Show name	The Rookies
Genre	Crime drama
Creator	Rita Lakin
Starring	Georg Stanford BrownSam MelvilleMichael OntkeanKate JacksonGerald S. O'Loughlin
Theme music composer	Elmer Bernstein
Composer	Elmer BernsteinRobert DrasninJack ElliottAllyn FergusonPaul GlassShorty RogersGeorge RomanisLaurence RosenthalMark Snow
Country	United States
Language	English
Num seasons	4
Num episodes	92
Executive producer	Leonard GoldbergAaron Spelling
Producer	Paul Junger WittHal Sitowitz
Asst producer	Shelley Hull
Editor	James BaiottoLeon CarrereRichard Malek
Cinematography	Archie R. DalzellDennis Dalzell
Camera	Single-camera
Runtime	45–48 minutes
Channel	ABC
Audio format	Monaural
First aired
Last aired
Status	Ended
Related	S.W.A.T.

The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department (SCPD).

History

The series began as a made-for-television movie that aired on March 7, 1972 which also served as the pilot for the series. The success of Joseph Wambaugh's book, The New Centurions, as well as NBC's ratings success with Adam-12, had sparked interest at the time in a more realistic depiction and storytelling of the typical uniformed police officer. Although various incidents during the late 1960s and early 1970s, particularly in California, had sparked controversy and negative feelings towards police officers in general, The Rookies tried to better humanize the character of a police officer and show the struggles new, younger men and women (who were often Vietnam-era military veterans and/or college graduates) faced in their lives as law enforcement persons sworn to serve and protect the public. This 'new breed' of cop was a main theme, especially in the early years of the series.

The TV movie features five rookies newly arrived at a police academy in southern California: cadets Jared Whitman (Robert F. Lyons), Kevin Lassiter (Jeff Pomerantz), Mike Danko (Sam Melville), William "Willie" Gillis (Michael Ontkean), and Terry Webster (Georg Stanford Brown), all coming from different backgrounds including the military, college, and social work. The cadets' training sergeant was Eddie Ryker, played by Darren McGavin. (In the series, Sgt. Ryker had been recently promoted to lieutenant and was played by Gerald S. O'Loughlin.) The character of Jill Danko also appeared in the movie pilot, but was played by another actress, Jennifer Billingsley, and the part was recast for the series with Kate Jackson as Jill Danko, a registered nurse.

Synopsis

The Rookies TV series centers around three rookie officers, Danko, Webster, and Gillis, and their superior officer/mentor, Lt. Ryker. The show was produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. Each episode showcased highly dramatized versions of police cases and activities, often intertwined with the off-duty lives of the officers and their significant others. Mike Danko was the only rookie in the series who was married. Although filmed in and around Los Angeles, the actual setting of the show was kept deliberately vague, and, in a TV Guide article about the show, "SCPD" was said to stand for "Southern California Police Department."

After the second season, the character of Willie Gillis was replaced (Ontkean left the show over complaints in the story writing) with a new rookie, Chris Owens, played by Bruce Fairbairn. During the series' third season, a two part episode (entitled "S.W.A.T.") aired on February 17, 1975 and served as the pilot for the spin-off series S.W.A.T.

Cast

Notable guest stars

Tyne Daly

Robert Harland

Cheryl Ladd

William Shatner

Syndication and DVD release

The series was last seen in reruns on TV Land in 2003, but only episodes from the first two seasons were shown.

On July 17, 2007, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released The Rookies - The Complete First Season, on Region 1 DVD in the United States.

External links

Category:1972 television series debuts Category:1976 television series endings Category:1970s American television series Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows Category:Black television drama series Category:Crime television series Category:English-language television series Category:Police procedural television series Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television Category:Television series by Spelling Television Category:Television shows set in California

Name	Jacoby Ellsbury
Width	300
Team	Boston Red Sox
Number	2
Position	Center fielder|
Birthdate	September 11, 1983
Birthplace	Madras, Oregon
Bats	Left
Throws	Left
Debutdate	June 30
Debutyear	2007
Debutteam	Boston Red Sox
Statyear	2010 season
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.291
Stat2label	Home runs
Stat2value	20
Stat3label	Runs batted in
Stat3value	130
Stat4label	Stolen bases
Stat4value	136
Teams
Awards

Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury (first name ); born September 11, 1983 in Madras, Oregon) 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 in high school and played varsity basketball his Sophomore through Senior year. Ellsbury's career batting average of .567 and being caught stealing only once are both 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 by Boston in 2005, 23rd overall, after three years at Oregon State University.

