
At the same time, Letterman also received a Sagamore of the Wabash award given by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, which recognizes distinguished service to the state of Indiana.[125]
References[link]
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- ^ a b Kiesewetter, John (1997-02-24). "Local show inspired young Letterman". The Cincinnati Enquirer. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/1997/02/24/loc_letterman.html. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ a b "Dave at Peace: The Rolling Stone Interview". Archived from the original on 2010-04-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20100407022925/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/22791344/dave_at_peace_the_rolling_stone_interview/print. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
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- ^ IMDB, broadcast April 3, 1979.
- ^ Jon Davison, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, David Zucker. Airplane! audio commentary (DVD). Paramount Pictures. Event occurs at 9:50–10:00. ISBN 0-7921-6688-4.
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- ^ "Bill Murray @ David Letterman #1, 1982, 1 of 2". YouTube. 1982. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7US7PU6tidM. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ "Cher on Late Night (part 1 of 2)". December 8, 2011. 1986. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBgDHhmSrAo.
- ^ "Shirley MacLaine on Late Night (1988)(1 of 2)". YouTube. October 4, 1988. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh2UVul29CM. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ Michael Ausiello (November 1, 2000). "Steve Allen Remembered". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/news/steve-allen-remembered-36211.aspx. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
- ^ John J. O'Connor (1987-03-08). "TV View: Ernie Kovacs: A comic to the medium born". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE1DA173CF93BA35750C0A961948260. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Late-Night with David Letterman Stupid Pet Tricks". YouTube. 1986. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTPB14ivKUs. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ "Letterman 4th Anniversary Special". YouTube. 2/1/86. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFyRBOx_auM. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ "David Letterman "Alka Seltzer" suit". YouTube. September 6, 1984. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAu0USchCrI. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ "Letterman in a Suit of Velcro". YouTube. 1984. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9uxxqKGmYg. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ "David Letterman monkey cam". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLmiVi9HXK4. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
- ^ "David Letterman answers viewer mail in person". YouTube. 1986. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzIea4w1F6E. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ "A film by Bob the dog (from David Letterman)". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrIiLrNq0oI. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ "Stupid Human Trick on David Letterman 1-1987". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa4Vfn-pjHI. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ "Classic Dave = small town news, 1/12/88". YouTube. 1-12-88. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUs5hNVZuCs. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ "Late Night with David Letterman classic Stupid Pet Tricks, 1984". YouTube. 1984. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBvg0D_8IGQ. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
- ^ "Kaufman Fight Was a Fake". dailyhaggis.com. March 6, 2010. http://dailyhaggis.com/2002/12/27/kaufman-fight-was-a-fake/. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
- ^ Mark Albright (March 31, 1995). "Letterman's Neighbor's Discover Spotlight's Chilly Side". St. Petersburg Times. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-03-31/features/9503310282_1_cbs-store-letterman-show-times-square. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ Mark Harris (January 29, 1993). "Is Dave Worth It?". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,305416,00.html. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ Richard Corliss (August 2, 1993). "Stupid Talk Show Tricks". TIME. http://www.oocities.org/davidletterman82/TimeAugust1993Article.html. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ Breeanna Hare (October 7, 2009). "Viewers still in Letterman's corner". CNN. http://articles.cnn.com/2009-10-07/entertainment/letterman.show.ratings_1_local-people-meters-rating-points-viewers?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ Joanna Weiss (May 31, 2009). "11:35pm — Conan O'Brien's time has come. Will the Leno faithful follow?". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2009/05/31/conan_obriens_time_has_come__will_the_leno_faithful_follow/. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ TV By The Numbers "Jay Leno And Jimmy Fallon Win the Late-Night Week of April 27 - May 1" May 7, 2009
- ^ "David Letterman: Julia Roberts helps him beat Conan O'Brien for first time; Denzel Washington, Jonas Brothers visit Thursday". Orlando Sentinel. 2009-06-10. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_tv_tvblog/2009/06/david-letterman-julia-roberts-helps-him-beat-conan-obrien-for-first-time-regis-philbin-to-give-top-t.html. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- ^ Access Hollywood (2009-06-10). "Roberts sides with Letterman". MSNBC.com. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31210920/. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- ^ a b c Fisher, Luchina (2009-06-10). "Who's loyal to Leno, O'Brien, and Letterman?". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Television/story?id=7797222&page=1. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
- ^ Bill Carter (July 5, 2009). "'Tonight Show' Audience a Decade Younger". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/06/business/media/06late.html?_r=1&8dpc. Retrieved 2009-07-06.
- ^ Late Night TV Ratings Week (2011-03-03). "'Nightline' Up; 'Conan,' 'Late Show' Down; 'Tonight Show,' 'Daily Show' Even". http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/03/03/late-night-tv-ratings-week-nightline-up-conan-late-show-down-tonight-show-daily-show-even/84538. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
- ^ a b "America's Favorite Television Personality". a Harris Poll. January 28, 2009. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_01_28.pdf. [dead link]
- ^ "For Third Year in a Row Oprah Retains Her Position as America's Favorite TV Personality". the Harris Poll. December 29, 2004. http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=530.
- ^ John O'Connor (March 29, 1995). "The Winner Isn't David Letterman". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/03/29/movies/critic-s-notebook-the-winner-isn-t-david-letterman.html. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ "David Letterman Hosts The Academy Awards". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS0-inBTfPc. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
- ^ Schruers, Fred (May 30, 1996). "Dave vs. Dave: Forget Leno & Koppel — Letterman May Be His Own Worst Enemy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2007-11-27. http://web.archive.org/web/20071127145433/http://www.geocities.com/davidletterman82/RollingStone1996Interview.html.
- ^ Finke, Nikki (February 25, 2008). "The 411 about David Letterman & Oscar". Deadline Hollywood Daily. http://www.deadline.com/2008/02/the-411-about-david-letterman-oscar/.
- ^ Keller, Joel (23 February 2011). "Interview: Bruce Vilanch". A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/bruce-vilanch,52248/. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
- ^ Kelley, Tina (January 15, 2000). "Artery Blocked, Letterman Has Heart Bypass Surgery". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/15/nyregion/artery-blocked-letterman-has-heart-bypass-surgery.html?sec=health. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
- ^ "David Letterman biography". Popstarsplus.com. http://www.popstarsplus.com/celebrities_davidletterman.htm. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ Basham, David (2000-02-16). "Foo Fighters To Welcome Letterman Back To "Late Show"". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1429027/20000216/foo_fighters.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
- ^ Millman, Joyce (2000-03-20). "The top 10 reasons David Letterman's heart bypass operation was a good thing". Salon. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/col/mill/2000/03/20/letterman. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
- ^ Carter, Bill (March 20, 2007). "Letterman is Ill, so Guest Takes Over Late Show". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/arts/television/20cnd-letterman.html?ex=1175313600&en=e887f76d9783d7e7&ei=5070. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ^ "The Battle for Late Night" A&E Network, 27 April 2010.
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (December 8, 2006). "Dave will outlast Jay". Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/650213242/Dave-will-outlast-Jay.html.
- ^ "CBS Signs David Letterman As Host Of The "Late Show" Through Fall 2010". CBS. December 4, 2006. http://www.cbscorporation.com/news-article.php?id=13.
- ^ "#17 David Letterman". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2007/53/07celebrities_David-Letterman_C8CO.html.
- ^ a b c Carter, Bill (June 6, 2009). "Letterman Reaches a Deal With CBS to Extend ‘Late Show’". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/arts/television/10letterman.html. Retrieved 2011-05-15.
- ^ Seth Abramovitch (February 4, 2011). "Is David Letterman Ready to be Done with the Late Show?". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/is-david-letterman-ready-to-be-done-with-the-late-show/story/25084.html. Retrieved 2011-06-17. "Dave tried valiantly to change the subject to Stern’s new Sirius deal, rumored to be worth even more than the $500 million contract he signed with them in 2005. But once again, Stern (now 57) turned the tables on Dave (now 63), asking the host, “How much longer are you doing this?” To which Letterman replied: “Maybe two years, I think?”"
- ^ "e-mail 12-28-07". wga.org. http://www.wga.org/subpage_member.aspx?id=2692.
- ^ Gary Levin (January 3, 2008). "Late-night shows return fully bearded — with and without writers". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-01-02-late-night-strike_N.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
- ^ a b c Lisa Bennett (June 11, 2009). "Letterman "Jokes" About Palin's Daughter". NOW. http://www.now.org/issues/media/hall-of-shame/index.php/television/letterman-palin-daughter. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ^ a b Caitlin Taylor (June 11, 2009). "Palin vs. Letterman". ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2009/06/palin-vs-letterman/. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ^ Paul Farhi (June 16, 2009). "One Pregnant-Teen Joke Too Many? Angry Palin Gets Letterman to Apologize". washingtonpost.com. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/15/AR2009061503131.html?hpid=topnews. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
- ^ "The Independent". Johnny Carson, king of late-night chat, dies at 79 (London). January 24, 2005. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-carson-king-of-latenight-chat-dies-at-79-488063.html. Retrieved July 6, 2009.
