Name	Mickey Welch
Position	Pitcher
Birth date	July 04, 1859
Birth place	Brooklyn, New York
Death date	July 30, 1941
Death place	Concord, New Hampshire
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Debutdate	May 1
Debutyear	1880
Debutteam	Troy Trojans
Finaldate	May 17
Finalyear	1892
Finalteam	New York Giants
Stat1label	Win-Loss record
Stat1value	307-210
Stat2label	Earned run average
Stat2value	2.71
Stat3label	Strikeouts
Stat3value	1,850
Teams	Troy Trojans (-) New York Giants (-)
Highlights
Hofdate
Hofvote	Veterans Committee}}

Michael Francis Welch Born as ''Michael Francis Walsh'' (July 4, 1859 – July 30, 1941), nicknamed "Smiling Mickey", was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was the third pitcher to accumulate 300 career victories. Welch was born in Brooklyn, New York, and played 13 seasons in the major leagues, three with the Troy Trojans, and 10 with the New York Gothams/Giants. He was very successful with an effective curveball, a change of pace, and a version of the screwball. During his 13 major league seasons, he posted 20 or more wins nine times, seven in succession.

Major league career

Troy Trojans

Welch made his major league debut in , winning 34 games for the Troy Trojans. On July 6, 1880, he pitched a one-hitter against the Cleveland Blues. Welch's totals dipped during the following two seasons, when he began to split starts with Tim Keefe, who also went on to win more than 300 games. The duo would only enjoy moderate success over the course of three seasons with the Trojans, a team that never finished higher than fourth in the National League during its four season run.

New York Gothams/Giants

After the Trojans disbanded after the season, the New York Gothams replaced them, taking many of the Troy players, including Welch. He resumed a heavy workload in , throwing 426 innings in 54 games. This time he split pitching duties with John Montgomery Ward, which turned out to be Ward's final season as a regular pitcher. His two finest individual seasons came in , when he went 39-21 with 345 strikeouts and a 2.50 ERA, and , when he went 44-11 with 258 strikeouts and a 1.66 ERA. That 1885 season saw Welch and Keefe reunite as a two-man pitching rotation, with Keefe having a 32-13 win/loss record. The team, now called the Giants, had an incredible record of 85 and 27, with Welch winning 17 consecutive games at one point, but finished second to the Chicago White Stockings, who finished with a record of 87-25. Welch holds the record for most consecutive batters struck out to begin a game, with 9, set on August 28, 1884. The record still stands today, although Tom Seaver now holds the consecutive strikeout record with 10, which he accomplished in .

Welch's career slowed down after the Giants won the National League pennant in 1888 and 1889. He retired after one start in the 1892 season having compiled 307 victories, 210 losses, 1850 strikeouts and a career 2.71 ERA.

On September 10, , he is credited as having become the first pinch hitter in Major League history, when he batted for Hank O'Day‚ and struck out. Conventional wisdom indicates that this must have been an injury situation since a rule allowing pinch hitters in non-injury situations was not instituted until . The first pinch hitter under that rule is generally agreed to be Jack Doyle‚ on June 7‚ 1892. On April 24, , with the score tied 2-2 in the 7th inning between his Giants and the Boston Beaneaters‚ Welch got into an argument with umpire McDermott, an argument that resulted in the umpire declaring the game forfeited to host Boston.

Post-career

Welch was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1973. Mickey Welch died in Concord, New Hampshire at the age of 82, and is interred in the Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, Queens, New York, under his birth name of Walsh.

See also

List of most winning pitchers of all time

300 win club

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins

List of Major League Baseball saves champions

Top 100 strikeout pitchers of all time

References

External links

Mickey Welch's gravesite

Category:1859 births Category:1941 deaths Category:19th-century baseball players Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens) Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Baseball players from New York Category:New York Giants (NL) players Category:New York Gothams players Category:People from Brooklyn Category:People from New York City Category:Troy Trojans players Category:Pittsburgh Allegheny players Category:Holyoke (minor league baseball) players Category:Troy Trojans (minor league) players fr:Mickey Welch ja:ミッキー・ウェルチ sh:Mickey Welch

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
Name	Ozzie Smith
Position	Shortstop
Birth date	December 26, 1954
Birth place	Mobile, Alabama
Bats	Switch
Throws	Right
Debutdate	April 7
Debutyear	1978
Debutteam	San Diego Padres
Finaldate	October 17
Finalyear	1996
Finalteam	St. Louis Cardinals
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.262
Stat2label	Hits
Stat2value	2,460
Stat3label	Runs batted in
Stat3value	793
Stat4label	Stolen bases
Stat4value	580
Teams	San Diego Padres (–) St. Louis Cardinals (–)
Highlights	15× All-Star selection (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996) 13× Gold Glove Award winner (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992) Silver Slugger Award winner (1987) World Series champion (1982) 1995 Roberto Clemente Award 1994 Branch Rickey Award 1989 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award 1985 NLCS MVP St. Louis Cardinals #1 retired
Hofdate
Hofvote	91.7% (first ballot) }}

Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith (born December 26, 1954) is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996. Nicknamed "The Wizard" for his defensive brilliance, Smith set major league records for career assists (8,375) and double plays (1,590) by a shortstop (the latter since broken by Omar Vizquel), as well as the National League (NL) record with 2,511 career games at the position; Smith won the NL Gold Glove Award for play at shortstop for 13 consecutive seasons (1980–1992). A 15-time All-Star, he accumulated 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases during his career, and won the NL Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting shortstop in 1987. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2002.