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 is one of only three active non-Hispanic Native American players in Major League Baseball, with the others being Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals and Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees. Ellsbury is English and German on his paternal side.

Professional career

2005

Ellsbury began his professional career on July 14, 2005, with the Lowell Spinners in the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League. From the start, he showed that his patience and great speed were an asset when he led off the game by walking on a 3-2 pitch, stealing second, continuing to third on a throwing error and then scoring on a wild pitch. On September 7, he tied a Lowell team record with three stolen bases in a game. He finished the season batting .317 with 23 stolen bases in 35 games.

Ellsbury was named Red Sox Minor League Base Stealer of the Month for July, when he went a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts.

2006

Jacoby Ellsbury began the season as the #6 prospect in the Red Sox organization with the Single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Carolina League where, on July 3, he tied a Wilmington franchise record by stealing four bases in a game. After batting .299 with 25 steals in 61 games and being named to the 2006 Carolina League All-Star team, he was promoted to the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League on July 12.

Soon after his promotion to Portland, he was named Eastern League Player of the Week for the week of August 6–13 for batting .400 along with his first Double-A home run and hitting safely in seven straight games. Jacoby finished the Double-A season in Portland batting .308 with 16 steals in 50 games. He was selected by the Red Sox as their minor league Defensive Player of the Year and Baserunner of the Year and given a roster spot on the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League, an offseason developmental league where minor league players play to refine their skill in front of mainly scouts and team executives.

In the AFL, he hit only .276 in 25 games, but his defensive skill was enough to earn him a spot in the AFL Rising Stars All-Star game.

2007

Spring training

Ellsbury participated in the Red Sox' spring training camp in Fort Myers, Florida as a non-roster invitee and was assigned to the minor league camp on March 9, after earning rave reviews for his fielding and speed on the basepaths, in eight games at the major league camp. He was the #1 prospect in the Red Sox organization, and was rated as the #33 prospect in baseball for 2007 by Baseball America and #43 by Sports Illustrated.

Minor league play

He started the 2007 season as the starting center fielder for the Sea Dogs and was promoted to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox on May 4, 2007 after batting .452 in 17 games at Portland and being named the Eastern League Player of the Month for April. He was chosen to play in the 2007 All-Star Futures Game as part of the MLB All-Star festivities at AT&T; Park in San Francisco, but was replaced by Matt Tolbert due to his promotion to the Red Sox. After returning to the minors he was reinstated on the US Futures roster to replace the injured Cameron Maybin. He went 0-4 in the game.

Ellsbury set a new consecutive game hitting streak record for Pawtucket on August 24, 2007, besting the mark that had been held by both Dave Stapleton and Dave Berg at 19 consecutive games. His streak ended at 25 games on August 31 with an 0-4 outing.

Ellsbury finished the Triple-A season with 33 stolen bases, tied for second in the International League with Darnell McDonald of the Rochester Red Wings, and one behind leader Bernie Castro of the Columbus Clippers; though Castro had 34 steals in 118 games, and McDonald 33 steals in 134 games, Ellsbury's 33 steals came in just 87 games.

For the second consecutive season, the Red Sox selected Ellsbury as their minor league Defensive Player of the Year and Baserunner of the Year.

Major league play

.]] With an injury to Coco Crisp, Ellsbury had his contract purchased and received a call-up to the Red Sox on June 30, 2007, where he made his MLB debut in center field and hit ninth against the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park wearing number 46. He got his first major league hit against Robinson Tejeda of the Rangers in the bottom of the third inning of that game. His first career stolen base came off pitcher Brandon McCarthy and catcher Gerald Laird of the Rangers on July 2, and he also impressed in that game when he scored from second base on a wild pitch. Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame member Johnny Pesky described the play as "the greatest single play I've ever seen in all my years in baseball". He was optioned back to Pawtucket on July 5 after appearing in six games for the Red Sox.