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (January 24, 2005). "TV critics genuinely fond of Carson". Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600106891/TV-critics-genuinely-fond-of-Carson.html. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
- ^ "New York Post". Carson Feeds Letterman Lines. http://pqarchiver.nypost.com/nypost/access/781543221.html?dids=781543221:781543221&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+20%2C+2005&author=Post+Wire+Services&pub=New+York+Post&edition=&startpage=102&desc=CARSON+FEEDS+LETTERMAN+LINES. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
- ^ Bauderap, David (2010-10-01). "Free lunch behind 16-year Letterman, Oprah feud". News.com.au. http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/free-lunch-behind-16-year-letterman-oprah-feud/story-e6frfmyi-1225932672545. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
- ^ "Letterman to appear on `Oprah'". Yahoo.TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/show/32704/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070830:people_winfrey_letterman__ER:1759. [dead link]
- ^ "Dave and Oprah's Super Bowl of Love". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_i5we6MB-w.
- ^ Bill Carter (February 7, 2010). "How the Letterman-Oprah-Leno Super Bowl Ad Came Together". Media Decoder (The New York Times). http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/how-the-letterman-oprah-leno-super-bowl-ad-came-together/. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
- ^ "Militant makes death threat against David Letterman". Reuters. August 17, 2011. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/17/us-davidletterman-idUSTRE77G6K520110817. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ Carter, Bill (August 22, 2011). "Letterman Responds to Death Threats in Monologue". The New York Times. http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/letterman-responds-to-death-threats-in-monologue/. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
- ^ The Avengers meet David Letterman reviewed at misterkitty.org
- ^ Review of The Dark Knight Returns at Batman-on-film.com
- ^ Warren Zevon : Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song) from Artistdirect
- ^ Dying to Do Letterman official website
- ^ The Book Tree: Book Review - Dying to Do Letterman
- ^ Runner Runner sign to EMI
- ^ Vozick, Simon (2010-04-28). "David Letterman starts record label, signs pop-punk band". Music-mix.ew.com. http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/04/28/david-letterman-runner-band/. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ Biography for David Letterman at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "Letterman: It's A Boy!, 'Late Show' Host, Girlfriend Have 9 Pound, 11 Ounce Son". CBS News. November 4, 2003. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/04/entertainment/main581713.shtml.
- ^ "Montana man charged with Letterman plot". CNN. March 17, 2005. http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/17/letterman.plot/index.html. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ "David Letterman Weds!". People. March 23, 2009. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20267367,00.html. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ Rhein, Jamie (March 25, 2009). "Great American Road Trip: Choteau, Montana, Letterman's Hangout is a Gem of a Town". Gadling. AOL Travel. http://www.gadling.com/2009/03/25/choteau-montana-lettermans-hangout-is-a-gem-of-a-town/. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ "Heartfelt Thanks From Letterman". CBS News. February 11, 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/22/entertainment/main682106.shtml. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
- ^ Snead, Elizabeth (2009-03-23). "David Letterman (finally) gets hitched to Regina Lasko". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/03/ok-theres-somet.html. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
- ^ Dave's domain from the March 22, 2007 "Gimme Shelter" column in the New York Post
- ^ Bruni, Frank (November 22, 1998). "For Letterman Stalker, Mental Illness Was Family Curse and Scarring Legacy". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9E0CE7DC1130F931A15752C1A96E958260. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ Foster, David; Levinson, Arlene (October 10, 1998). "Suicide on a railroad track ends a celebrity-stalker's inner agony". Associated Press, online Athens. http://www.onlineathens.com/1998/101198/1011.a3letterman.html.
- ^ Gold, Matea (October 2, 2009). "David Letterman on extortion attempt: 'I felt menaced by this'". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/10/david-letterman-on-extortion-attempt-i-felt-menaced-by-this.html.
- ^ Martinez, Edecio (October 2, 2009). "Robert Joe Halderman, 48 Hours Producer, Named in David Letterman Sex Extortion Plot". CBSnews.com. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/02/crimesider/entry5357903.shtml?tag=cbsnewsCrimesiderArea.0.
- ^ Honan, Edith (September 2, 2009). "Suspect in Letterman extortion pleads not guilty". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5910GR20091002. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ^ Grace, Melissa; Boyle, Christina; McShane, Larry (March 9, 2010). "Ex-CBS producer Robert Halderman pleads guilty to blackmailing David Letterman over intern affairs". NY Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/03/09/2010-03-09_david_letterman_blackmailer_robert_halderman_will_plead_guilty_take_sixmonth_jai.html. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
- ^ Shea, Danny (October 2, 2009). "Stephanie Birkitt". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/02/stephanie-birkitt-letterm_n_307558.html. Retrieved 2009-10-02.
- ^ Carter, Bill; Stelter, Brian (October 2, 2009). "Letterman Extortion Raises Questions for CBS". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/business/media/03extort.html.
- ^ "Stephanie Birkitt Secret Diary at Center of Letterman Sex Extortion, Say Cops". CBS News/Associated press. October 5, 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/05/crimesider/entry5364879.shtml. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ Cahalan, Sussanah; Karni, Annie; Cohen, Stephanie (October 4, 2009). "'Late Show' staff gals got plenty of 'advances'". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/late_show_staff_gals_got_plenty_QzBeMomGK52ixJtyl0Z8kI. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ^ "Will women viewers turn away from Letterman?". Associated Press. October 4, 2009. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33167148/ns/today-entertainment/t/will-women-viewers-turn-away-letterman/. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ^ Gold, Matea; Collins, Scott (October 3, 2009). "David Letterman affair is no joke". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-letterman3-2009oct03,0,257832,full.story. Retrieved 2009-10-04. "'We have a written policy in our employee manual that covers harassment,' the spokesman said in a statement. 'It is circulated to every employee every year. Dave is not in violation of our policy and no one has ever raised a complaint against him.'"
- ^ Tahmincioglu, Eve (October 4, 2009). "Sleeping with the boss often leads to trouble: Policies on workplace romances aim to limit legal liabilities". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33146450/ns/business-careers/. Retrieved 2009-10-04. "If a consenting romantic or sexual relationship between a supervisor and a direct or indirect subordinate should develop, CBS requires the supervisor to disclose this information to his or her Company's Human Resources Department to ensure that there are no issues of actual or apparent favoritism, conflict of interest, sexual harassment, or any other negative impact on others in the work environment."
- ^ "Letterman apologizes to wife on Monday's show: Late-night host says Regina Lasko has been 'horribly hurt' by his behavior". Associated Press. MSNBC. October 5, 2009-. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33184320/ns/entertainment-television/. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ Doug Ganley et al (October 5, 2009). "Letterman makes in-studio apology to wife, staffers". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/10/05/david.letterman.apology/. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
- ^ "David Letterman's former mistress Stephanie Birkitt banned from Late Show set". London Telegraph. October 8, 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/6271085/David-Lettermans-former-mistress-Stephanie-Birkitt-banned-from-Late-Show-set.html. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ Mangan, Dan (October 15, 2009). "Network's correspondent probing Dave's extortion scandal". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/item_d9zwWsNX2hw5DMFJsuh5LO. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ a b Lloyd, Christopher (September 8, 2007). "It's no joke: Ball State dedicates building in Letterman's honor". indystar.com. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200781121039.
- ^ Ball State University (September 7, 2007). David Letterman Communication and Media Building (videos). http://www.bsu.edu/web/news/letterman/.
External links[link]
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This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (April 2012) |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Letterman |
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: David Letterman |
- David Letterman at the Open Directory Project
- David Letterman at the Internet Movie Database
- David Letterman's Feb. 24, 1978 appearance on 90 Minutes Live
- Official Late Show biography
- 1999 article on Letterman from Salon.com
- Tape of Letterman announcing affairs/extortion attempt on Late Show
- Works by or about David Letterman in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
| Media offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | Host of Late Night Feb. 1, 1982 – June 25, 1993 |
Succeeded by Conan O'Brien |
| First | Host of The Late Show Aug. 30, 1993 – present |
Incumbent |
| Preceded by Whoopi Goldberg |
Host of the Academy Awards 1995 |
Succeeded by Whoopi Goldberg |
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| Persondata | |
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| Name | Letterman, David |
| Alternative names | Letterman, Dave |
| Short description | American television personality |
| Date of birth | April 12, 1947 |
| Place of birth | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/David_Letterman
Related pages:
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http://id.wn.com/David Letterman
http://es.wn.com/David Letterman
http://ru.wn.com/Леттерман, Дэвид
http://nl.wn.com/David Letterman
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Letterman
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
"Mark McGuire" redirects here. For the American musician Mark McGuire, see Emeralds (band).
| Mark McGwire | |
|---|---|
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| St. Louis Cardinals – No. 25 | |
| First baseman | |
| Born: (1963-10-01) October 1, 1963 (age 48) Pomona, California |
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| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| August 22, 1986 for the Oakland Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 7, 2001 for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .263 |
| Home runs | 583 |
| Runs batted in | 1,414 |
| Teams | |
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As player As coach
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| Career highlights and awards | |
MLB Records
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| Medal record | ||
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Competitor for  United States |
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| Men's Baseball | ||
| Summer Olympics | ||
| Silver | 1984 Los Angeles | Team |
| Pan American Games | ||
| Bronze | 1983 Caracas | Team |
| Intercontinental Cup | ||
| Silver | 1983 Brussels | Team |
Mark David McGwire (born October 1, 1963), nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals.[1] He is currently the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals.