Smith was born in Mobile, Alabama, but his family moved to Watts, Los Angeles when he was six years old. While participating in childhood athletic activities, Smith developed quick reflexes; he went on to play baseball in high school and college, at Los Angeles' Locke High School and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo respectively. Drafted as an amateur player by the Padres, Smith made his major league debut in 1978. He quickly established himself as an outstanding fielder, and later became known for performing backflips on special occasions while taking his position at the beginning of a game. Smith won his first Gold Glove Award in 1980, and made his first All-Star Game appearance in 1981. When conflict with Padres' ownership developed, he was traded to the Cardinals for shortstop Garry Templeton in 1982.

Upon joining the Cardinals, Smith helped the team win the 1982 World Series. Three years later, his game-winning home run during Game 5 of the 1985 National League Championship Series prompted broadcaster Jack Buck's "Go crazy, folks!" play-by-play call. Despite a rotator cuff injury during the 1985 season, Smith posted career highs in multiple offensive categories in 1987. Smith continued to earn Gold Gloves and All-Star appearances on an annual basis until 1993. During 1995 season, Smith had shoulder surgery and was out nearly three months. After tension with his new manager Tony La Russa developed in 1996, Smith retired at season's end, and his uniform number (#1) was subsequently retired by the Cardinals. Smith served as host of the television show ''This Week in Baseball'' from 1997 to 1999, and continues to be an entrepreneur in a variety of business ventures.

Professional baseball career

San Diego Padres

Smith was playing semi-professional baseball in Clarinda, Iowa, in June 1976 when he was selected in the seventh round of the amateur entry draft by the Detroit Tigers. The parties could not agree on a contract; Smith wanted a $10,000 ($}} today) signing bonus, while the Tigers offered $8,500 ($}} today). Smith returned to Cal Poly for his senior year, then in the 1977 draft was selected in the fourth round by the San Diego Padres, ultimately agreeing to a contract that included a $5,000 signing bonus ($}} today). Smith spent his first year of professional baseball, 1977, with the Class A Walla Walla Padres of the Northwest League.

Smith began 1978 as a non-roster invitee to the San Diego Padres' spring training camp in Yuma, Arizona. Smith credited Padres manager Alvin Dark for giving him confidence by telling reporters the shortstop job was Smith's until he proved he can't handle it. Even though Dark was fired in the middle of training camp, Smith made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on April 7, 1978.

It did not take long for Smith to earn recognition in the major leagues, making what some consider his greatest fielding play only ten games into his rookie season. The Padres played host to the Atlanta Braves on April 20, 1978, and with two out in the top of the fourth inning, Atlanta's Jeff Burroughs hit a ground ball up the middle. Smith described the play by saying, "He hit a ball back up the middle that everybody thought was going into center field. I instinctively broke to my left and dove behind second. As I was in the air, the ball took a bad hop and caromed behind me, but I was able to catch it with my bare hand. I hit the ground, bounced back up, and threw Burroughs out at first."

During a roadtrip to Houston, later in the season, Smith met a part-time usherette at the Astrodome named Denise while making his way to the team bus outside the stadium. The couple developed a relationship that was sometimes long-distance in nature, and eventually decided to marry. It was also during the 1978 season that Smith introduced a signature move. Padres promotion director Andy Strasberg knew Smith could perform backflips, but that he only did them during practice before fans entered the stadium. Strasberg asked Smith to do a backflip for fans during Fan Appreciation Day on October 1, the Padres' last home game of the season. After conferring with veteran teammate Gene Tenace, Smith went ahead with the backflip, and it proved to be wildly popular. Smith finished the 1978 season with a .258 batting average and .970 fielding percentage, placing second in National League Rookie of the Year voting to Bob Horner.

After working with a hitting instructor during the offseason, Smith failed to record a base hit in his first 32 at bats of the 1979 season. Among players with enough at-bats to qualify for the 1979 National League Triple Crown, Smith finished the season last in batting average (.211), home runs (0), and RBI (27). Off the field, conflict developed between Padres' ownership and the combination of Smith and his agent, Ed Gottlieb. The parties entered into a contract dispute before the 1980 season, and when negotiations lasted into spring training, the Padres renewed Smith's contract at his 1979 salary of $72,500 Angered by the Padres' attitude during those contract talks, Gottlieb took out a help-wanted ad in the ''San Diego Union'', part of which read, "Padre baseball player wants part-time employment to supplement income." When Joan Kroc, wife of Padres owner Ray Kroc, publicly offered Smith a job as an assistant gardener on her estate, Smith and Gottlieb's relationship with the organization deteriorated further.

Meanwhile, Smith was winning recognition for his accomplishments on the field. In 1980, he set the single-season record for most assists by a shortstop (621), and began his string of 13 consecutive Gold Glove awards. Smith's fielding play prompted the ''Yuma Daily Sun'' to use the nickname "The Wizard of Oz" in a March 1981 feature article about Smith. While "The Wizard of Oz" nickname was an allusion to the 1939 motion picture of the same name, Smith also came to be known as simply "The Wizard" during his playing career, as Smith's Baseball Hall of Fame plaque would later attest. In 1981, Smith made his first All-Star Game appearance as a reserve player.