On August 17, he was recalled for the second game of a doubleheader where he led off and played center field. He was then optioned back to Pawtucket after the game.

On September 1, when the Major League rosters expanded to 40 players, he was again recalled to the Red Sox, and on September 2, he hit his first major league home run off Daniel Cabrera of the Baltimore Orioles in the bottom of the fourth inning, a solo shot which landed in the Red Sox bullpen.

The New York Times described him in a September 2007 article as a "cult hero" who brings "speed, improved defense, and unbridled enthusiasm."

He was named MLB's American League Rookie of the Month for September and with fewer than 130 major league at-bats, he still qualified as a rookie for the season.

During the 2007 postseason, with Coco Crisp struggling, Ellsbury got the start in center field for Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians, starting every subsequent postseason game. In eleven total postseason games, he hit .360 in 25 at-bats with two stolen bases.

On October 27, with his two doubles off Josh Fogg in top of the third inning of Game 3 of the World Series, he became the first rookie to hit two doubles in the same inning of a World Series game; Matt Williams in 2001 is the only other player to accomplish this feat. After hitting another double off Brian Fuentes in the eighth inning, he became the fourth rookie ever to hit three doubles in a World Series game. His four hits, including a single in the first inning, made him only the third rookie to ever accomplish the feat in the World Series, after Freddie Lindstrom in 1924 and Joe Garagiola in 1946. For the World Series, he batted .438 with four doubles and a stolen base.

2008

Heading into the 2008 season, Ellsbury was ranked as the #13 prospect by Baseball America, the #16 prospect by Baseball Prospectus and the #19 prospect by ESPN Scouts Inc. All rank him as the #2 prospect in the Red Sox organization behind Clay Buchholz.

Ellsbury hit .224/.291/.347 in sixteen spring training games and started in center field for the 2008 MLB season opener against the Oakland Athletics on March 25 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. He hit his first home run of the season on April 6 off Roy Halladay of the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre leading off the top of the 3rd inning. He stole his first base of the season on April 12, off Mike Mussina and Jose Molina of the New York Yankees in the bottom of the first inning.

On April 22, Ellsbury had his first career multi-home run game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He hit one solo shot off a Jered Weaver pitch in the first inning, and another off a Darren O'Day pitch in the sixth.

On May 18 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park, Ellsbury was caught stealing on a pitch-out in the fourth inning, which ended a streak of 25 consecutive stolen bases to begin his career, two shy of the major league record held by Tim Raines in . On May 30 with three steals against the Baltimore Orioles, he became the first Red Sox player to steal more than two bases in a game since Jerry Remy stole four on June 14, ; he then stole another three bases in the next game, and one more in the third game of the series, for a total of seven.

On June 15, Ellsbury stole his 32nd base of the season, breaking the Red Sox rookie record, set 100 years earlier by Amby McConnell.

He finished the season with 50 steals to lead the American League and put him third on the list of Red Sox all-time stolen base leaders for a single season, behind Tommy Harper (54) in and Tris Speaker (52) in .

He has also garnered praise for his defense in the outfield, having then played 178 games (1,430 innings) without committing an error in his major league career (as of the end of the 2008 regular season).

Ellsbury finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, behind Evan Longoria of Tampa Bay and Alexei Ramirez of the Chicago White Sox.

2008 postseason

Ellsbury hit .333/.400/.567 with three stolen bases in the American League Division Series, in which the Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3–1 in the best-of-five series.

In the second inning of Game 3 of the ALDS, Ellsbury hit the first three-run single in postseason history when Howie Kendrick and Torii Hunter let a pop-up fall to the ground between them. Shortly after, he stole second base.

After going 0-14 in the first three games of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Ellsbury was benched in favor of Coco Crisp with only a pinch hitting at-bat in game 4. He did not play in games 5, 6 or 7, as the Sox eventually lost the series 4–3.

2009

in September, 2009.]] On April 12, Ellsbury played his 179th straight regular-season game without an error, breaking Mike Greenwell’s Red Sox franchise record for outfielders.

On April 15, Ellsbury with six errorless chances passed Coco Crisp for most errorless chances by a center fielder, setting a new Red Sox franchise record of 433.