For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the lowest at bats per home run ratio in baseball history (Babe Ruth is second at 11.76).[2] In 1987, he broke the single-season home run record for rookies, with 49. In 1998, McGwire and Sammy Sosa achieved national fame for their home run-hitting prowess in pursuit of Roger Maris' single season home run record; McGwire broke the record and hit 70 home runs that year.[3] Barry Bonds[4] now holds the record, after hitting 73 home runs during the 2001 season.
Contents |
Playing career[link]
Oakland Athletics (1984–97)[link]
After three years at Southern California and a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team, McGwire was drafted 10th overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 1984 Major League Baseball Draft.
McGwire made the major leagues in August. As a rookie in 1987 he hit 33 homers before the All-Star break and was a unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year after finishing with 49 homers, 118 RBI and a .289 average. His 49 longballs smashed the old rookie record of 38, jointly held by Frank Robinson and Wally Berger. He sat out the season's final two games and gave up a chance at 50 home runs to be present at the birth of his first child.
McGwire worked hard on his defense at first base and resisted being seen as a one-dimensional player. He was regarded as a good fielder in his early years, even winning a Gold Glove in 1990, the only one not won by Don Mattingly between 1985 and 1994. In later years, his mobility decreased and, with it, his defense.
McGwire's total of 363 home runs with the Athletics is that franchise's record. He was selected or voted to nine American League All-Star Teams while playing for the A's, including six consecutive appearances from 1987 through 1992. He was one of only four players to hit a ball over the roof in the left field of Tiger Stadium.[5]
1987–91[link]
In his first full Major League season in 1987, McGwire hit 49 home runs, a single-season record for a rookie, surpassing Al Rosen's AL rookie record;[6] he was named the American League Rookie of the Year. McGwire hit 32, 33, and 39 homers the next three seasons, the first Major Leaguer to hit 30+ home runs in each of his first 4 full seasons.[1] On July 3 and 4, 1988, McGwire hit game-winning home runs in the 16th inning of each game.[7][8] Through May 2009 McGwire was tied for third all-time with Joe DiMaggio in home runs over his first two calendar years in the major leagues (71), behind Chuck Klein (83) and Ryan Braun (79).[9]
But McGwire's most famous home run with the A's was likely his game-winning solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1988 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and former A's closer Jay Howell.[10] McGwire's game-winner brought the A's their only victory in the 1988 World Series, which they lost in five games. However, Big Mac and his fellow Bash Brother José Canseco did play a large part in the 1989 World Champion A's team that defeated the San Francisco Giants in the famous "Earthquake Series".[11]
McGwire's batting average, .289 as a rookie, plummeted over the next three seasons to .260, .231, and .235, respectively. In 1991, he bottomed out with a .201 average and 22 homers. Manager Tony LaRussa sat him out the last game of the season so his average could not dip below .200. Despite the declining batting averages during this time of his career, his high bases on balls totals allowed him to maintain acceptable on-base percentages. In fact, when he hit .201, his adjusted OPS (OPS+) was 103, or just over league average.
McGwire stated in an interview with Sports Illustrated that 1991 was the "worst year" of his life, with his on-field performance and marriage difficulties, and that he "didn't lift a weight" that entire season. With all that behind him, McGwire re-dedicated himself to working out harder than ever and received visual therapy from a sports vision specialist.[12][13]
1992–97[link]
He changed his clean-cut look and grew a mullet, a mustache, and a goatee to look more fearsome. The "new look" McGwire hit 42 homers and batted .268 in 1992, with an outstanding OPS+ of 175 (the highest of his career to that point), and put on a home run hitting show at the Home Run Derby during the 1992 All-Star break. His performance propelled the A's to the American League West Division title in 1992, their fourth in five seasons. The A's lost in the playoffs to the eventual World Series champion, the Toronto Blue Jays.
Foot injuries limited McGwire to a total of 74 games in 1993 and 1994, and just 9 home runs in each of the two seasons. He played just 104 games in 1995, but his proportional totals were much improved: 39 home runs in 317 at-bats. In 1996, McGwire belted a major league leading 52 homers in 423 at-bats. He also hit a career high .312 average, and led the league in both slugging percentage and on base percentage.
St. Louis Cardinals and the HR record chase (1997–2001)[link]
On July 31, having already amassed 34 home runs to this point in the 1997 season, McGwire was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the St. Louis Cardinals, being the third member in just two seasons to go from Oakland to St. Louis (after Tony La Russa and Dennis Eckersley). He led the majors with 58 home runs in 1997. In the last year of his contract, there was speculation that McGwire would play for the Cardinals only for the remainder of the season, then seek a long-term deal, possibly in Southern California, where he still lives. However, McGwire signed a contract to stay in St. Louis instead. It is also believed that McGwire later encouraged Jim Edmonds, another Southern California resident who was traded to St. Louis, to forgo free agency and sign a contract with the Cardinals in 2000.
As the 1998 season progressed, it became clear that McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., and Chicago Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa were all on track to break Roger Maris' single-season home run record. The race to break the record first attracted media attention as the home run leader changed often throughout the season. On August 19, Sosa hit his 48th home run to move ahead of McGwire. However, later that day McGwire hit his 48th and 49th home runs to regain the lead.
On September 8, 1998 at 8:18 p.m. CDT, McGwire hit a pitch by the Cubs' Steve Trachsel over the left field wall for his record-breaking 62nd home run, setting off huge celebrations at Busch Stadium. The fact that the game was against the Cubs meant that Sosa was able to congratulate McGwire personally on his achievement. Members of Roger Maris' family were also present at the game. The ball was freely, albeit controversially, given to McGwire in a ceremony on the field by the stadium worker who found it.
McGwire finished the 1998 season with 70 home runs (including five in his last three games), four ahead of Sosa's 66, a record that was broken three seasons later in 2001 by Barry Bonds with 73.
McGwire was honored with the inaugural Babe Ruth Home Run Award for leading MLB in home runs.[14] Although McGwire had the prestige of the home run record, Sammy Sosa (who had fewer HR but more RBI and stolen bases) won the 1998 NL MVP award, as his contributions helped propel the Cubs to the playoffs (the Cardinals in 1998 finished third in the NL Central). Many credited the Sosa-McGwire home run chase in 1998 with "saving baseball," by both bringing in new, younger fans and bringing back old fans soured by the 1994 Major League Baseball strike.
1999–2001[link]
In 1999, McGwire hit 65 home runs and drove in a league-leading 147 runs while only having 145 hits, the highest RBI-per-hit tally for a season in baseball history. Sammy Sosa, hitting 63 home runs, again closely trailed McGwire.
Statistically in 2000 and 2001, McGwire's numbers declined relative to previous years as McGwire struggled to avoid injury (32 HR in 89 games, and 29 HR in 97 games, respectively).[15]
McGwire ended his career with 583 home runs, which was then fifth-most in history. He led Major League Baseball in home runs five times. He hit 50 or more home runs four seasons in a row (1996-1999), leading Major League Baseball in homers all four seasons, and also shared the MLB lead in home runs in 1987, his rookie year, when he set the Major League record for home runs by a rookie with 49. McGwire had the fewest career triples (6) of any player with 5,000 or more at-bats.
Coaching career[link]
On October 26, 2009, Tony LaRussa confirmed that McGwire will become the hitting coach for the Cardinals, replacing Hal McRae as the fifth hitting coach in Tony LaRussa's term as manager.
On January 7, 2010 Tony LaRussa mentioned that he might consider putting McGwire in the lineup as a pinch-hitter on August 31, should the Cardinals be in contention to make the playoffs, but LaRussa admitted it was a dream and he was only kidding.[16]
McGwire received a standing ovation prior to the Cardinals home opener on April 12, 2010.[17]
Honors[link]
In 1999, The Sporting News released a list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players. The list had been compiled during the 1998 season and included statistics through the 1997 season. McGwire was ranked at Number 91. That year, he was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team (though he received fewer votes than any other selected player). In 2005, The Sporting News published an update of their list and McGwire had been moved up to Number 84.
However, in the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 balloting for the Baseball Hall of Fame, McGwire failed to attain election receiving 128 of the 545 cast (23.5% of the vote) in 2007, 128 of 543 (23.6%) in 2008, 118 of 539 (21.9%) in 2009, 128 of 539 (23.7%) in 2010, 115 of 581 (19.8%) in 2011, and 112 of 573 (19.5%) in 2012.
A portion of Interstate 70 (see also: Interstate 70 in Missouri) in St. Louis and near Busch Stadium was named "Mark McGwire Highway" to honor his 70 home run achievement, along with his various good works for the city. In May, 2010, St. Louis politicians succeeded in passing a state bill to change the name of "Mark McGwire Highway", a 5-mile stretch of Interstate 70, to "Mark Twain Highway".[18]
Steroid use[link]
In 2005, McGwire and Canseco were among 11 baseball players and executives subpoenaed to testify at a congressional hearing on steroids. During his testimony on March 17, 2005, McGwire declined to answer questions under oath when he appeared before the House Government Reform Committee.
On January 11, 2010, McGwire admitted to using steroids on and off for a decade and said, "I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era."[19] He admitted using them in the 1989/90 offseason and then after he was injured in 1993. He admitted using them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season. McGwire stated that he used steroids to recover from injuries.[20]
McGwire's decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals. According to McGwire, he took steroids for health reasons rather than to improve performance.[21]
Personal life[link]
McGwire was born in Pomona, California. He attended Damien High School in La Verne, California, where he started playing baseball, golf, and basketball. He played college baseball at the University of Southern California under coach Rod Dedeaux.
