What are some stories out there about Baseball players being GOOD guys?

[No2W2004]

Here's mine.

A couple of years ago, I had weekend season tickets for the White Sox. I took my son (then 6) with me. Before the games, during BP, he'd hang out with the rest of the kids on the rail hoping to get a ball. He got 7 baseballs handed to him by players shagging balls, and he was excited every time. Hell, he even got one from a YANKEE outfielder (if you can believe that) They were all young players who didn't start, but they helped make a baseball fan that year.

[maveric]

1. Tony Gwynn would donate hundreds of thousands of $$$$

to underprivileged families here in San Diego. He did this ANONYMOUSLY too, with a sportswriter revealing this a few years ago.
He'd buy computers in bulk and give them away. The man is a prince.
Get this, 3000 hits, a lifetime .338 BA, 15 All Star appearances, 8 batting titles, and he was NEVER the highest paid player on the Padres. Tony could have went to other teams to make the really big $$$$ but chose to stay with the Padres for 20 years.
Gotta love the guy.

[maveric]

2. Kick

:kick:
C'mon!! There has to be more good guy stories.

[Xithras]

3. Here's mine

Two years ago I took my kids to see the Modesto A's (the Class A affiliate to the Oakland A's) playing Lake Elsinore (the Padre's Class A affiliate). One of the A's batters fouled the ball in the second inning, and it came back over the net and hit my 4 1/2 year old (at the time) son in the shoulder, leaving a nasty looking bruise. When the players found out what happened, the A's invited my son down to the dugout for an inning so he could see the game at field level, and the players on both teams all signed jerseys for him (they gave him a bunch of other gifts too...a couple of signed game balls, a bat, and a signed helmet).

Personally, I'd rather watch Class A baseball nowadays than drive to some huge stadium to watch the overpaid primadonnas from my overpriced, altitude sickness inducing seats a mile from home plate. Class A still has that old fashioned feel to it that MLB has lost in the larger venues, and the treatment my son recieved would have never happened if we'd gone to see the Giant's or Oakland A's (we'd probably have been swarmed by lawyers instead reminding us that we couldn't sue for ball related injuried at a baseball game).

[Reverend_Smitty]

6. Tony Clark

When he was playing double A ball about 10 years ago in my hometown (Trenton) was one of the nicest players I've ever met. He was very courteous and polite...One day I was with my aunt for a business person special and the game was rained out so we went to lunch. Well Tony was at the restaurant and we went up to him and started talking, he carried on a 20 min conversation with us only broken up when our table was ready. He signed my hat and made my day. A few weeks later at another game he gave me an autographed bat. The next year when he was playing for the Tigers, we went to Yankee stadium to see him play...and to our surprise he remembered us our names too. Great guy even if he is playing for the evil empire this year

[Parrcrow]

4. Roberto Clemente

Died in a plane crash bringing relief supplies to victims of the Nicaraguan Earthquake.

Only man to go into the hall of fame without the five year waiting period.

[maveric]

5. Lou Gehrig didnt have to wait either.

He went in in 1939, the year he retired and his ALS was discovered.

[Parrcrow]

7. I stand corrected

Thanks Maveric

[proud patriot]

8. Tony La Russa founded ARF

Baseball manager Tony La Russa and his wife, Elaine, co-founded ARF in 1991

http://www.arf.net/About_ARF/index.html

[HEyHEY]

9. Ty Cobb was a huge supporter of the arts - just kidding - how bout

Lou Gerig? I've HEARD that after babe ruth left the hospital after promising the kid the home runs, gehrig came in and promised him more.

[maveric]

10. More what?

[HEyHEY]

11. home runs

[sir_captain]

12. Why would you assume that

a Yankee player is a worse person than a player from another team? Do you make those kinds of assumptions about any other groups of people (other than freepers, of course...)?

[No2W2004]

14. Just kidding.....

just that I grew up in Kansas City during the late 70's and had my small kid heart broken every friggin year....

Chris F ' n Chambliss... :mad:

[sir_captain]

15. Heh...i don't blame you then

that one had to sting a little ;-)

[sir_captain]

13. Lots of players

have really great charitable organizations of their own. Derek Jeter and Curt Schilling come to mind. Jim Thome is a really amazing guy too.