On April 26, in a game against the New York Yankees, Ellsbury stole home while Andy Pettitte was in his windup. According to the April 26 edition of SportsCenter, Ellsbury's was the first steal of home plate by a Red Sox player with no other runners attempting to steal since Jeff Frye stole home in a game in 1999, and it was the first steal of home plate with no squeeze attempt or other runners attempting to steal (a "pure" steal of home) since Billy Hatcher in 1994. Following his return to the dugout after the steal, Red Sox fans called Ellsbury back for a curtain call for his performance.

On April 30, Ellsbury was the only baserunner for the Red Sox in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

On May 20, Ellsbury tied a major league record for outfielders with twelve putouts in a nine-inning game, tying Earl Clark of the Boston Braves who did it against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10, 1929 and Lyman Bostock of the Minnesota Twins who did it against the Red Sox on May 25, 1977.

On May 27, Ellsbury went 0-3 to snap a 22-game hitting streak.

On June 17, Ellsbury's streak of 232 games and 554 chances without an error ended at Fenway when he had a ball hit by Jorge Cantu of the Florida Marlins go off the top of his glove in the top of the first inning. It was the longest errorless streak by an outfielder in Red Sox history.

On August 21, Ellsbury tied Tommy Harper's Red Sox single season record for stolen bases (54), in a game against the New York Yankees, again facing Pettitte. Ellsbury then broke the record with his 55th steal on August 25, against the Chicago White Sox.

Ellsbury led the American League in stolen bases for the second consecutive year in 2009 with 70. He also led the AL in triples with 10.

Ellsbury won Defensive Player of the Year in MLB.com's annual This Year in Baseball Awards 2009.

2010

During the offseason Ellsbury changed his number (with permission from the Red Sox and MLB) from 46 to 2. The number (2) had belonged to Brad Mills, the Red Sox' former bench coach, who left the organization to become the manager of the Houston Astros. Ellsbury has also worn number 23 in the past, but not in the majors.

With the Red Sox signing free agent center fielder Mike Cameron and not re-signing left fielder Jason Bay, Ellsbury was moved to the starting left field position as opposed to center. Ellsbury spent a considerable amount of time playing left field during the 2007 playoffs in late innings when players were being substituted, before earning the primary job in center field over Coco Crisp. The move was made as the result of Cameron's experience in center and inexperience in left. Ellsbury tends to play more flexibly and can thus be moved. Manager Terry Francona expressed excitement over the prospect of playing a true center fielder in left field, creating a larger fielding range and more aggressive style.

On April 11, Ellsbury collided with Red Sox third baseman Adrián Beltré, in a game against the Kansas City Royals. The collision resulted in hairline fractures to four of his left ribs. He was put on the 15-day disabled list on April 20 (retroactive to April 12). Ellsbury returned to the Red Sox on May 22.

On May 28, Ellsbury was put back on the 15-day DL after playing in only three games for the Red Sox due to residual soreness in his left ribs from the collision with Beltré. He met with a thoracic specialist, who advised him that his ribs should be further along in the healing process before he would be able to play. On July 26, Ellsbury started his rehab assignment with Single-A Lowell Spinners.

On August 4, he rejoined the Red Sox.

On August 9, he was the first baserunner (since Brady Anderson in 1998) to steal 4 bases against the Yankees.

On August 14, Ellsbury was placed on the 15-day disabled list for the third time in 2010 after re-injuring himself in a game against the Texas Rangers. He did not play again in 2010.

Personal life

Ellsbury was one of the victims of the $8 billion dollar fraud perpetrated by wealth manager Allen Stanford; although Ellsbury had some assets frozen, it did not cause him any significant hardship, like those suffered by Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady.

Philanthropy

In 2010, Ellsbury released a Zinfandel wine called ZinfandEllsbury through Charity Wines with 100% of his proceeds donated across three charities: The Navajo Relief Fund, Project Bread: The Walk for Hunger, and Ellsbury Read Project. The wine launched alongside a charity wine by Boston Red Sox teammate Josh Beckett, called Chardon-K. Jacoby Ellsbury was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon), but as reported in the Boston Globe in 2008, he and his three brothers stopped attending services when Jacoby was a teenager. He said, "I try not to get Him too involved in baseball. What I wish for is good health."

