Tampa Bay Rays: This year Tampa Bay decided to drop the “Devil” from their name and it appears to be doing wonders. Tampa Bay used to be the laughing stock of baseball, they were almost a lock to lose 100 games and finish last in the American League East. That has all changed. Tampa is currently 17 games above .500, first place in the American League East and holds the best record in the Majors.
Josh Hamilton: With the first overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected high school phenom Josh Hamilton. Hamilton had amazing potential and was seen as a great prospect and a future star. The only thing holding him back was a drug and alcohol addiction that resulted in many fines and suspensions from the league. Josh’s problems with drugs and alcohol have been very well documented. Hamilton entered rehab and has been clean since October 6, 2005. Josh now speaks to groups and fans at different functions and is very open about his story so that others do not fall into the same troubles. Josh is an outfielder with the Texas Rangers who is currently hitting .309 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI’s.
John Lester: Lester survived a rare form of blood cancer (lymphoma) last year. He then came back to help the Red Sox win the World Series and was the winning pitcher in the decisive game. Lester continues his remarkable recovery from cancer as he no-hit the Kansas City Royals on May 19th of this year and is currently 6-3 with an era of 3.48
Ken Griffey Junior: It was a special moment to see the kid finally hit home run number 600. Griffey was one of everyone’s favorite players as he was the face of major league baseball for much of the 90’s despite not playing in a big market. Everyone enjoyed watching the young prodigy as we were all mesmerized by his natural talent and his passion for the game. It was sad to see him spend so much time on the disabled list because we all know how much potential he had and everyone wonders how many home runs he could have hit. Forgetting about the injuries for a moment, it was great to see him hit 600 and join the elite group.
Doug Davis: On March 28, 2008 Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Doug Davis was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. He had surgery to remove his thyroid on April 10th and underwent weeks of therapy to remove any remaining cancer. On May 9th it was announced that he was no cancer free. With his father in the stands, Doug returned to the Diamondbacks rotation on May 23, 2008 against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched seven innings, allowing only one run and striking out five in an 11-1 win for Arizona.
Troy Percival: Percival is a closer who spent the majority of his career with the Angels. He retired in 2005 and was signed as a special assistant pitching instructor for their farm system. He requested to be released from this contract as he wanted to attempt to make a comeback to the majors. Last year, he signed with the Cardinals and struck out the first batter he faced. He also recorded the win in that appearance. In 2008 he signed with the Rays and is currently the closer. In his first appearance he recorded a save for the first time in two years. He currently has 19 saves in 21 opportunities.
First of all, Happy Father’s Day to all Father’s everywhere. I would like to wish my own Dad a Happy Father’s Day as well.
Most of us learn about sports through our fathers, therefore, it is no surprise that many athletes have followed in their fathers into the world of professional sports.
10. The Walton’s: Bill Walton was a great player who is a member of both the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame as well as the Basketball hall of Fame. He won three straight college player of the year awards at UCLA and then went on to have a great NBA Career where he won two Championships. His son, Luke played basketball at the University of Arizona. He was drafted 32nd overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2003 NBA Draft and currently comes off of the bench for the Western Conference Champions.
9. The Boone’s: The Boone’s became the first family in major league baseball history to have players from three generations. Ray Boone was a 12 year infielder in the Major Leagues. Bob Boone was a major league catcher and later a manager for the Royals and the Reds. Bob’s sons Bret and Aaron also made it to the majors. Bret is a retired second baseman, while Aaron is currently a member on the Washington Nationals. Aaron is most known for his game-winning home-run in game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, where coincidentally his brother Bret was a guest broadcaster.
8. The Barry’s: Rick and Brent Barry are one of only two Father-son combinations in NBA history to both win a championship. Rick Barry won his ring in 1975 with the Warriors while his son Brent has received two with San Antonio.
7. The Howe’s: Gordie Howe “won six MVP awards and six scoring championships in 25 years with Detroit and left the game with 801 goals, 1,049 assists and 1,850 points – all NHL records. That is, until Wayne Gretzky came along.” His son Mark played in the NHL for 16 seasons and appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals 3 times with Pittsburgh and Detroit.
6. The Norton’s: Both father and son are known for giving out hits. However, they went about it in different ways. Ken Sr. was a boxer and won the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship in 1978. Norton Jr. was a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys where he won two Super Bowls. He then became a San Francisco 49er where he won another ring and became the first player to win three consecutive Super Bowls. He played in the NFL for 13 seasons and is currently the Linebacker Coach for the USC Trojans.