Trade

While Smith was having problems with the Padres' owners, the St. Louis Cardinals also found themselves unhappy with their shortstop. During a game at Busch Stadium on August 26, 1981, Garry Templeton made obscene gestures at fans before being pulled off the field by manager Whitey Herzog. Given the task of overhauling the Cardinals by owner Gussie Busch, Herzog was looking to trade Templeton when he was approached by Padres General Manager Jack McKeon at the 1981 baseball winter meetings. While McKeon had previously told Herzog that Smith was untouchable in any trade, the Padres were now so angry at Smith's agent Gottlieb that McKeon was willing to deal.

McKeon and Herzog agreed in principle to a six-player trade, with Templeton for Smith as the centerpiece. It was then that Padres manager Dick Williams informed Herzog that a no-trade clause had been included in Smith's 1981 contract. Upon learning of the trade, Smith's initial reaction was to invoke the clause and stay in San Diego, but he was still interested to hear what the Cardinals had to say. While the deal for the players beside Templeton and Smith went through, Herzog flew to San Diego to meet with Smith and Gottlieb over the Christmas holiday. Smith later recalled that, "Whitey told me that with me playing shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals, we could win the pennant. He made me feel wanted, which was a feeling I was quickly losing from the Padres. The mere fact that Whitey would come all the way out there to talk to us was more than enough to convince me that St. Louis was the place I wanted to be."

St. Louis Cardinals

1982–1984

After more behind-the-scenes contract wrangling, Smith became a St. Louis Cardinal on February 11, 1982. Herzog believed Smith could improve his offensive production by hitting more ground balls, and subsequently created a motivational tool designed to help Smith concentrate on that task. Approaching Smith one day during spring training, Herzog said, "Every time you hit a fly ball, you owe me a buck. Every time you hit a ground ball, I owe you a buck. We'll keep that going all year." Smith agreed to the wager, and by the end of the season had won close to $300 from Herzog. As the 1982 season got underway, Herzog's newly assembled team won 12 games in a row during the month of April, and finished the season atop the National League East division. Herzog would later say of Smith's contributions that, "If he saved two runs a game on defense, which he did many a night, it seemed to me that was just as valuable to the team as a player who drove in two runs a game on offense."

Smith became a father for the first time during the 1982 season with the birth of his son O.J., today known as Nikko, on April 28. Smith also developed a lasting friendship with teammate Willie McGee during the season, and Smith said he likes to think he "helped Willie get over some of the rough spots of adjusting to the major leagues". Smith later participated in the postseason for the first time when the Cardinals faced the Atlanta Braves in the best-of-five 1982 National League Championship Series (NLCS). Smith drove in the series' first run by hitting a sacrifice fly that scored McGee in Game 1, ultimately going five for nine in St. Louis' three-game series sweep.

Just as Herzog had predicted when he told Smith the Cardinals would win the pennant with him on the team, Smith found himself as the team's starting shortstop in the best-of-seven 1982 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. During the contest Smith scored three runs, had five hits, and did not commit an error in the field. When St. Louis was trailing 3–1 with one out in the sixth inning of Game 7, Smith started a rally with a base hit to left field, eventually scoring the first of the team's three runs that inning. The Cardinals scored two more runs in the 8th inning for a 6-3 win and the championship.

After the World Series championship, Smith and the Cardinals agreed on a new contract in January 1983 that paid Smith $1 million per year. Smith was voted in as the National League's starting shortstop in the All-Star Game for the first time in 1983, and at season's end won a fourth consecutive Gold Glove Award. During July of the 1984 season, Smith went on the disabled list with a broken wrist after being hit by a pitch during a game against the Padres. Smith's return to the lineup a month later was not enough to propel the Cardinals to a postseason berth.

1985–1986

After hitting in either the second or eighth spot in the batting order for most of his time in St. Louis, Herzog made Smith the number-two hitter full-time during the 1987 season. Over the course of the year, Smith accrued a .303 batting average, 43 stolen bases, 75 RBIs, 104 runs scored, and 40 doubles, good enough to earn him the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop. In addition to winning the Gold Glove Award at shortstop for the eighth consecutive time, Smith posted a career-high on-base percentage of .392. Smith was also the leading vote-getter in the 1987 All-Star Game. The Cardinals earned a postseason berth with 95 wins, and subsequently faced the San Francisco Giants in the 1987 National League Championship Series. Smith contributed a triple during the series, and the Cardinals won the contest in seven games.

The 1987 World Series matched the Cardinals against the American League champion Minnesota Twins. The home team won every game of the contest, as Minnesota won the series. In 28 at bats during the Series, Smith scored three runs and had two RBIs. Following the 1987 season, Smith was awarded the largest contract in the National League at $2,340,000.

While the team did not see the postseason for the remainder of the decade, Smith continued to rack up All-Star appearances and Gold Gloves. Combined with the attention he received from his contract, Smith continued to be a national figure. Known as a savvy dresser, he made the April 1988 cover of ''GQ'' magazine. Smith was witness to change within the Cardinal organization when owner Gussie Busch died in 1989 and Herzog quit as manager during the 1990 season.