Career statistics

Amateur career

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0" ID="Table3" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! ALIGN="center" | Season ! ALIGN="center" | Team - ! ALIGN="center" | League ! ALIGN="center" | Age ! ALIGN="center" | AVG ! ALIGN="center" | G ! ALIGN="center" | AB ! ALIGN="center" | R ! ALIGN="center" | H ! ALIGN="center" | 2B ! ALIGN="center" | 3B ! ALIGN="center" | HR ! ALIGN="center" | RBI ! ALIGN="center" | SB ! ALIGN="center" | CS ! ALIGN="center" | BB ! ALIGN="center" | SO ! ALIGN="center" | OBP ! ALIGN="center" | SLG |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2002 | ALIGN="center" | Bend | ALIGN="center" | Pacific International League | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | .357 | ALIGN="center" | 31 | ALIGN="center" | 82 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 29 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 9 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | .463 | ALIGN="center" | .500 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2003 | ALIGN="center" | Oregon State | ALIGN="center" | NCAA | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | .230 | ALIGN="center" | 53 | ALIGN="center" | 206 | ALIGN="center" | 56 | ALIGN="center" | 47 | ALIGN="center" | 10 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 33 | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 26 | ALIGN="center" | 33 | ALIGN="center" | .427 | ALIGN="center" | .510 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2003 | ALIGN="center" | Anchorage | ALIGN="center" | Alaska Baseball League | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | .338 | ALIGN="center" | 39 | ALIGN="center" | 145 | ALIGN="center" | 24 | ALIGN="center" | 49 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 13 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | .421 | ALIGN="center" | .427 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2004 | ALIGN="center" | Oregon State | ALIGN="center" | NCAA | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | .352 | ALIGN="center" | 49 | ALIGN="center" | 196 | ALIGN="center" | 56 | ALIGN="center" | 69 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 30 | ALIGN="center" | 17 | ALIGN="center" | .464 | ALIGN="center" | .459 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2004 | ALIGN="center" | Falmouth | ALIGN="center" | Cape Cod League | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | .245 | ALIGN="center" | 28 | ALIGN="center" | 110 | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | 27 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 17 | ALIGN="center" | 25 | ALIGN="center" | .376 | ALIGN="center" | .345 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2005 | ALIGN="center" | Oregon State | ALIGN="center" | NCAA | ALIGN="center" | 21 | ALIGN="center" | .406 | ALIGN="center" | 58 | ALIGN="center" | 244 | ALIGN="center" | 56 | ALIGN="center" | 99 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 48 | ALIGN="center" | 26 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 36 | ALIGN="center" | 21 | ALIGN="center" | .495 | ALIGN="center" | .582 |- ALIGN="center" |}