5. The Griffey’s: Griffey Senior was a three time all-star and two time World Series Champion. Griffey Junior has yet to win the rings but proved that he was a much better player than his father. He is number 6 on the all-time #### run list and is one of only 6 members in the 600 home-run club. He is a ten-time gold glove award winner, 13 time all-star, and won the MVP Award in 1997. The Griffey’s became the first father-son duo to play on the same team when they appeared together for the Mariners in 1990. On September 14, 1990 the Griffey’#### back to back home runs, a truly special and memorable moment for the father and son.
4. The Earnhardt’s: Dale Earnhardt was a true racing legend who had a career that lasted over two decades and amassed 76 wins. He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest drivers. Tragically, “He was killed when his car crashed into the wall on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.” Earnhardt Junior has had early success in his career including a win at the 2004 Daytona 500.
3. The Ali’s: The only father/daughter combination to make the list. Muhammad Ali was voted Sportsman of the Century by Sports Illustrated. He is arguably the most famous athlete and has been called “The Greatest of All-Time.” Despite the enormous shoes to fill, Laila Ali has not disappointed. She is a perfect 24-0, with 21 wins by knockout.
2. The Bonds’: Bobby Bonds played 14 seasons in the MLB, went to three all-star games and became the first player in the history of the sport to hit 300 home runs and steal 400 bases. His son is now the only other player to accomplish this feat. Barry Bonds is a seven time national league MVP and is currently Major League Baseball’s all-time home run leader. (762)
1. The Manning’s: All three Manning’s were Heisman Trophy Finalists. Archie was drafted second overall while both his sons were drafted first overall. This is a family that exemplifies athletics abilities being passed from one generation to the next. Archie had a great career with a horrible New Orleans Saints team. He played 14 seasons and was named NFL MVP in 1978. Peyton is one of the most marketable players in the NFL. He is a two-time league MVP as well as Super Bowl MVP. Eli is the youngest of the Manning trio and still has many good years left in him. Last year he began to break out of his shell and shown the kind of talent that people had witnessed while watching him play at Ole Miss. His 2007-2008 season was capped when he led his New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory over the heavily favored New England Patriots. Eli was named the game’s MVP.
*There was no place for it on the list, but a special Father’s Day moment that deserves to be mentioned came in 2004 when Ken Griffey Junior hit his 500th career home run on Father’s Day with his dad in attendance. He became the 6th youngest player to reach the 500 home run mark and became the first player to hit his 500th career home run in a Cincinnati Uniform. "It was a nice Father's Day present, but it's an easy way to get out of giving me something," Griffey Sr. joked.
Special Thanks to cbssports.com, askmen.com, espn.com, and usatoday.com for pictures, quotes, and statistics.
Last night Ken Griffey Jr. became the 6th member of the 600 home run club with his first inning home run against the Marlins. Everyone knew this moment was possible; he had everything going for him because his dad was also a major league player and was on the same team that drafted Junior number one overall in 1987.
From the very beginning Griffey Junior made it clear that he belonged in the majors. "When he came to camp in 1989, he had no chance to make the team," Bradley said. "But he got a lot of at-bats early that spring because a lot of veterans don't like to play a lot early. After 20 games, he wasn't just the best player on our team, he was the best player in the league that spring. The Mariners basically said, 'We don't want this to happen, we don't want to rush him, we don't want him to make the team.' So they started running him out there against every elite pitcher, against all the nastiest left-handers they could find in hopes that he would stop hitting, and they could send him out. It never happened." In just his second year in the majors he started the All-Star game. He had an amazing natural ability and had a span over four years where he averaged 52 home runs a year. This kid was very young and everyone saw the raw talent and the joy with which he played the game. This was recognized when he was added to Major League Baseball’s All-Century team in 1999.
He has had seven 40+ home runs seasons and eight 100+ RBI seasons. He is also tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (8). The one thing that stands out when looking back at Griffey’s career is not only how great of a player he is, but how great of a player he could have been had he not missed so much time due to injuries,where he had three straight years of playing 83 games or less. It appeared as if he would have clearly been the all-time home run leader and that does not seem to be as likely now.
Griffey is by far the best player I have ever seen and was an amazing centerfielder, it is remarkable to think that he did everything the right way. In an era where everyone who has success is suspected of using performance enhancing drugs, Griffey’s name is never mentioned. Griffey has provided baseball with many memorable moments such as hitting back to back home runs with his father and hitting #500 on father’s day with his father in attendance. He will always be remembered as a great player with tremendous talent and I hope to see him in the Hall of Fame one day.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr…..Congratulations on number 600.
I am currently in high school. I will try to post reguarly, but at the very least I will comment your blogs daily. I am aspiring to become a sports writer or broadcaster and plan to attend collge and major in journalism or broadcast journalism.