His brother Dan McGwire was a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks and Miami Dolphins of the NFL in the early 1990s, and was a first-round draft choice out of San Diego State University.
McGwire married Stephanie Slemer – a former pharmaceutical sales representative from the St. Louis area – in Las Vegas on April 20, 2002. On June 1, 2010, their triplet girls were born: Monet Rose, Marlo Rose, and Monroe Rose. They join brothers Max and Mason. They reside in a gated community in Shady Canyon Irvine, California.[22] Together they created the Mark McGwire Foundation for Children to support agencies that help children who have been sexually and physically abused come to terms with a difficult childhood. Mark has a son, Matthew b.1987, from a previous marriage (1984–1990, div.) to Kathleen Hughes.
Prior to admitting to using steroids, McGwire avoided the media and spent much of his free time playing golf.[23] He also worked as a hitting coach for Major League players Matt Holliday, Bobby Crosby, Chris Duncan and Skip Schumaker.[24]
McGwire appeared as himself on an episode of the sitcom Mad About You.
McGwire provided his voice for an episode of The Simpsons titled "Brother's Little Helper". He played himself.
Career totals[link]
In 16 seasons (1986–2001), McGwire accumulated the following career stats:[1]
See also[link]
- List of Major League Baseball home run records
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- 500 home run club
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs batted in
- List of Major League Baseball runs batted in champions
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
- 1998 Major League Baseball home run record chase
- List of doping cases in sport
References[link]
- ^ a b c Mark McGwire Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Career Leaders & Records for At Bats per Home Run - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Progressive Leaders & Records for Home Runs - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ "Bonds testified that substances didn't work", ESPN.com, December 4, 2004, accessed 02/03/11
- ^ The Final Season, p.90, Tom Stanton, Thomas Dunne Books, An imprint of St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY, 2001, ISBN 0-312-29156-6
- ^ . August 10, 2008. http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/APAB/lib00581,122CA98E1CEF7498.html.
- ^ July 3, 1988 Oakland Athletics at Toronto Blue Jays Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ July 4, 1988 Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ Sandler, Jeremy, "NL Weekly: The Notebook," National Post, May 27, 2009, accessed 5/28/09
- ^ October 18, 1988 World Series Game 3 at Network Associates Coliseum Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ 1989 World Series - OAK vs. SFG - Baseball-Reference.com
- ^ http://www.sdccd.edu/events/we/wepdf/we-sp99.pdf
- ^ "Oakland's Mark McGwire is smiling again, now that he's hitting homers at a record pace". CNN. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/features/mcgwire/flashbacks/060192/. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ Harber, Paul (July 22, 2001). "A statue fit for a home run king". The Boston Globe. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8659756.html. Retrieved November 8, 2011. "The first award was given to Mark McGwire after his 70-home-run season in 1998." (Subscription required)
- ^ Baseball-reference.om McGwire stats
- ^ "McGwire to speak, but date not set: Cards GM hopeful new hitting coach will appear soon". MLB.com. 2010-01-07. http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100107&content_id=7887624&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ [1]
- ^ McCollough, J. Brady (July 6, 2010). "McGwire learning the 'art of coaching' as hitting instructor with the Cardinals". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10187/1070716-63.stm.
- ^ "McGwire admits steroids use". ESPN. 2010-01-11. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4816607.
- ^ "Steroid supplier disputes McGwire's motive". MLB.com. 2010-01-22. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100122&content_id=7955290&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb.
- ^ "McGwire admits to steroid use: Will appear on MLB Network tonight to discuss admission". MLB.com. 2010-01-11. http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100111&content_id=7900244&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl.
- ^ Ryon, Ruth (March 2, 2008). "A Moorish fantasy in Irvine's Shady Canyon". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-re-home2mar02,1,3528751.story. Retrieved May 19, 2008.
- ^ ESPN.com - E-Ticket: Fading Away
- ^ McGwire Talks About Teaching Hitting ESPN.com, March 13, 2009
External links[link]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mark McGwire |
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | McGwire, Mark |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Major League Baseball first baseman |
| Date of birth | October 1, 1963 |
| Place of birth | Pomona, California |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/Mark_McGwire
Related pages:
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http://de.wn.com/Mark McGwire
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_McGwire
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
For other people named Michael Jordan, see Michael Jordan (disambiguation).
 Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls in 1997 |
|
| No. 23, 45, 9, 12 | |
|---|---|
| Shooting guard / Small forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1963-02-17) February 17, 1963 (age 49) Brooklyn, New York |
| High school | Emsley A. Laney |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | North Carolina (1981–1984) |
| NBA Draft | 1984 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Pro career | 1984–2003 |
| Career history | |
| 1984–1993, 1995–1998 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2001–2003 | Washington Wizards |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 32,292 (30.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 6,672 (6.2 rpg) |
| Assists | 5,633 (5.3 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame as player | |
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963) is a retired American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time."[1] Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was considered instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.[2]
After a three-season career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line in slam dunk contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball.[3] In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 NBA season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons from 2001 to 2003 as a member of the Washington Wizards.
Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.45 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today.[4] Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam as himself. He is the majority owner and head of basketball operations for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, having won a bidding war to buy controlling interest in the team from founding owner Robert L. Johnson.
Jordan is sometimes referred to simply by his initials MJ.[5]
Contents |
Early years[link]
Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Deloris (née Peoples), who worked in banking, and James R. Jordan, Sr., an equipment supervisor. His family moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, when he was a toddler.[6] Jordan attended Emsley A. Laney High School in Wilmington, where he anchored his athletic career by playing baseball, football, and basketball. He tried out for the varsity basketball team during his sophomore year, but at 5'11" (1.80 m), he was deemed too short to play at that level. His taller friend, Harvest Leroy Smith, was the only sophomore to make the team.[7]
Motivated to prove his worth, Jordan became the star of Laney's junior varsity squad, and tallied several 40 point games.[7] The following summer, he grew four inches (10 cm)[1] and trained rigorously. Upon earning a spot on the varsity roster, Jordan averaged about 20 points per game over his final two seasons of high school play.[8][9] As a senior, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American Team[10] after averaging a triple-double: 29.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists.[11]
In 1981, Jordan earned a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in cultural geography. As a freshman in coach Dean Smith's team-oriented system, he was named ACC Freshman of the Year after he averaged 13.4 points per game (ppg) on 53.4% shooting (field goal percentage).[12] He made the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game against Georgetown, which was led by future NBA rival Patrick Ewing.[1] Jordan later described this shot as the major turning point in his basketball career.[13] During his three seasons at North Carolina, he averaged 17.7 ppg on 54.0% shooting, and added 5.0 rebounds per game (rpg).[8] He was selected by consensus to the NCAA All-American First Team in both his sophomore (1983) and junior (1984) seasons. After winning the Naismith and the Wooden College Player of the Year awards in 1984, Jordan left North Carolina one year before his scheduled graduation to enter the 1984 NBA Draft. The Chicago Bulls selected Jordan with the third overall pick, after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets) and Sam Bowie (Portland Trail Blazers). Jordan returned to North Carolina to complete his degree in 1986.[14]
Professional career[link]
During his first season in the NBA, Jordan averaged 28.2 ppg on 51.5% shooting.[12] He quickly became a fan favorite even in opposing arenas,[15][16][17] and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the heading "A Star is Born" just over a month into his professional career.[18][19] Jordan was also voted in as an All-Star starter by the fans in his rookie season.[1] Controversy arose before the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving.[1] This led to a so called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass him the ball throughout the game.[1] The controversy left Jordan relatively unaffected when he returned to regular season play, and he would go on to be voted Rookie of the Year.[20] The Bulls finished the season 38–44,[21] and lost in the first round of the playoffs in four games to the Milwaukee Bucks.[20]
Jordan's second season was cut short by a broken foot which caused him to miss 64 games.[1] Despite Jordan's injury and a 30–52 record,[21] the Bulls made the playoffs. Jordan recovered in time to participate in the playoffs and performed well upon his return. Against a 1985–86 Boston Celtics team that is often considered one of the greatest in NBA history,[22] Jordan set the still-unbroken record for points in a playoff game with 63 in Game 2.[23] The Celtics, however, managed to sweep the series.[20]
Jordan had recovered completely by the 1986–87 season, and had one of the most prolific scoring seasons in NBA history. He became the only player other than Wilt Chamberlain to score 3,000 points in a season, averaging a league high 37.1 points on 48.2% shooting.[12] In addition, Jordan demonstrated his defensive prowess, as he became the first player in NBA history to record 200 steals and 100 blocks in a season. Despite Jordan's success, Magic Johnson won the league's Most Valuable Player Award. The Bulls reached 40 wins,[21] and advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. However, they were again swept by the Celtics.[20]
Mid-career: Pistons roadblock[link]
Jordan led the league in scoring again in the 1987–88 season, averaging 35.0 ppg on 53.5% shooting[12] and won his first league MVP award. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year, as he had averaged 1.6 blocks and a league high 3.16 steals per game.[24] The Bulls finished 50–32,[21] and made it out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in Jordan's career, as they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.[25] However, the Bulls then lost in five games to the more experienced Detroit Pistons,[20] who were led by Isiah Thomas and a group of physical players known as the "Bad Boys".