1990–1995

Joe Torre became Smith's new manager in 1990, but the team did not reach the postseason during Torre's nearly five-year tenure. While the Cardinals celebrated their 100th anniversary in 1992, Smith marked milestones of his own, stealing his 500th career base on April 26, then notching a triple on May 26 in front of the home crowd for his 2,000th hit. St. Louis had a one-game lead in the National League East division on June 1, 1992, but injuries took their toll on the team, including Smith's two week illness in late July after contracting chicken pox for the first time. As a testament to his national visibility during this time, Smith appeared in a 1992 episode of ''The Simpsons'' titled "Homer at the Bat". Smith became a free agent for the first time in his career on November 2, 1992, only to sign a new contract with the Cardinals on December 6.

Smith won his final Gold Glove in 1992, and his 13 consecutive Gold Gloves at shortstop in the National League has yet to be matched. The 1993 season marked the only time between 1981 and 1996 that Smith failed to make the All-Star team, and Smith finished the 1993 season with a .288 batting average and .974 fielding percentage. He appeared in 98 games during the strike-shortened 1994 season, and later missed nearly three months of the 1995 season after shoulder surgery on May 31. Smith was recognized for his community service efforts with the 1994 Branch Rickey Award and the 1995 Roberto Clemente Award. In February 1994, Smith took on the role of honorary chairman and official spokesman for the Missouri Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Health.

1996

As Smith entered the 1996 season, he finalized a divorce from his wife Denise during the first half of the year. Meanwhile, manager Tony La Russa began his first season with the Cardinals in tandem with a new ownership group. After General Manager Walt Jocketty acquired shortstop Royce Clayton during the offseason, La Russa emphasized an open competition for the spot that would give the Cardinals the best chance to win. When spring training concluded, Smith had amassed a .288 batting average and zero errors in the field, and Clayton batted .190 with eight errors. Smith believed he had earned the position with his spring training performance, but La Russa disagreed, and awarded Clayton the majority of playing time in the platoon situation that developed, where Smith typically saw action every third game. La Russa said, "I think it's fair to say he misunderstood how he compared to Royce in spring training...When I and the coaches evaluated the play in spring training—the whole game—Royce started very slowly offensively and you could see him start to get better. By what he was able to do defensively and on the bases, Royce deserved to play the majority of the games."

Smith missed the first month of the season with a hamstring injury, and continued to harbor ill feelings toward La Russa that had developed after spring training ended. In a closed-door meeting in mid-May, La Russa asked Smith if he would like to be traded. Instead, Smith and his agent negotiated a compromise with Cardinals management, agreeing to a buyout of special provisions in his contract in conjunction with Smith announcing his retirement. The agreement prompted a press conference at Busch Stadium on June 19, 1996, during which Smith announced he would retire from baseball at season's end.

As Smith made his final tour of the National League, he was honored by many teams, and received a standing ovation at the 1996 All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Between June 19 and September 1, Smith's batting average increased from .239 to .286. On September 2 Smith tied a career high by scoring four runs, one of which was a home run, and another on a close play at home plate in the bottom of the 10th inning against division leader Houston. The victory moved the Cardinals to within a half game of Houston in the National League Central Division, and the Cardinals went on to win the division by six games. The Cardinals held a special ceremony at Busch Stadium on September 28, 1996, before a game against the Cincinnati Reds, honoring Smith by retiring his uniform number. Noted for his ritual backflip before Opening Days, All-Star Games, and postseason games, Smith chose this occasion to perform it for one of the last times.

In the postseason, the Cardinals first faced the San Diego Padres in the 1996 National League Division Series. After sitting out Game 1, Smith got the start in Game 2 at Busch Stadium, helping his team go up two games in the series by notching a run, a hit and two walks at the plate, along with an assist and a putout in the field. The Cardinals then swept the series by winning Game 3 in San Diego.

The Cardinals faced the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 National League Championship Series. Smith started Game 1 and subsequently registered three putouts and one assist in the field, but went hitless in four at-bats in the Cardinals' 4–2 loss. The Cardinals then won Games 2, 3, and 4, contests in which Smith did not appear. Upon receiving the start in Game 5, Smith nearly duplicated his Game 1 performance with four putouts, one assist, and zero hits in four at-bats as part of another Cardinals defeat. The Cardinals also failed to win Game 6 or Game 7 in Atlanta, ending their season. When the Cardinals were trailing by ten runs during Game 7 on October 17, Smith flied out to right field while pinch-hitting in the sixth inning, marking the end of his playing career. Smith finished his career with distinctions ranging from the accumulation of more than 27.5 million votes in All-Star balloting, to holding the record for the most MLB at-bats without hitting a grand slam.

Post-playing career

Upon retirement, Smith took over for Mel Allen as the host of the television series ''This Week in Baseball'' (''TWIB'') in 1997. Smith also became color commentator for the local broadcast of Cardinals games on KPLR-TV from 1997 to 1999. When his stint on ''This Week in Baseball'' concluded, Smith then moved on to do work for CNN-SI beginning in 1999.

