When I first watched the movie Little Big League as a little kid, I witnessed Ken Griffey Jr hit a towering home run into the third level of the Metrodome. He even robbed a home run for the final out of the game. Ever since watching that movie I've wanted to learn more about Ken Griffey Jr. I know he is number six on the all time home run list with 630 home runs. He played for the Seattle Mariners for most of his career, and was drafted first in the 1987 draft. What I want to know more about Junior is what his life before the MLB was like. How many awards did he win in the MLB? Did he play for any other team besides the Mariners? Some historic moments or record breaking games or seasons. What does Ken Griffey Jr. do now that he's retired? Does …show more content…
was born on November 21, 1969 in Donora, Pennsylvania. Griffey grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio watching his dad play for the Cincinnati Reds. He attended Archbishop Moeller High School, where he was an outstanding athlete. Griffey could have gone to college for football, but committed his time to baseball. He was named the At the age of 17 Griffey was selected as the first pick of the 1987 MLB draft by the Seattle Mariners. Many called the 1987 pick “the best pick in MLB history”(“Ken Griffey Jr.”). He was sent to Bellingham, Washington. He dominated the league as a 17 year old. Scouts across the league were calling him a Grade A prospect. What most don't know is that at the age of 18 Junior swallowed 277 aspirin pills, trying to kill himself. He played one more year in the minor league. Then in 1989 Griffey won the starting center field position for the Seattle Mariners at the age of 19. From that point on all Griffey did was exceed his playing expectations. His rookie year he hit 16 home runs and had a batting average of .264. In 1990 he continued to improve. He hit 22 home runs and had 80 RBIs, while also being selected to his first career MLB All-Star Game. His Hall of Fame career continued on through the 1990s. He hit 382 home runs and had a batting average of .302 from 1990 to 1999(Sickles). He also added 10 straight Gold Glove awards as well as the 1997 Most Valuable Player Award(Awards). In 2000 Griffey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played with the club from 2000-2007(Career). From the year 2000 on Griffey’s prime shape and performance in the league was decreasing. Many reasons were due to many injuries he had sustained. Griffey could still hit the ball out of the park, but he couldn’t perform at the level of his 20 year old self. After his campaign with the Reds, Griffey was traded to the Chicago White Sox on the day of the trade deadline. His time in the league was coming to the end. After playing just 41 games for
baseball career as a top MLB prospect after playing for Team USA in the 1996 Summer Olympics in
He was 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 220 pounds. He was and still is the biggest shortstop in major league history. He is the only shortstop ever to hit 20 or more home runs in 10 straight seasons.
Jeter received lots of recognition during his high school years at Kalamazoo Central. Jeter was heavily recruited by Yankees scout Hal Newhouser. After Jeter’s senior season, he received many awards. Among those awards was the 1992 High School Player of the Year for Gatorade, USA today, and the American Baseball Coaches Association. Jeter built up his great confidence through his parents help. Every school year, Derek’s parents would make him sign a contract on the dos and don’ts of Derek’s daily behavior. His parents always tol...
Jack Roosevelt Johnson was born in the very segregated south in Cairo, Georgia around 1919. Jackie grew up loving baseball and knew that is what he wanted to do. About two decades before Jackie was born the MLB was split between white and Negro leagues. Jackie being an African-American, of course played for the Negro Leagues. He strived in this sport. He lead the Negro League with most stolen bases and had a great batting average. Both his statistics and love for the game brought the name Jackie Robinson to the attention of the Brooklyn Dodger's manager Branch Rickey.
Roberto Clemente once said “I want to be remembered as a baseball player who gave all I had to give.” One could easily say that Roberto Clemente left everything he had on the baseball field, when he played. Roberto Clemente was originally born in a fairly large city in Puerto Rico. Clemente came from humble beginnings. His father was a foreman at a sugar cane plantation, while his mother did little odd jobs such as running the grocery store on the same sugar cane plantation. Clemente even worked on the plantation to help bring in money for his family of nine and to also buy a bicycle. While growing up, Clemente was focused on baseball and track. He even won medals for javelin throwing.
After college Jackie decided to play professional baseball in all negro league. Back when Jackie was playing blacks were not allowed to play with whites in baseball. Jackie played shortstop and actually played really well, good enough to get the brooklyn dodgers attention. Branch Rickey may not sound familiar or even look familiar but i think that he is the man who changed baseball forever. Branch approached Jackie as the manag...