In the 1988–89 season, Jordan again led the league in scoring, averaging 32.5 ppg on 53.8% shooting from the field, along with 8 rpg and 8 assists per game (apg).[12] The Bulls finished with a 47–35 record,[21] and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, defeating the Cavaliers and New York Knicks along the way. The Cavaliers series included a career highlight for Jordan when he hit The Shot over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer in the fifth and final game of the series.[26] However, the Pistons again defeated the Bulls, this time in six games,[20] by utilizing their "Jordan Rules" method of guarding Jordan, which consisted of double and triple teaming him every time he touched the ball.[1]
The Bulls entered the 1989–90 season as a team on the rise, with their core group of Jordan and young improving players like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant, and under the guidance of new coach Phil Jackson. Jordan averaged a league leading 33.6 ppg on 52.6% shooting, to go with 6.9 rpg and 6.3 apg[12] in leading the Bulls to a 55–27 record.[21] They again advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals beating the Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers en route. However, despite pushing the series to seven games, the Bulls lost to the Pistons for the third consecutive season.[20]
First three-peat[link]
In the 1990–91 season, Jordan won his second MVP award after averaging 31.5 ppg on 53.9% shooting, 6.0 rpg, and 5.5 apg for the regular season.[12] The Bulls finished in first place in their division for the first time in 16 years and set a franchise record with 61 wins in the regular season.[21] With Scottie Pippen developing into an All-Star, the Bulls had elevated their play. The Bulls defeated the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening two rounds of the playoffs. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals where their rival, the Detroit Pistons, awaited them. However, this time the Bulls beat the Pistons in a surprising sweep.[27][28] In an unusual ending to the fourth and final game, Isiah Thomas led his team off the court before the final seconds had concluded. Most of the Pistons went directly to their locker room instead of shaking hands with the Bulls.[29][30]
The Bulls compiled an outstanding 15–2 record during the playoffs,[27] and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, where they beat the Los Angeles Lakers four games to one. Perhaps the best known moment of the series came in Game 2 when, attempting a dunk, Jordan avoided a potential Sam Perkins block by switching the ball from his right hand to his left in mid-air to lay the shot in.[31] In his first Finals appearance, Jordan posted per game averages of 31.2 points on 56% shooting from the field, 11.4 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks.[32] Jordan won his first NBA Finals MVP award,[33] and he cried while holding the NBA Finals trophy.[34]
Jordan and the Bulls continued their dominance in the 1991–92 season, establishing a 67–15 record, topping their franchise record from 1990 to 91.[21] Jordan won his second consecutive MVP award with averages of 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game on 52% shooting.[24] After winning a physical 7-game series over the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs and finishing off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Conference Finals in 6 games, the Bulls met Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the Finals. The media, hoping to recreate a Magic-Bird rivalry, highlighted the similarities between "Air" Jordan and Clyde "The Glide" during the pre-Finals hype.[35] In the first game, Jordan scored a Finals-record 35 points in the first half, including a record-setting six three-point field goals.[36] After the sixth three-pointer, he jogged down the court shrugging as he looked courtside. Marv Albert, who broadcast the game, later stated that it was as if Jordan was saying, "I can't believe I'm doing this."[37] The Bulls went on to win Game 1, and defeat the Blazers in six games. Jordan was named Finals MVP for the second year in a row[33] and finished the series averaging 35.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 6.5 apg, while shooting 53% from the floor.[33]
In 1992–93, despite a 32.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 5.5 apg campaign,[24] Jordan's streak of consecutive MVP seasons ended as he lost the award to his friend Charles Barkley. Coincidentally, Jordan and the Bulls met Barkley and his Phoenix Suns in the 1993 NBA Finals. The Bulls captured their third consecutive NBA championship on a game-winning shot by John Paxson and a last-second block by Horace Grant, but Jordan was once again Chicago's catalyst. He averaged a Finals-record 41.0 ppg during the six-game series,[38] and became the first player in NBA history to win three straight Finals MVP awards.[33] He scored more than 30 points in every game of the series, including 40 or more points in 4 consecutive games. With his third Finals triumph, Jordan capped off a seven-year run where he attained seven scoring titles and three championships, but there were signs that Jordan was tiring of his massive celebrity and all of the non-basketball hassles in his life.[39]
Gambling controversy[link]
During the Bulls' playoff run in 1993, controversy arose when Jordan was seen gambling in Atlantic City, New Jersey the night before a game against the New York Knicks.[40] In that same year, he admitted to having to cover $57,000 in gambling losses,[41] and author Richard Esquinas wrote a book claiming he had won $1.25 million from Jordan on the golf course.[41] In 2005, Jordan talked to Ed Bradley of the CBS evening show 60 Minutes about his gambling and admitted that he made some reckless decisions. Jordan stated, "Yeah, I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope. Is that compulsive? Yeah, it depends on how you look at it. If you're willing to jeopardize your livelihood and your family, then yeah."[42] When Bradley asked him if his gambling ever got to the level where it jeopardized his livelihood or family, Jordan replied, "No."[42]
First retirement and baseball career[link]
| Michael Jordan | |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Barons — No. 45 & No. 35 | |
| Outfield | |
| Batted: Right | Threw: Right |
| Professional debut | |
| Southern League: April 8, 1994 for the Birmingham Barons | |
| Arizona Fall League: 1994 for the Scottsdale Scorpions | |
| Last professional appearance | |
| Southern League: March 10, 1995 for the Birmingham Barons | |
| Southern League statistics (through 1994) |
|
| Batting average | .202 |
| Runs batted in | 51 |
| Home runs | 3 |
| Arizona Fall League statistics | |
| Batting average | .252 |
| Teams | |
|
Birmingham Barons (1994 – 1995) |
|
On October 6, 1993, Jordan announced his retirement, citing a loss of desire to play the game. Jordan later stated that the murder of his father earlier in the year shaped his decision.[43] James R. Jordan, Sr. was murdered on July 23, 1993, at a highway rest area in Lumberton, North Carolina, by two teenagers, Daniel Green and Larry Martin Demery. The assailants were traced from calls they made on James Jordan's cellular phone,[44] caught, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. Jordan was close to his father; as a child he had imitated his father's proclivity to stick out his tongue while absorbed in work. He later adopted it as his own signature, displaying it each time he drove to the basket.[1] In 1996 he founded a Chicago area Boys & Girls Club and dedicated it to his father.[45][46]
In his 1998 autobiography For the Love of the Game, Jordan wrote that he had been preparing for retirement as early as the summer of 1992.[47] The added exhaustion due to the Dream Team run in the 1992 Olympics solidified Jordan's feelings about the game and his ever-growing celebrity status. Jordan's announcement sent shock waves throughout the NBA and appeared on the front pages of newspapers around the world.[48]
Jordan then further surprised the sports world by signing a minor league baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox. He reported to spring training and was assigned to the team's minor league system on March 31, 1994.[49] Jordan has stated this decision was made to pursue the dream of his late father, who had always envisioned his son as a Major League Baseball player.[50] The White Sox were another team owned by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who continued to honor Jordan's basketball contract during the years he played baseball.[51] In 1994, Jordan played for the Birmingham Barons, a Double-A minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, batting .202 with three home runs, 51 runs batted in, 30 stolen bases, and 11 errors.[9] He also appeared for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the 1994 Arizona Fall League, batting .252 against the top prospects in baseball.[52] On November 1, 1994, his number 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center.[53][54][55]
"I'm back": Return to the NBA[link]
In the 1993–94 season, the Bulls, without Jordan, achieved a 55–27 record,[21] and lost to the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs. But the 1994–95 version of the Bulls was a shell of the championship squad of just two years earlier. Struggling at mid-season to ensure a spot in the playoffs, Chicago was 31–31 at one point in mid-March.[56] The team received a lift, however, when Jordan decided to return to the NBA for the Bulls.