On January 8, 2002 Smith learned via a phone call he had been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot by receiving 91.7% of the votes cast. As it happened, the Olympic torch was passing through St. Louis on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Smith served as a torchbearer in a ceremony with St. Louis Rams' quarterback Kurt Warner that evening. Smith was inducted into the Hall of Fame during ceremonies on July 28, 2002. During his speech, he compared his baseball experiences with the characters from the novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', after which his son Dustin presented his Hall of Fame plaque. Days later on August 11, Smith was back at Busch Memorial Stadium for the unveiling of a statue in his likeness made by sculptor Harry Weber. Weber chose to emphasize Smith's defensive skills by showing Smith stretched horizontal to the ground while fielding a baseball. At the ceremony Weber told Smith, "You spent half of your career up in the air. That makes it difficult for a sculptor to do something with it."

Smith has also been an entrepreneur in a variety of business ventures. Smith opened "Ozzie's" restaurant and sports bar in 1988, started a youth sports academy in 1990, became an investor in a grocery store chain in 1999, and partnered with David Slay to open a restaurant in the early 2000s. Of those businesses the youth academy and restaurant remain in operation, with the restaurant having changed ownership and locations once. Aside from appearing in numerous radio and television commercials in the St. Louis area since retiring from baseball, Smith authored a children's book in 2006 and launched his own brand of salad dressing in 2008.

Smith is father to three children from his marriage to former wife Denise; sons Nikko, Dustin, and daughter Taryn. Smith remains a visible figure around the St. Louis area, making appearances as varied as playing the role of the Wizard in the St. Louis Municipal Opera's summer 2001 production of ''The Wizard of Oz''. In 1999 he ranked number 87 on ''The Sporting News''' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and finished third in voting at shortstop for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Smith has also been honored with induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Cal Poly. Smith cheered on his son Nikko as he cracked the top ten finalists of the 2005 edition of ''American Idol''.

Career MLB statistics

Hitting

{| cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=1 width=400 |- align=center | Category | G | AB | AVG | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SB | SO | OBP | SLG |- align=center | Statistic | 2573 | 9396 | .262 | 1257 | 2460 | 402 | 69 | 28 | 793 | 1072 | 580 | 589 | .337 | .328 |}

Fielding

{| cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=1 width=400 |- align=center | Category | G | PO | A | CH | E | DP | FP | RFg | Inn |- align=center | Statistic | 2511 | 4249 | 8375 | 12624 | 281 | 1590 | .978 | 5.03 | 21786 |}

See also

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

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 2000 hits

References

;Footnotes

;Bibliography

External links

St. Louis Walk of Fame

| after = Mike Scott}} – | after = Jay Bell}}

}}

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:African American baseball players Category:Baseball players from Alabama Category:Cal Poly Mustangs baseball players Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Category:Major League Baseball shortstops Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:National League All-Stars Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:People from Mobile, Alabama Category:San Diego Padres players Category:St. Louis Cardinals broadcasters Category:St. Louis Cardinals players Category:Walla Walla Padres players

es:Ozzie Smith fr:Ozzie Smith ko:아지 스미스 lv:Ozijs Smits ja:オジー・スミス pt:Ozzie Smith

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
Name	Tony Gwynn
Position	Right fielder
Bats	Left
Throws	Left
Birth date	May 09, 1960
Birth place	Los Angeles, California
Debutdate	July 19
Debutyear	1982
Debutteam	San Diego Padres
Finaldate	October 7
Finalyear	2001
Finalteam	San Diego Padres
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.338
Stat2label	Hits
Stat2value	3,141
Stat3label	Home runs
Stat3value	135
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	1,138
Teams	San Diego Padres (–)
Highlights	15× All-Star (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999) 5× Gold Glove Award winner (1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991) 7× Silver Slugger Award winner (1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1997) 8× National League Batting Champion (, , , , , , , ) 1999 Roberto Clemente Award 1998 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award 1995 Branch Rickey Award San Diego Padres #19 retired
Hofdate
Hofvote	97.6% (first ballot) }}

Anthony Keith "Tony" Gwynn, Sr. (born May 9, 1960), nicknamed Mr. Padre and Captain Video, is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He is statistically one of the best and most consistent hitters in baseball history. He played his entire 20-year baseball career for the San Diego Padres (1982–2001). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 9, 2007 and was inducted on July 29. He is the first National League player born during the 1960s to earn the honor (Kirby Puckett was the first American Leaguer). He batted and threw left-handed.

Despite playing much of his career at a "power position" (right field is known for producing sluggers) during a time when home runs were at an all-time high, he was not a home run threat, never hitting more than 17 in any one season during his major league career. Instead, Gwynn made a name for himself by being one of the most consistent contact hitters in the game's history. Gwynn hit .338 for his career and won eight National League batting titles. He struck out only 434 times in 9,288 career at-bats, and never batted below .309 in any full season.

Gwynn was selected by the Padres in the third round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft (the 58th player chosen overall). His uniform number was #19, which the Padres retired in 2004.

Career

A native of Long Beach, California, Gwynn was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, graduating in 1978 before moving on to San Diego State University.

At SDSU, Gwynn was not only an acclaimed baseball player, but also a standout point guard on the San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball team, setting a school record for assists in a season and a career. Gwynn was well known for his excellent court vision and playmaking abilities. The same day the Padres drafted him, Gwynn was also selected by the San Diego Clippers in the 10th round of the National Basketball Association draft, but he elected to play baseball instead.