2002 Pacific International League All-Star

2003 Freshman Second Team NCAA All-American

2004 Pac-10 Conference All-Star

2005 Pac-10 Conference Co-Player of the Year

2005 Pac-10 Conference All-Star

2005 First Team NCAA All-American

Minor League career

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0" ID="Table3" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! ALIGN="center" | Season ! ALIGN="center" | Team ! ALIGN="center" | League ! ALIGN="center" | Age ! ALIGN="center" | AVG ! ALIGN="center" | G ! ALIGN="center" | AB ! ALIGN="center" | R ! ALIGN="center" | H ! ALIGN="center" | 2B ! ALIGN="center" | 3B ! ALIGN="center" | HR ! ALIGN="center" | RBI ! ALIGN="center" | SB ! ALIGN="center" | CS ! ALIGN="center" | BB ! ALIGN="center" | SO ! ALIGN="center" | OBP ! ALIGN="center" | SLG |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2005 | ALIGN="center" | Lowell | ALIGN="center" | A | ALIGN="center" | 21 | ALIGN="center" | .317 | ALIGN="center" | 35 | ALIGN="center" | 139 | ALIGN="center" | 28 | ALIGN="center" | 44 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 23 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 24 | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | .418 | ALIGN="center" | .432 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2006 | ALIGN="center" | Wilmington | ALIGN="center" | A | ALIGN="center" | 22 | ALIGN="center" | .299 | ALIGN="center" | 61 | ALIGN="center" | 244 | ALIGN="center" | 35 | ALIGN="center" | 73 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 32 | ALIGN="center" | 25 | ALIGN="center" | 9 | ALIGN="center" | 25 | ALIGN="center" | 28 | ALIGN="center" | .379 | ALIGN="center" | .418 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2006 | ALIGN="center" | Portland | ALIGN="center" | AA | ALIGN="center" | 22 | ALIGN="center" | .308 | ALIGN="center" | 50 | ALIGN="center" | 198 | ALIGN="center" | 29 | ALIGN="center" | 61 | ALIGN="center" | 10 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 19 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 24 | ALIGN="center" | 25 | ALIGN="center" | .387 | ALIGN="center" | .434 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2006 | ALIGN="center" | Peoria | ALIGN="center" | Arizona Fall League | ALIGN="center" | 23 | ALIGN="center" | .276 | ALIGN="center" | 25 | ALIGN="center" | 105 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | 29 | ALIGN="center" | 4 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | .342 | ALIGN="center" | .371 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2007 | ALIGN="center" | Portland | ALIGN="center" | AA | ALIGN="center" | 23 | ALIGN="center" | .452 | ALIGN="center" | 17 | ALIGN="center" | 73 | ALIGN="center" | 16 | ALIGN="center" | 33 | ALIGN="center" | 10 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 13 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | .518 | ALIGN="center" | .644 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2007 | ALIGN="center" | Pawtucket | ALIGN="center" | AAA | ALIGN="center" | 23 | ALIGN="center" | .298 | ALIGN="center" | 87 | ALIGN="center" | 363 | ALIGN="center" | 66 | ALIGN="center" | 108 | ALIGN="center" | 14 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 28 | ALIGN="center" | 33 | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 32 | ALIGN="center" | 47 | ALIGN="center" | .360 | ALIGN="center" | .380 |}

2006 Carolina League All-Star

2006 Eastern League Player of the Week - August 6–13

2006 Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Year

2006 Red Sox Minor League Base Runner of the Year

2006 Arizona Fall League Rising Stars

2007 Eastern League Player of the Month - April

2007 XM All-Star Futures Game

2007 Red Sox Minor League Defensive Player of the Year

2007 Red Sox Minor League Base Runner of the Year

Major League career

{| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="0" ID="Table3" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! ALIGN="center" | Season ! ALIGN="center" | Team ! ALIGN="center" | League ! ALIGN="center" | AVG ! ALIGN="center" | G ! ALIGN="center" | AB ! ALIGN="center" | R ! ALIGN="center" | H ! ALIGN="center" | 2B ! ALIGN="center" | 3B ! ALIGN="center" | HR ! ALIGN="center" | RBI ! ALIGN="center" | SB ! ALIGN="center" | CS ! ALIGN="center" | BB ! ALIGN="center" | SO ! ALIGN="center" | OBP ! ALIGN="center" | SLG |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2007 | ALIGN="center" | Boston | ALIGN="center" | AL | ALIGN="center" | .353 | ALIGN="center" | 33 | ALIGN="center" | 116 | ALIGN="center" | 20 | ALIGN="center" | 41 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 1 | ALIGN="center" | 3 | ALIGN="center" | 18 | ALIGN="center" | 9 | ALIGN="center" | 0 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 67 | ALIGN="center" | .394 | ALIGN="center" | .509 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2008 | ALIGN="center" | Boston | ALIGN="center" | AL | ALIGN="center" | .280 | ALIGN="center" | 145 | ALIGN="center" | 554 | ALIGN="center" | 98 | ALIGN="center" | 155 | ALIGN="center" | 22 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 9 | ALIGN="center" | 47 | ALIGN="center" | 50 | ALIGN="center" | 11 | ALIGN="center" | 41 | ALIGN="center" | 80 | ALIGN="center" | .336 | ALIGN="center" | .394 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | ALIGN="center" | 2009 | ALIGN="center" | Boston | ALIGN="center" | AL | ALIGN="center" | .301 | ALIGN="center" | 153 | ALIGN="center" | 624 | ALIGN="center" | 94 | ALIGN="center" | 188 | ALIGN="center" | 27 | ALIGN="center" | 10 | ALIGN="center" | 8 | ALIGN="center" | 60 | ALIGN="center" | 70 | ALIGN="center" | 12 | ALIGN="center" | 49 | ALIGN="center" | 74 | ALIGN="center" | .355 | ALIGN="center" | .415 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! ALIGN="center" | 3 Years ! ALIGN="center" | - ! ALIGN="center" | - ! ALIGN="center" | .297 ! ALIGN="center" | 331 ! ALIGN="center" | 1294 ! ALIGN="center" | 212 ! ALIGN="center" | 384 ! ALIGN="center" | 56 ! ALIGN="center" | 18 ! ALIGN="center" | 20 ! ALIGN="center" | 125 ! ALIGN="center" | 129 ! ALIGN="center" | 23 ! ALIGN="center" | 98 ! ALIGN="center" | 169 ! ALIGN="center" | .350 ! ALIGN="center" | .414 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" |} Through End of 2009 Season (October 5, 2009)