On March 18, 1995, Jordan announced his return to the NBA through a 2-word press release: "I'm back."[1] The next day, Jordan donned jersey number 45 (his number with the Barons), as his familiar 23 had been retired in his honor following his first retirement. He took to the court with the Bulls to face the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, scoring 19 points.[57] The game had the highest Nielsen rating of a regular season NBA game since 1975.[58]
Although he hadn't played an NBA game in a year and a half, Jordan played well upon his return, making a game-winning jump shot against Atlanta in his fourth game back. He then scored 55 points in the next game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995 (his first appearance at Madison Square Garden since retiring).[20] Boosted by Jordan's comeback, the Bulls went 13-4 to make the playoffs and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Orlando Magic. Though at the end of Game 1, Orlando's Nick Anderson stripped Jordan from behind, leading to the game-winning basket for the Magic; he would later comment that Jordan "didn't look like the old Michael Jordan",[59] after which Jordan returned to wearing his old number. Jordan averaged 31 points per game in the series, but Orlando prevailed in 6 games.[8]
Second three-peat[link]
Freshly motivated by the playoff defeat, Jordan trained aggressively for the 1995–96 season.[60] Strengthened by the addition of rebound specialist Dennis Rodman, the Bulls dominated the league, starting the season 41–3,[61] and eventually finishing with the best regular season record in NBA history: 72–10.[22] Jordan led the league in scoring with 30.4 ppg,[62] and won the league's regular season and All-Star Game MVP awards.[1] In the playoffs, the Bulls lost only three games in four series, defeating the Seattle SuperSonics in the NBA Finals to win the championship. Jordan was named Finals MVP for a record fourth time,[33] surpassing Magic Johnson's three Finals MVP awards. He also achieved only the second sweep of the MVP Awards in the All-Star Game, regular season and NBA Finals, Willis Reed having achieved the first, during the 1969–70 season.[20] Because this was Jordan's first championship since his father's murder, and it was won on Father's Day, Jordan reacted very emotionally upon winning the title, including a memorable scene of him sobbing on the locker room floor with the game ball.[1][34]
In the 1996–97 season, the Bulls started out 69–11, but narrowly missed out on a second consecutive 70-win season by losing their final two games to finish 69–13.[63] However, this year Jordan was beaten for the NBA MVP Award by Karl Malone. The Bulls again advanced to the Finals, where they faced Malone and the Utah Jazz. The series against the Jazz featured two of the more memorable clutch moments of Jordan's career. He won Game 1 for the Bulls with a buzzer-beating jump shot. In Game 5, with the series tied at 2, Jordan played despite being feverish and dehydrated from a stomach virus. In what is known as the "Flu Game", Jordan scored 38 points, including the game-deciding 3-pointer with 25 seconds remaining.[64] The Bulls won 90–88 and went on to win the series in six games.[63] For the fifth time in as many Finals appearances, Jordan received the Finals MVP award.[33] During the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, Jordan posted the first triple double in All-Star Game history in a victorious effort; however, he did not receive the MVP award.
Jordan and the Bulls compiled a 62–20 record in the 1997–98 season.[21] Jordan led the league with 28.7 points per game,[24] securing his fifth regular-season MVP award, plus honors for All-NBA First Team, First Defensive Team and the All-Star Game MVP.[1] The Bulls captured the Eastern Conference Championship for a third straight season, including surviving a grueling seven-game series with Reggie Miller's Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals; it was the first time Jordan had played in a Game 7 since the 1992 series with the Knicks. After prevailing, they moved on for a rematch with the Jazz in the Finals.
The Bulls returned to Utah for Game 6 on June 14, 1998 leading the series 3–2. Jordan executed a series of plays, considered to be one of the greatest clutch performances in NBA Finals history.[65] With the Bulls trailing 86–83 with 41.9 seconds remaining, Phil Jackson called a timeout. When play resumed, Jordan received the inbound pass, drove to the basket, and hit a layup over several Jazz defenders.[65] The Jazz brought the ball upcourt and passed the ball to forward Karl Malone, who was set up in the low post and was being guarded by Rodman. Malone jostled with Rodman and caught the pass, but Jordan cut behind him and swatted the ball out of his hands for a steal.[65] Jordan then slowly dribbled upcourt and paused at the top of the key, eyeing his defender, Jazz guard Bryon Russell. With fewer than 10 seconds remaining, Jordan started to dribble right, then crossed over to his left, possibly pushing off Russell,[66][67][68] although the officials did not call a foul. Jordan then made what would become the climactic shot of his career. After John Stockton missed a desperation 3-pointer, Jordan and the Bulls claimed their sixth NBA championship, and secured a second three-peat. Once again, Jordan was voted the Finals MVP,[33] having led all scorers by averaging 33.5 points per game, including 45 in the deciding Game 6.[69] Jordan's six Finals MVPs is a record; Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, and Tim Duncan are tied for second place with three apiece.[33] The 1998 Finals holds the highest television rating of any Finals series in history, and Game 6 holds the highest television rating of any game in NBA history.[70][71]
Second retirement[link]
With Phil Jackson's contract expiring, the pending departures of Scottie Pippen (who stated his desire to be traded during the season) and Dennis Rodman (who would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent) looming, and being in the latter stages of an owner-induced lockout of NBA players, Jordan retired for the second time on January 13, 1999.
On January 19, 2000, Jordan returned to the NBA not as a player, but as part owner and President of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards.[72] Jordan's responsibilities with the Wizards were comprehensive. He controlled all aspects of the Wizards' basketball operations, and had the final say in all personnel matters. Opinions of Jordan as a basketball executive were mixed.[73][74] He managed to purge the team of several highly paid, unpopular players (such as forward Juwan Howard and point guard Rod Strickland),[75][76] but used the first pick in the 2001 NBA Draft to select high schooler Kwame Brown, who did not live up to expectations and was traded away after four seasons.[73][77]
Despite his January 1999 claim that he was "99.9% certain" that he would never play another NBA game,[34] in the summer of 2001 Jordan expressed interest in making another comeback,[78][79] this time with his new team. Inspired by the NHL comeback of his friend Mario Lemieux the previous winter,[80] Jordan spent much of the spring and summer of 2001 in training, holding several invitation-only camps for NBA players in Chicago.[81] In addition, Jordan hired his old Chicago Bulls head coach, Doug Collins, as Washington's coach for the upcoming season, a decision that many saw as foreshadowing another Jordan return.[78][79]
Washington Wizards comeback[link]
On September 25, 2001 Jordan announced his return to professional play with the Wizards, indicating his intention to donate his salary as a player to a relief effort for the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks.[82][83] In an injury-plagued 2001–02 season, he led the team in scoring (22.9 ppg), assists (5.2 apg), and steals (1.42 spg).[1] However, torn cartilage in his right knee ended Jordan's season after only 60 games, the fewest he had played in a regular season since playing 17 games after returning from his first retirement during the 1994–95 season.[12]
Playing in his 14th and final NBA All-Star Game in 2003, Jordan passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the all-time leading scorer in All-Star game history (a record since broken by Kobe Bryant).[84] That year, Jordan was the only Washington player to play in all 82 games, starting in 67 of them. He averaged 20.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.[1] He also shot 45% from the field, and 82% from the free throw line.[1] Even though he turned 40 during the season, he scored 20 or more points 42 times, 30 or more points nine times, and 40 or more points three times.[20] On February 21, 2003, Jordan became the first 40-year-old to tally 43 points in an NBA game.[85] During his stint with the Wizards, all of Jordan's home games at the MCI Center were sold out, and the Wizards were the second most-watched team in the NBA, averaging 20,172 fans a game at home and 19,311 on the road.[86] However, neither of Jordan's final two seasons resulted in a playoff appearance for the Wizards, and Jordan was often unsatisfied with the play of those around him.[87][88] At several points he openly criticized his teammates to the media, citing their lack of focus and intensity, notably that of the number one draft pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Kwame Brown.[87][88]
With the recognition that 2002–03 would be Jordan's final season, tributes were paid to him throughout the NBA. In his final game at his old home court, the United Center in Chicago, Jordan received a four-minute standing ovation.[89] The Miami Heat retired the number 23 jersey on April 11, 2003, even though Jordan had never played for the team.[90] At the 2003 All-Star Game, Jordan was offered a starting spot from Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson,[91] but refused both; in the end, however, he accepted the spot of Vince Carter, who decided to give it up under great public pressure.[92]
Jordan's final NBA game was on April 16, 2003 in Philadelphia. After scoring only 13 points in the game, Jordan went to the bench with 4 minutes and 13 seconds remaining in the third quarter and with his team trailing the Philadelphia 76ers, 75–56. Just after the start of the fourth quarter, the First Union Center crowd began chanting "We want Mike!". After much encouragement from coach Doug Collins, Jordan finally rose from the bench and re-entered the game for Larry Hughes with 2:35 remaining. At 1:45, Jordan was intentionally fouled by the 76ers' Eric Snow, and stepped to the line to make both free throws. After the second foul shot, the 76ers in-bounded the ball to rookie John Salmons, who in turn was intentionally fouled by Bobby Simmons one second later, stopping time so that Jordan could return to the bench. Jordan received a three-minute standing ovation from his teammates, his opponents, the officials and a crowd of 21,257 fans.[93]
Olympic career[link]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Member of United States |
||
| men's national basketball team | ||
| Pan American Games | ||
| Gold | 1983 Caracas | men's basketball |
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1984 Los Angeles | men's basketball |
| Gold | 1992 Barcelona | men's basketball |
| FIBA Americas Championship | ||
| Gold | 1992 Portland | men's basketball |