Gwynn was noted for constantly studying his swing, always looking for ways to improve his hitting. He used a relatively small Louisville Slugger bat (model #B276C) measuring 33 inches and weighing just 30½ ounces, far smaller than those of his contemporaries, such as five-time American League batting champion Wade Boggs, who used Louisville Slugger's #B439 model. Gwynn began using the smaller bats while playing his first season of professional ball for San Diego's A-level Walla Walla Padres minor league club in 1981 because he was having trouble adapting to wood bats and wanted something of a similar weight to the aluminum bats he used in college.

Even though Gwynn was batting .360 at the time, he felt that the larger bats were hampering him because he had to choke up so far — and his first major league hit, on July 19 against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Sid Monge, was a double. In the aftermath, Phillies first baseman Pete Rose, at the time second in career hits and aware of how well Gwynn hit in the minors, came up to the new Padre and told him, "Don't try to catch me in one night." The 1982 season would be the only one of Gwynn's career in which he would hit below .309. He would go on to play in two World Series, one in 1984 and again in 1998.

After a winter ball wrist injury, Gwynn struggled in the second half of 1983, sinking as low as .229 by July 29. It was then that he began using video recording to review his at-bats. He heated up to a .309 average for his shortened season; he would only hit that low again once, in 1990. Gwynn's breakthrough season was 1984, when he hit .351 and won the first batting title of his illustrious career. That season, the Padres won the first National League pennant in team history, defeating the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series before losing the World Series to the Detroit Tigers. Gwynn batted .368 in the NLCS, but was less effective in the World Series, in which he made the final out by flying out to Tigers left fielder Larry Herndon.

Gwynn was also a good baserunner in his early years. In 1987, he tied an NL record with five stolen bases in a game, and he had 319 steals in his career. He became proficient with a glove for most of his career, winning five Gold Glove Awards from 1986 to 1991 despite playing much of his career with knee problems. Over time, his left knee became the more troublesome, and Gwynn has had several operations on both to halt the deterioration of the joints.

Gwynn got his 1000th hit on April 22, 1988, in San Diego, against Houston Astros pitcher Nolan Ryan.

Primarily a center fielder as of 1984, in 1989 Gwynn split time between right field and center fields, while winning his third Gold Glove.

In 1994 Gwynn batted .394, the highest batting average in the National League since Bill Terry hit .401 in 1930 and the highest in the majors since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Had the season not been shortened by a strike, Gwynn would have had the chance to become the first batter to eclipse the magical .400 mark in more than 50 years; of course, several players have hit .400 for four months, only to fade. In the end, Gwynn fell three hits short of the .400 mark in the shortened season.

In 1997, Gwynn reached career highs with 17 home runs and 119 runs batted in. The next season, Gwynn batted .321 and helped the Padres win their second pennant, as they defeated the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves in the playoffs. However, the Padres lost the World Series to the New York Yankees in a four-game sweep, despite Gwynn's home run in the opening game against New York Yankees pitcher David Wells, and his overall batting average of .500 in the Series.

Gwynn had 135 career home runs: 74 solo home runs, 39 2-run home runs, 19 3-run home runs, and 3 grand slams (one of which was of the inside-the-park variety). 99 of his home runs came when the game was tied or the Padres were behind.

Gwynn got his 3,000th hit on August 6, 1999, with a single in the first inning off Montreal Expos pitcher Dan Smith. Coincidentally, he got his 2,000th hit, also a single, on August 6, 1993, against Colorado Rockies pitcher Bruce Ruffin. August 6 is also the birthday of Gwynn's mother.

Achievements and honors

Gwynn is an eight-time National League batting champion, leading the league in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997, which ties him with the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner for the league record — the all-time Major League batting titles leader is Ty Cobb, who won 12 American League batting titles. He is also a 15-time All-Star, and was voted as a starter by the fans in 11 of the games.

Although he had 135 career home runs, Gwynn described himself as a contact hitter who could hit to all fields. He rarely struck out (just 434 times, once every 21 at-bats) and his goal was to put the ball in play and move baserunners over. He was also an outstanding bunter.

In 1999, while still active as one of baseball's best hitters, he ranked Number 49 on ''The Sporting News'''' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was nominated as a finalist for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Despite adding to his career statistics for two more seasons until his retirement, when ''TSN'' updated their list for 2005, Gwynn had fallen to Number 57.

Gwynn retired in 2001 with 3,141 hits and a lifetime batting average of .338. His career average is the highest among players whose careers began after World War II, and fourth-highest among players whose career was entirely within the live-ball era (only Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, and Bill Terry have higher averages in that time). He played his entire career with one team, a rarity in any era, and is considered by many to be the best player to ever wear a Padres jersey. In his last game at home, the Padres honored him by stenciling "5.5" on the third-base side of the infield dirt, referencing what he called the "5.5 hole" (so named because it was in between third base, marked as the number 5 on a scorecard, and shortstop, which is position number 6) where he placed many of his hits.

Since his retirement, Gwynn has worked as a color commentator for ESPN and is the head baseball coach at his alma mater, San Diego State University. In 1997, Smith Stadium, the school's baseball facility, was extensively renovated. Then-Padres owner John Moores financed the estimated $4 million project, and at Moores's request, it was renamed Tony Gwynn Stadium.