Throughout his high school years he played all different kinds of sports. He played football, baseball, basketball and ran track. He was one of the best in all those sports. When he played for his high school basketball team he was the leading scorer, and earned the name “Prime Time.” After his four years playing for his high school team, it was time to start looking for a college. Since he wanted his mother to come see him play, his first pick of colleges was Florida State. He had great careers in all the sports he played in. Before his senior year at Florida State University (FSU), the Yankees took him, so he played professional baseball while in college. While he was in college he decided he would stay away from cursing. So every time he cursed he would pay someone 5 bucks. In 1989 he was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round.
In the two decades which Ted Williams played he was a baseball icon. His first season was extraordinary. As a rookie in 1939, Williams hit .327 and popped 31 home runs over the Fenway walls, giving Red Sox fans a glimpse of what they would see for years to come. He was quickly nicknamed The Splendid Splinter and The Kid commanding attention as a natural hitter (Wikipedia).
Since then he has led his team to five world series titles and become the team captain. He is known for his good looks and quiet confidence. He is still playing shortstop for the Yankee’s today and never stops improving. More world series titles are seen in his future.
Jackie Robinson was the first black baseball player to play on the professional level, he was fearless, courageous, willful and strong. He was an advocate for civil rights, as well as a great baseball player. He had to try to keep quiet, and keep to himself while playing, but became a stronger and more extreme advocate over time. A leader on and off the fields dealing with much more than just baseball, he also had to deal with the criticism and racial tensions of a prominently white game. Branch Rickey, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was a showman who knew how to make money and fame in baseball “he had made a fortune for the cardinals as well as himself, and black talent could argument his bottom line by transforming his struggling dodgers into a power house” (Zeiler, 17). He wanted to make his team great by any means possible. He put his eyes on Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson changed the game and the world, and will always be a huge figure in baseball and civil rights.
Wesley Branch Rickey, known as Branch Rickey was born in Stockdale, Ohio in 1881. He grew up in a strict religious family. At the age of 19 Branch Rickey enrolled at Ohio Wesleyan University. Branch Rickey paid for his college education by playing both semi-professional baseball and football. After graduating in 1904, he joined a baseball team in the Texas League. Later that season Rickey was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds of the National League. His time with the team was brief. The Reds wanted to play on Sundays, but Rickey refused because his religion was more important to him. A few years later in 1906, Rickey was signed by the St. Louis Browns. Branch Rickey was the St. Louis Browns catcher for only a year before he was replaced behind the plate. (Biography.com)
Jackie Robinson was the most influential ball player of all time. Jackie was born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919. Robinson had a tough childhood since his dad left his family when he was only 1 year old. This was very difficult for his family, so Jackie, his mom, and his 4 siblings moved to California. This move actually helped Jackie in the long run as he later attended UCLA. At UCLA, Jackie became the first 4-letter man. This meant that he was the first person in the school’s history to join four varsity sports teams. From there, Jackie went on to the army and then to the Negro Leagues. During his time in the Negro Leagues, Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, was looking for a black man to break the
A known softball pitcher who led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics had started her career in college as a three-time All American pitcher and first baseman at the University of Arizona. Jennie Finch is known as one of the top softball players because of the amount of medals she has received and her dedication for the game. She has been a role model since she put her hand on a ball and threw her first pitch.Finch was born on September 3, 1980 in La Mirada, California. She was the youngest out of the three children in her family. She is married to Casey Daigle with their three kids. When she turned five, she began playing little league t-ball. Jennie began playing softball when she was eight years old and when she was nine she began playing on a 10-and-under All Star team. She spent every
Jackie Robinson overcame many struggles in life such as being included in the civil rights movement, facing discrimination, and he achieved being the first black man in major league baseball. He was born on January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Georgia on Hadley Ferry Road. It is a blue-collar town of about 10,000 people. Jackie Robinson became the first black player in the major leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Even though he achieved this major goal he still had trouble getting there. He and his siblings were raised by his single mother. Jackie attended Muir High School and Pasadena Junior College. He was a great athlete and played many sports. He played football, basketball, track, and of course baseball. He left school in 1941, worked as an athletic director and played semiprofessional football for the Honolulu Bears before being drafted to the Army in 1942. While he was in the army he became close friends with Joe Louis. The heavyweight used his popularity to protest about the delayed entry of black soldiers. Two years later he got the honor to be second lieutenant in 1943. After an accident where he refused to sit in the back of an unsegregated bus, military police arrested Robinson. A duty officer requested this and then later he requested that Jackie should be court martialed. Since this happened Jackie was not allowed to be deployed overseas to the World War II. He never saw combat during the war. Jackie left the Army with an honorable discharge.
Hank Aaron was a famous baseball player who was respectful to his teammates and his fans. His nickname was “Hammerin’ Hank”. At one time he led the league in the most home runs. He was born in a poor family and then grew up to be a great professional baseball player. He became one of the most admired baseball players in Major League history.