Jordan played on two Olympic gold medal-winning American basketball teams. As a college player he participated, and won the gold, in the 1984 Summer Olympics. The team was coached by Bob Knight and featured players such as Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin, Steve Alford, and Wayman Tisdale. Jordan led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 ppg for the tournament.[94]
In the 1992 Summer Olympics he was a member of the star-studded squad that included Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and David Robinson and was dubbed the "Dream Team". Jordan was the only player to start all 8 games in the Olympics. Playing limited minutes due to the frequent blowouts, Jordan averaged 14.9 ppg,[95] finishing second on the team in scoring.[96] Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and fellow Dream Team member Chris Mullin are the only American men's basketball players to win Olympic gold as amateurs (all in 1984) and professionals.[94][95]
After retiring as a player[link]
After his third retirement, Jordan assumed that he would be able to return to his front office position of Director of Basketball Operations with the Wizards.[97] However, his previous tenure in the Wizards' front office had produced the aforementioned mixed results and may have also influenced the trade of Richard "Rip" Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse (although Jordan was not technically Director of Basketball Operations in 2002).[73] On May 7, 2003, Wizards owner Abe Pollin fired Jordan as Washington's President of Basketball Operations.[73] Jordan later stated that he felt betrayed, and that if he knew he would be fired upon retiring he never would have come back to play for the Wizards.[42]
Jordan kept busy over the next few years by staying in shape, playing golf in celebrity charity tournaments, spending time with his family in Chicago, promoting his Jordan Brand clothing line, and riding motorcycles.[98] Since 2004, Jordan has owned Michael Jordan Motorsports, a professional closed-course motorcycle road racing team that competes with two Suzukis in the premier Superbike class sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA).[99][100] Jordan and his then-wife Juanita pledged $5 million to Chicago's Hales Franciscan High School in 2006,[101] and the Jordan Brand has made donations to Habitat for Humanity and a Louisiana branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.[102] On June 15, 2006, Jordan bought a minority stake in the Charlotte Bobcats, becoming the team's second-largest shareholder behind majority owner Robert L. Johnson. As part of the deal, Jordan was named "Managing Member of Basketball Operations," with full control over the basketball side of the operation.[103] Despite Jordan's previous success as an endorser, he has made an effort not to be included in Charlotte's marketing campaigns.[104]
In February 2010, it was reported that Jordan was seeking majority ownership of the Bobcats.[105] As February wore on, it emerged that the leading contenders for the team were Jordan and former Houston Rockets president George Postolos. On February 27, the Bobcats announced that Johnson had reached an agreement with Jordan and his group, MJ Basketball Holdings, to buy the team pending NBA approval.[106] On March 17, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan's purchase, making him the first former NBA player ever to become the majority owner of a league franchise.[107]
During the 2011 NBA lockout, The New York Times wrote that Jordan led a group of 10 to 14 hardline owners wanting to cap the players' share of basketball-related income at 50 percent and as low as 47. Journalists observed that, during the labor dispute in 1998, Jordan had told Washington Wizards then-owner Abe Pollin, "If you can’t make a profit, you should sell your team."[108] Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com called Jordan a "sellout" wanting "current players to pay for his incompetence."[109] He cited Jordan's executive decisions to draft disappointing players Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison.[109]
Player profile[link]
Jordan was a shooting guard who was also capable of playing small forward (the position he would primarily play during his second return to professional basketball with the Washington Wizards). Jordan was known throughout his career for being a strong clutch performer. He decided numerous games with last-second plays (e.g., The Shot) and performed at a high level even under adverse circumstances (e.g., Flu Game). His competitiveness was visible in his prolific trash-talk[110] and well-known work ethic.[111][112]
Jordan had a versatile offensive game. He was capable of aggressively driving to the basket, as well as drawing fouls from his opponents at a high rate; his 8,772 free throw attempts are the ninth highest total of all time.[113] As his career progressed, Jordan also developed the ability to post up his opponents and score with his trademark fadeaway jump shot, using his leaping ability to "fade away" from block attempts. According to Hubie Brown, this move alone made him nearly unstoppable.[114] Despite media criticism as a "selfish" player early in his career, Jordan's 5.3 assists per game[12] also indicate his willingness to defer to his teammates. In later years, the NBA shortened its three-point line to 22 feet (from 23 feet, 9 inches), which coupled with Jordan's extended shooting range to make him a long-range threat as well—his 3-point stroke developed from a low 9/52 rate (.173) in his rookie year into a stellar 111/260 (.427) shooter in the 1995–96 season.[12] For a guard, Jordan was also a good rebounder (6.2 per game).[12]
In 1988, Jordan was honored with the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award and became the first NBA player to win both the Defensive Player of the Year and MVP awards in a career (since equaled by Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Kevin Garnett; Olajuwon is the only player other than Jordan to win both during the same season). In addition he set both seasonal and career records for blocked shots by a guard,[115] and combined this with his ball-thieving ability to become a standout defensive player. His 2,514 steals are second highest all-time behind John Stockton, while his steals per game average is third all-time.[116] Jerry West often stated that he was more impressed with Jordan's defensive contributions than his offensive ones.[117]
Legacy[link]
Jordan's basketball talent was clear from his rookie season.[15][17] In his first game in Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, Jordan received a prolonged standing ovation,[17] a rarity for an opposing player. After Jordan scored a playoff record 63 points against the Boston Celtics in 1986, Celtics star Larry Bird described him as "God disguised as Michael Jordan."[23]
| "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." |
| —Introductory line of Jordan's NBA Encyclopedia biography[1] |
Jordan led the NBA in scoring in 10 seasons (NBA record) and tied Wilt Chamberlain's record of seven consecutive scoring titles. He was also a fixture on the NBA All-Defensive First Team, making the roster nine times (NBA record shared with Gary Payton). Jordan also holds the top career regular season and playoff scoring averages of 30.1 and 33.4 points per game,[1] respectively. By 1998, the season of his Finals-winning shot against the Jazz, he was well known throughout the league as a clutch performer. In the regular season, Jordan was the Bulls' primary threat in the final seconds of a close game and in the playoffs, Jordan would always demand the ball at crunch time.[118] Jordan's total of 5,987 points in the playoffs is the highest in NBA history.[119] He retired with 32,292 points in regular season play,[120] placing him third on the NBA's all-time scoring list behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.[120]
With five regular-season MVPs (tied for second place with Bill Russell; only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won more, six), six Finals MVPs (NBA record), and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan is the most decorated player ever to play in the NBA. Jordan finished among the top three in regular-season MVP voting a record 10 times, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
| "There's Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us." |
| —Magic Johnson[1] |
Many of Jordan's contemporaries label Jordan as the greatest basketball player of all time.[117] An ESPN survey of journalists, athletes and other sports figures ranked Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, above icons such as Babe Ruth and Muhammad Ali.[121] Jordan placed second to Babe Ruth in the Associated Press's list of 20th century athletes.[122] In addition, the Associated Press voted him as the basketball player of the 20th century.[123] Jordan has also appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated a record 49 times.[124] In the September 1996 issue of Sport, which was the publication's 50th anniversary issue, Jordan was named the greatest athlete of the past 50 years.[125]
Jordan's athletic leaping ability, highlighted in his back-to-back slam dunk contest championships in 1987 and 1988, is credited by many with having influenced a generation of young players.[126][127] Several current NBA All-Stars have stated that they considered Jordan their role model while growing up, including LeBron James[128] and Dwyane Wade.[129] In addition, commentators have dubbed a number of next-generation players "the next Michael Jordan" upon their entry to the NBA, including Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Vince Carter, and Dwyane Wade.[130][131][132] Although Jordan was a well-rounded player, his "Air Jordan" image is also often credited with inadvertently decreasing the jump shooting skills, defense, and fundamentals of young players,[126] a fact Jordan himself has lamented.
| “ | I think it was the exposure of Michael Jordan; the marketing of Michael Jordan. Everything was marketed towards the things that people wanted to see, which was scoring and dunking. That Michael Jordan still played defense and an all-around game, but it was never really publicized.[126] | ” |
Although Jordan has done much to increase the status of the game, some of his impact on the game's popularity in America appears to be fleeting.[133][134] Television ratings in particular increased only during his time in the league and have subsequently lowered each time he left the game.[133][134]
In August 2009, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, opened a Michael Jordan exhibit containing items from his college and NBA careers, as well as from the 1992 "Dream Team". The exhibit also has a batting glove to signify Jordan's short career in baseball.[135] After Jordan received word of his being accepted into the Hall of Fame, he selected Class of 1996 member David Thompson to present him.[136] As Jordan would later explain during his induction speech in September 2009, growing up in North Carolina, he was not a fan of the Tar Heels, and greatly admired Thompson, who played at rival North Carolina State. He was inducted into the Hall in September, with several former Bulls teammates in attendance, including Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, and Toni Kukoc.[137] Former coaches of Jordan's, Dean Smith and Doug Collins, were also among those present.