On July 21, 2007, a 10 foot statue of Tony Gwynn was unveiled outside PETCO Park. In honor of Gwynn's long service to the Padres and the community, the address of PETCO Park is 19 Tony Gwynn Drive.

Hall of Fame

On January 9, 2007, Gwynn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, being selected on 532 out of 545 ballots (97.61%), seventh highest percentage in Hall of Fame voting history, and just thirteen votes short of a unanimous selection. At the time of his induction, Gwynn was the only member of the Baseball Hall of Fame who was never a teammate of another Baseball Hall-of-Famer. Since then, former teammates Goose Gossage, Rickey Henderson and Roberto Alomar have been elected.

On July 21, 2007, the Padres unveiled a statue of Gwynn at the "Park in the Park" area of Petco. This statue features an engraving which reads "Mr. Padre", and includes a quote from Gwynn's father on the back. Gwynn was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame alongside Cal Ripken, Jr. on July 29, 2007. Ripken and Gwynn are 2 of the 46 players in the Hall of Fame who played their entire major league career for only one team. Both were elected in their first year of eligibility.

The Gwynn-Ripken induction weekend was notable for a number of attendance records, which were announced during the ceremony. 14,000 people visited the Hall of Fame Museum on July 28, a record number for a single-day. Baseball attendance for all games played on July 28 also set a single-day record. The induction ceremony also had the greatest collection of living Hall-of-Famers, 53, present for a ceremony. A record crowd estimated at 75,000 attended the induction ceremony, shattering the previous record of 25,000 in 1999. In 2002, Gwynn was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honoring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface. Prior to his induction into the Hall of Fame on July 20, 2007, Gwynn appeared on a Wheaties box.

Career totals

Bold indicates Padres all-time leader

! AVG	! G	! AB	! R	! H	! 2B	! 3B	! HR	! RBI	! BB	! SO	! SB	! CS	! OBP	! SLG
.338	2,440	9,288	1,383	3,141	543	85	135	1,138	790	434	319	118	.388	.459

Milestone Hits

! Hit #	! Date & Opponent	! Pitcher	! Type of Hit
1		Sid Monge	Double
500		Craig McMurtry	Single
1,000		Nolan Ryan	Single
1,135^		Jim Acker	Single
1,500		Steve Frey	Single
2,000			Single
2,500		Héctor Carrasco	Single
3,000			Single
3,141*		Gabe White	Single

^ Became the Padres all-time leader surpassing Dave Winfield (1973–80).

* Final of career

Post-playing career

Gwynn is currently the head baseball coach at San Diego State University, his ''alma mater'', and until recently was a part-time analyst for ESPN. He has recently been recruited as a Yahoo! Sports expert analyst. He often sits in for play-by-play during Padres games on San Diego's Channel 4. Gwynn has also been hired to help broadcast postseason games on TBS.

Personal life

Gwynn is married to Alicia Gwynn, PhD, and is the father of R&B; artist Anisha Nicole and major league outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr., whose major league debut (with the Milwaukee Brewers) and first major league hit on July 19, 2006 came 24 years to the day of his father's first major league hit — both Gwynns hit doubles. Gwynn also has two granddaughters. His brother, Chris, was also a major league outfielder. Both Chris and Tony Jr. played with the Padres during their careers. Gwynn currently splits his time between his homes in Poway, California (San Diego) and Fishers, Indiana (Indianapolis).

Gwynn has had three procedures to remove noncancerous growths from his parotid gland since 1997. In 2010, Gwynn was diagnosed with cancer of a salivary gland and had both lymph nodes removed. Gwynn attributed his cancer to his dipping tobacco habit that he had since playing rookie ball in Walla Walla in 1981.

Bibliography

''Tony!'', Contemporary Books, 1986. ISBN 0-8092-5034-9. (With Jim Geschke.)

''Tony Gwynn's Total Baseball Player'', St. Martin's Press, 1992. ISBN 0-312-07097-7. (With Jim Rosenthal, photos by Russ Gilbert.)

''The Art of Hitting'', GT Pub., 1998. ISBN 1-57719-347-4. (With Roger Vaughan, foreword by Ted Williams.)

See also

List of Major League Baseball hit records

List of Major League Baseball players with 2000 hits

List of Major League Baseball players with a .325 batting average

List of Gold Glove Award winners at outfield

List of Silver Slugger Award winners at outfield

Major League Baseball titles leaders

Major League Baseball titles streaks

DHL Hometown Heroes

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 RBI

List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

3,000 hit club

List of Major League Baseball batting champions

List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions

References

External links

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Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Amarillo Gold Sox players Category:American basketball players Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Hawaii Islanders players Category:Las Vegas Stars (baseball) players Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Category:Major League Baseball right fielders Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Category:National League All-Stars Category:National League batting champions Category:San Diego Clippers draft picks Category:San Diego Padres broadcasters Category:San Diego Padres players Category:San Diego State Aztecs baseball coaches Category:San Diego State Aztecs baseball players Category:San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball players Category:San Diego State University alumni Category:Walla Walla Padres players Category:Sportspeople from Los Angeles, California Category:Baseball players from California Category:African American baseball players Category:People with cancer

es:Tony Gwynn fr:Tony Gwynn ko:토니 그윈 ja:トニー・グウィン simple:Tony Gwynn

Philip James Welch (April 4, 1895 - April 26, 1963) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.