2007 American League Rookie of the Month - September

2008 Red Sox rookie single season stolen bases record

2008 American League stolen base leader

2009 All time Red Sox single season stolen bases record

2009 MLB Stolen Base Leader

See also

List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions

List of Major League Baseball triples champions

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:American League stolen base champions Category:Major League Baseball outfielders Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players Category:Portland Sea Dogs players Category:Lowell Spinners players Category:Arizona Fall League Category:All-Star Futures Game players Category:Oregon State Beavers baseball players Category:Baseball players from Oregon Category:People from Jefferson County, Oregon Category:Native American sportspeople Category:Native American Latter Day Saints Category:American sportspeople of English descent Category:American sportspeople of German descent

Name	Blake Griffin
Caption	Blake Griffin during his tenure at Oklahoma.
Height ft	6
Height in	10
Weight lb	251
Team	Los Angeles Clippers
Number	32
Position	Power forward
Birth date	March 16, 1989
Birth place	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
High school	Oklahoma Christian School (Edmond, Oklahoma)
College	Oklahoma
Nationality	American
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft team	Los Angeles Clippers
Draft year	2009
Teams
Career start	2009
Highlights

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Griffin had an outstanding high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father who was the head coach. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners and was awarded numerous accolades in his second year including the Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the John Wooden Award. After two seasons at Oklahoma, Griffin left college to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected first overall by the Clippers. Listed as a power forward, he is known as one of the NBA's most prolific dunkers with outstanding leaping ability.

Early life

Childhood

Griffin was born on March 16, 1989 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Gail and Tommy Griffin. Griffin and his older brother, Taylor Griffin, were home-schooled by their mother from first grade until Taylor was in the tenth grade and Griffin was in eighth. He grew up playing basketball games in his driveway with his older brother and was a fan of the Chicago Bulls. Growing up, he was good friends with Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams and played on the same Athletes First AAU basketball team along with Xavier Henry of the Memphis Grizzlies. Griffin’s parents owned a trophy company that Bradford’s father would use and Bradford’s father owned a gym where Griffin and his brother Taylor played basketball. Apart from basketball, he also played baseball, preferring to play as first baseman, soccer and football as a wide receiver, safety and a tight end.

High school

Griffin and his brother Taylor attended Oklahoma Christian School for high school where they played under their father who was the head coach. They played together during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 high school seasons, winning two state high school basketball championships together. In his sophomore year, the Saints repeated as Class 3A state champions and finished the season with a 24–2 record, while averaging 13.6 points per game in what was his final high school season with his brother. He was named to the Little All-City All-State team and his brother was named The Oklahoman Player of the Year. After the season, his brother went off to college to play for the Oklahoma Sooners. During the summer of 2005, Griffin played against Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson while playing for the Athletes First AAU team.

As a junior, he averaged 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, leading the Saints through the playoffs and earning a berth in the Class 2A championship game, beating Washington High School for a third straight state championship and was named the state tournament MVP. He gained national attention as a high school junior and caught the attention of the new head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, Jeff Capel, who first heard of Griffin through his brother Taylor.

During his senior year, he averaged 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game while leading the team to a 26–3 record. On March 10, 2007, he played his final high school game in the state title game against Pawnee High School. He was named the Player of the Year by both the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman and named a Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team, EA Sports Second Team and a Parade Third Team All-American. He was ranked as the nation's #13 high school senior by HoopScoop, #20 by scout.com and #23 by rivals.com, and as the country's third-best power forward by HoopScoop, sixth by rivals.com and the seventh by scout.com. At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the Powerade Jam Fest slam dunk contest.