Personal life[link]
Jordan is the fourth of five children. He has two older brothers, Larry Jordan and James R. Jordan, Jr., one older sister, Deloris, and a younger sister, Roslyn. Jordan's brother James retired in 2006 as the Command Sergeant Major of the 35th Signal Brigade of the XVIII Airborne Corps in the U.S. Army.[138]
He married Juanita Vanoy in September 1989, and they have two sons, Jeffrey Michael and Marcus James, and a daughter, Jasmine. Jordan and Vanoy filed for divorce on January 4, 2002, citing irreconcilable differences, but reconciled shortly thereafter. They again filed for divorce and were granted a final decree of dissolution of marriage on December 29, 2006, commenting that the decision was made "mutually and amicably".[139][140] It is reported that Juanita received a $168 million settlement, making it the largest celebrity divorce settlement in history at the time on public record.[141]
In 1991, Jordan purchased a lot in Highland Park, Illinois, to build a 56,000 square foot mansion, which was completed four years later.[142] Both of his sons attended Loyola Academy, a private Roman Catholic high school located in Wilmette, Illinois.[143] Jeffrey graduated as a member of the 2007 graduating class and played his first collegiate basketball game on November 11, 2007, for the University of Illinois. After two seasons, Jeffrey left the Illinois basketball team in 2009. He later rejoined the team for a third season,[144][145] then received a release to transfer to the University of Central Florida, where Marcus was attending.[146][147] Marcus transferred to Whitney Young High School after his sophomore year at Loyola Academy and graduated in 2009. He began attending UCF in the fall of 2009.[148]
On July 21, 2006, a Cook County, Illinois judge determined that Jordan did not owe his alleged former lover Karla Knafel $5 million.[149] Jordan had allegedly paid Knafel $250,000 to keep their relationship a secret.[150][151][152] Knafel claimed Jordan promised her $5 million for remaining silent and agreeing not to file a paternity suit after Knafel learned she was pregnant in 1991. A DNA test showed Jordan was not the father of the child.[149]
Jordan's private jet features a stripe in North Carolina blue, the "Air Jordan" logo on the tail, and references to his career in the identification number.[153] He proposed to his long time girlfriend, Cuban-American model Yvette Prieto, on Christmas Eve, 2011, and is engaged to be married.[154] He listed his Highland Park mansion for sale in 2012.[142]
Media figure and business interests[link]
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Jordan is one of the most marketed sports figures in history. He has been a major spokesman for such brands as Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, Gatorade, McDonald's, Ball Park Franks, Rayovac, Wheaties, Hanes, and MCI.[155] Jordan has had a long relationship with Gatorade, appearing in over 20 commercials for the company since 1991, including the "Like Mike" commercials in which a song was sung by children wishing to be like Jordan.[155][156]
Nike created a signature shoe for him, called the Air Jordan. One of Jordan's more popular commercials for the shoe involved Spike Lee playing the part of Mars Blackmon. In the commercials Lee, as Blackmon, attempted to find the source of Jordan's abilities and became convinced that "it's gotta be the shoes".[155] The hype and demand for the shoes even brought on a spate of "shoe-jackings" where people were robbed of their sneakers at gunpoint. Subsequently Nike spun off the Jordan line into its own division named the "Jordan Brand". The company features an impressive list of athletes and celebrities as endorsers.[157][158] The brand has also sponsored college sports programs such as those of North Carolina, Cincinnati, Cal, St. John's, Georgetown, and North Carolina A&T.
Jordan also has been associated with the Looney Tunes cartoon characters. A Nike commercial shown during the 1993 Super Bowl XXVII featured Jordan and Bugs Bunny playing basketball against a group of Martian characters.[159] The Super Bowl commercial inspired the 1996 live action/animated movie Space Jam, which starred Jordan and Bugs in a fictional story set during his first retirement.[160] They have subsequently appeared together in several commercials for MCI.[160]
Jordan's yearly income from the endorsements is estimated to be over forty million dollars.[161][162] In addition, when Jordan's power at the ticket gates was at its highest point the Bulls regularly sold out every game they played in, whether home or away.[163] Due to this, Jordan set records in player salary by signing annual contracts worth in excess of US $30 million per season.[164] An academic study found that Jordan’s first NBA comeback resulted in an increase in the market capitalization of his client firms of more than $1 billion.[165]
Most of Jordan's endorsement deals, including the first deal with Nike, were engineered by his agent, David Falk.[166] Jordan has said of Falk that "he's the best at what he does", and that "marketing-wise, he's great. He's the one who came up with the concept of 'Air Jordan.'"[167]
In June 2010, Jordan was ranked by Forbes Magazine as the 20th most powerful celebrity in the world with $55 million earned between June 2009 and June 2010. According to the Forbes article, Jordan Brand generates $1 billion in sales for Nike.[168]
Honors and awards[link]
Main article: List of career achievements by Michael Jordan
Jordan won numerous awards and set many records during his career. The following are some of his achievements:[1][169][170]
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2009
- 2 Olympic Gold Medals – 1984, 1992
- 6× NBA Champion
- 6× NBA Finals MVP
- 5× NBA MVP
- 10 NBA Scoring Titles
- 3× steals leader
- 3× minutes leader
- 14 NBA All-Star Selections
- 3× NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 11 All-NBA Selections
- 9 All-Defensive First Team Selections
- 2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion – 1987, 1988
- NBA Rookie of the Year – 1984–85
- NBA Defensive Player of the Year – 1987–88
- NCAA National Championship – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 1981–82
- ACC Freshman of the Year – 1981–82
- 2× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team – 1982–83, 1983–84
- ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year – 1983–84
- USBWA College Player of the Year – 1983–84
- Naismith College Player of the Year – 1983–84
- John R. Wooden Award – 1983–84
- Adolph Rupp Trophy – 1983–84
- Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year – 1991
- Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996
- Ranked No.1 by SLAM Magazine's Top 50 Players of All-Time
- Ranked No.1 by ESPN Sportscentury's Top 100 Athletes of the 20th century
- Elected to North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
See also[link]
- Michael Jordan statue
- Michael Jordan Steakhouse
- Michael Jordan's Restaurant
- Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City
- Michael Jordan in Flight
- NBA 2K11
- NBA 2K12
References[link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Michael Jordan, nba.com/history. Retrieved January 15, 2007.
- ^ Markovits, Andrei S. and Lars Rensman. Gaming the World: How Sports are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture. Princeton University Press, June 3, 2010. pg. 89. ISBN 0-691-13751-X.
- ^ Berkow, Ira. "Sports of The Times; Air Jordan And Just Plain Folks", The New York Times, June 15, 1991. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
- ^ Skidmore, Sarah. "23 years later, Air Jordans maintain mystique", The Seattle Times, January 10, 2008. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ^ The elusive fan: reinventing sports in a crowded marketplace. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. http://books.google.com/books?id=6Vf4gg20ZVkC&pg=PA173&dq=%22michael+jordan%22+%22nicknames%22+mj&hl=en&ei=fDmPTrH6L8GosAKfsaTEAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=%22michael%20jordan%22%20%22nicknames%22%20mj&f=false. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ^ Michael Jordan biography, 23jordan.com, accessed November 23, 2007.
- Sachare, Alex. The Chicago Bulls Encyclopedia. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1999. pgs. 172–3. ISBN 0-8092-2515-8.
- ^ a b Halberstam, David. Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made. Broadway Books, 2000. pgs. 20–21. ISBN 0-7679-0444-3.
- ^ a b c Michael Jordan, basketball-reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
- ^ a b Michael Jordan: The Stats, infoplease.com. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
- ^ Williams, Lena. PLUS: Basketball; "A McDonald's Game For Girls, Too", The New York Times, December 7, 2001. Retrieved January 16, 2007.
- ^ Sportscenter, ESPN, air date February 2, 2007.
- Lucas, Adam. Lucas: One Extraordinary Night, tarheelblue.cstv.com, February 10, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Michael Jordan, databaseBasketball.com, archived link, archive date February 11, 2009.
- ^ qtd. in Lazenby, Roland. "Michaelangelo: Portrait of a Champion". Michael Jordan: The Ultimate Career Tribute. Bannockburn, IL: H&S Media, 1999. pg. 128.
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Further reading[link]
- Leahy, Michael (2004), When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan's Last Comeback, Simon & Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-7648-5, http://books.google.ca/books?id=ZU7w5B0aQ1gC&lpg=PP1&dq=Michael%20Jordan&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true
- McGovern, Mike (2005), Michael Jordan: basketball player, Ferguson, ISBN 0816058768, http://books.google.ca/books?id=MeMJFgU_gFkC&lpg=PP1&dq=Michael%20Jordan&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true
- Porter, David L (2007), Michael Jordan: a biography, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0313337675, http://books.google.ca/books?id=aQ84ViBNkYwC&lpg=PR1&dq=Michael%20Jordan&pg=PR1#v=onepage&q&f=true
External links[link]
|
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Michael Jordan |
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michael Jordan |
- Michael Jordan biography at NBA Encyclopedia
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com, or Basketball-Reference.com
- Michael Jordan at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame induction speech
- Michael Jordan at DatabaseBasketball.com
- Michael Jordan at the Internet Movie Database
- Michael Jordan Motorsports
- Career statistics and player information from The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
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| Current team owners in the National Basketball Association | ||
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Conference | ||
| Atlantic
H. Irving Grousbeck, Wycliffe Grousbeck and Stephen Pagliuca (Boston Celtics) |
Central
Jerry Reinsdorf (Chicago Bulls) |
Southeast
Atlanta Spirit (Atlanta Hawks) |
| Western Conference | ||
| Southwest
Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks) |
Northwest
Stan Kroenke (Denver Nuggets) |
Pacific
Peter Guber and Joe Lacob (Golden State Warriors) |
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jordan, Michael Jeffrey |
| Alternative names | MJ; Air Jordan |
| Short description | Professional National Basketball Association player and businessman |
| Date of birth | February 17, 1963 |
| Place of birth | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter. Griffey was both one of the most prolific home run hitters and best defensive players in baseball history, sixth on the list of most career home runs, and is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8 games, tied with Don Mattingly and Dale Long). Griffey, playing for the Seattle Mariners in two separate tenures, Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox, won 10 Gold Glove awards and appeared in 13 All-Star games. Upon his retirement, the Associated Press noted: "In his prime, Ken Griffey Jr. was unanimously considered the best player in baseball."
Throughout his major league baseball career, Griffey was a popular player and a fan favorite around the league. Griffey attained widespread recognition by signing lucrative deals with companies of international prominence like Nike and Nintendo (owners of the Mariners); his popularity reflected well upon MLB and is credited by some with helping restore its image after the 1994 labor dispute. He currently works in the Mariners' front office as a special consultant. Griffey is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four different calendar decades. He is the son of former MLB player Ken Griffey, Sr.