Born in St. Joseph, Buchanan County, Missouri, Welch was educated in the public schools. He engaged in the furniture business 1916-1931. Treasurer of city of St. Joseph 1932-1936 and mayor 1936-1946. He served as delegate to Democratic National Convention in 1940. He served as assistant director of Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Kansas City, Missouri, in 1946 and 1947.

Welch was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-first and Eighty-second Congresses (January 3, 1949-January 3, 1953). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1952 to the Eighty-third Congress but was unsuccessful for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He served with the State civil defense and later with the State industrial inspection division. He was a resident of St. Joseph, Missouri, until his death in Methodist Hospital April 26, 1963. He was interred in Memorial Park Cemetery. St. Joseph's baseball park, Phil Welch Stadium, is named in his honor.

References

Category:1895 births Category:1963 deaths Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	Ian Campbell
background	solo_singer
birth name	Ian Campbell
born	March 22, 1965Hyson Green, Nottingham, England
genre	Hip-house
occupation	Rapper, songwriter, painter
years active	1989–present
label	DWA RecordsPolydor Records
website	http://icemc.co.uk }}

Ian Campbell aka ICE MC (born 22 March 1965, Nottingham, England) is a hip-house/eurodance rapper.

Early life

Campbell's parents were from Jamaica, and he grew up in the Hyson Green area of Nottingham. When he was in high school his initials IC quickly got him a nickname ''ICE'' (lately he interpreted it as Ian Campbell Esquire). In 1983, he joined a group of breakdancers and started touring Europe with them.

Singing career

The first albums

In 1989 in Italy, he met Roberto Zanetti - singer, composer (as Savage), and producer (as Robyx). Their first single called "Easy", made in a hip-house style, came out in 1989. It became successful all over Europe, reaching the top 5 in Italy and the top 3 in Germany. The two next singles, "Cinema" and "Scream", and the subsequent debut album, ''Cinema'' (released later in 1990), were also successful. In 1992 his second LP, ''My World'', came out but failed to achieve the success of its predecessor.

The most successful hits

His third album, ''Ice'n'Green'', was released in 1994 and featured Alexia on vocals. Three of his most successful songs, "Think about the Way", "It's a Rainy Day" and "Take Away the Colour", made the charts all over the world. Campbell got a new look and new style, known as raggamuffin. The album was also released in the US, where the two biggest singles saw substantial club play and moderate dance music radio airplay. In 1995, ''Ice'n'Green - The Remix Album'' was released. This contained various remixes of previous hit singles.

Collaboration with Masterboy

In 1996, ICE MC decided to leave Zanetti and Alexia due to some disagreement between them. Shortly after that a new album, ''Dreadatour'', (produced by Masterboy) was released. The hit from the album was "Give Me the Light", but the album itself was not very successful. Later on in 1998, also with Masterboy, he released two promos, "Busy Body" and "Energy".

At the end of 2002, he decided to return to Italy and to contact Zanetti again. Together they started writing some new material and, at the beginning of 2004, they began recording a new album, ''Cold Skool''. Campbell is also a painter, and sells his paintings via his website.

Discography

Singles

1989 - "Easy"

1989 - "Easy (Attack Remix)"

1990 - "Scream"

1990 - "Scream (The U.S. Remix)"

1990 - "Cinema"

1990 - "OK Corral!"

1990 - "OK Corral! (The Cotton Remixes)"

1990 - "The Megamix"

1991 - "People"

1991 - "People (Remix)"

1991 - "Happy Weekend"

1991 - "Happy Weekend (Remix)"

1992 - "Rainy Days"

1993 - "Take Away the Colour"

1993 - "Take Away the Colour (Remixes)"

1994 - "Think about the Way" (UK release was named "Think About the Way (Bom Digi Digi Bom...)") - UK #42 / and #38 on re-issue in September 1996)

1994 - "Think about the Way" (Bom Digi Digi Bom remixes)

1994 - "It's a Rainy Day" - UK #73

1994 - "It's a Rainy Day (Remixes)"

1994 - "It's A Rainy Day (The Christmas Remix)"

1995 - "Take Away the Colour ('95 Reconstruction)"

1995 - "Ice'n' Mix" (Triple set remixes) (Italy Only)

1995 - "Megamix" (France only)

1995 - "Run Fa Cover" (US only)

1996 - "Russian Roulette" (Sweden only)

1996 - "Funkin' With You" (France only)

1996 - "Give Me the Light"

1996 - "Give Me the Light (Remixes)"

1996 - "Music for Money"

1997 - "Let's Take It Easy"

2004 - "It's a Miracle"

2004 - "My World"

Albums

1990 - ''Cinema''

1991 - ''My World - The Early Songs''

1994 - ''Ice'n'Green''

1995 - ''Ice'n'Green - The Remix Album''

1996 - ''Greatest Hits and Remixes''

1996 - ''Dreadatour''

2004 - ''Cold Skool''

References

External links

Official website

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:People from Nottingham Category:Club DJs Category:Eurodance musicians Category:English people of Jamaican descent

bg:Ice MC de:Ice MC es:Ice MC fr:Ice MC it:Ice MC ka:Ice Mc nl:Ice MC pl:Ice MC pt:Ice MC ru:ICE MC fi:Ice MC sv:Ian Campbell uk:Ice MC