College career

After accepting a scholarship to play for the University of Oklahoma Sooners over University of Connecticut, Duke University, University of Florida, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in-state Oklahoma State University, he was one of the highest rated and most decorated recruits ever at Oklahoma. He ranked ninth in scoring, fourth in rebounding and third in field goal percentage in Big 12.

Less than two months after injuring his left knee, he injured his right knee in a home victory against Texas A&M;. The injury this time was torn cartilage, and he had arthroscopic surgery on March 2, 2008. but was back on the court a week after the injury with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes versus the Missouri Tigers, a win for the Sooners on their home floor. He was expected to be a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but decided to forgo the NBA draft and return to college for a second season to give himself time to mature physically and make Oklahoma a contender for the NCAA championship. In the third game of the season against the Davidson Wildcats, he scored 25 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, after which he scored 35 points and 21 rebounds against Gardner–Webb, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to record back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.

On February 21, he received a concussion in a loss to the Texas Longhorns, when he caught an inadvertent shot to the face from the open hand of Texas center Dexter Pittman. He sat out the second half during the Sooners loss with a bloody nose. After sitting out the next game, a loss to Kansas Jayhawks, Griffin was cleared by the medical staff and returned a week later to get 20 points and 19 rebounds in a victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sooners fell short to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the second-round win over the Michigan Wolverines, just the second player in the 2000s decade with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the NCAA tournament. However, the Sooners lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the South Regional final.

Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and earned All-American First Team honors. He led the Big 12 in scoring and rebounds, and recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds 15 times, which is a Big 12 record. With 30 double-doubles during the season, he was one short of the NCAA record of 31 set by David Robinson in 1986–1987. His total of 504 rebounds where the most in a season by an NCAA Division I player since Indiana State's Larry Bird had 505 in 1978–79 and his rebounding average of 14.4 was the highest since Wake Forest's Tim Duncan averaged 14.7 in 1996–97.

Towards the end of his sophomore season, Griffin was awarded numerous accolades. He was a unanimous choice by voters in all nine geographical districts for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and was named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, receiving 66 of the 71 national media panel members' votes. Griffin was announced as the winner of the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year on April 5 in Detroit. Three days after announcing that he would turn pro, he won the John Wooden Award as college basketball's top player. A press conference announcing his decision was aired nationally on ESPNews. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft. Griffin played for the Clippers' Summer League Team and was named Summer League MVP. In their final preseason game, he injured his kneecap as he landed after a dunk. The day before the 2009–10 season started it was confirmed that Griffin had a stress fracture in his left knee, delaying his NBA debut for seven weeks. Griffin had surgery on his broken left kneecap and it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season.

After missing the entire 2009–10 season, Griffin was still considered a rookie during the 2010-11 season. In his debut for the Clippers against the Portland Trail Blazers, Griffin scored 20 points and registered 14 rebounds. At the beginning of the season, Baron Davis and Chris Kaman were out with injuries and the Clippers got off to a slow start, losing thirteen of their first fourteen games. On November 20, 2010, he set a Clippers record for most points scored by a rookie with 44 in a home loss to the New York Knicks. Griffin was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November and December. He also set a franchise record for most consecutive double-doubles with 23 in a home game against the Golden State Warriors. On February 19, 2011, he will participate in the NBA's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 34 || 34 || 37.1 || .523 || .667 || .588 || 12.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .6 || 21.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 34 || 34 || 37.1 || .523 || .667 || .588 || 12.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .6 || 21.7

Awards

McDonald's All-American (2007) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2009) Unanimous AP All American (2009) Sports Illustrated Player of the Year (2009) Sporting News Player of the Year (2009) Athlon Sports Player of the Year (2009) NBA Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month - November 2010 He started a fundraiser called Dunking for Dollars, in which he donates $100 to fight childhood obesity for every dunk he makes.

See also

2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders

References

External links

Official Site

Blake Griffin at NBA.com

Blake Griffin at ESPN.com

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Category:Los Angeles Clippers players