"Yeah, my dad named me after a ballplayer before I was born, and I was born to be a ballplayer," he had said. "I didn't go to my (high school) commencement exercises so I could play ball for the guy that signed me that night. And after he signed me, I hit a couple of home runs, and he signed me to the (major league) contract and I've been playing ever since."
How did all of this come about? To understand that, you must first understand his heritage.
He was born into a family of English, German and Dutch descent which settled in various places around the states of Missouri and Oklahoma.
His grandfather first planted roots in the tiny Oklahoma town of Spavinaw, where he was a butcher by trade and a left-handed pitcher by design. It was in that town on Oct. 20, 1931, that his grandson was born, a kid who was about to rewrite baseball history.
A SHORT WHILE AFTER his birth, the family moved to the town of Commerce, a dusty place where men risked their lives in the lead and zinc mines to eke out a miserable living. It was a time probably best chronicled by the book and film "The Grapes of Wrath." His dad, Elvin, was no different than the other men. Oh sure, he tried other trades, but he ended up working a mine they called the Blue Goose No. 1, doing just about whatever job he had to do to make the $20 to $30 a week that would support his family.
But the people living this hellish life saw nothing unusual about their fate since everyone was in the same boat, and so when it came time to relax and unwind on that precious day off, his dad -- who went by the nickname "Mutt" - found baseball to be the perfect diversion. And so did every other miner in Commerce since leagues and teams were built along company lines.
Mutt was a pitcher, a darn good pitcher, and his love for baseball was soon shared by his young son. In the evenings in Oklahoma, when the wind ceased and the cool night air finally washed away the sweat from the day's scorching sun, you could walk by their house and hear the radio tuned to St. Louis Cardinals games.
AND AS FOR HIS SON, when the heat blistered again, you could find him on the field, playing his heart out like he was in the World Series. His father was with him all the way -- from the time he taught his young son at the age of 5 how to be a switch hitter to when he got sent down after slumping in his first major-league season.
"Well, we didn't have Little League, we didn't have an organized league. There were only 2,000 people in Commerce, Oklahoma, and about 10 or 12 kids that liked to play baseball on Saturday mornings," he said later in life. "We'd go out and choose up sides and we'd play all day, which I think is better. Sometimes you'd hit 100 times a day, and so I think that's better for a kid than playing and just hitting four times a day.
"I see the Little League World Series, a little boy strikes out with the bases loaded and somebody runs up and yells at him. That's going to be on his mind the rest of his life, you know? Whereas if you're up 100 times a day you strike out, I think that's where I got used to striking out so much. It didn't bother me that much."
But what he isn't telling us here is that when he was not striking out, he was knocking the ball out of play for a home run. It didn't take long for this 5-11, 198-pounder to grow into a legend in his hometown. Strange thing, however, is how he ended up being a baseball legend instead of a football one.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, he was an outstanding football player but during his senior year, he injured his left leg during a practice and as a result, developed inflammation of the bone marrow. It almost cost him a limb.
He recovered, and when he did, a scout for a major-league baseball team signed him to a $400-a-month contract with a $1,100 signing bonus. So much for football.
In 1949, he was sent to Independence, Mo., during his first year in baseball. At the end of the season, this shortstop had batted .318. The next year, he was in the Class C Western Association with Joplin, where he led the league with a .383 batting average, 136 RBIs and 26 homers.
In 1951, he finally got called up to the big-leagues.
Who is he? If you don't know, then click here for the rest of this story.
Mr. Irish Person: Can you please tell me if the Yankee's Dwight Gooden has more than one nickname?
-- From a Real Fan at a Tampa.com.
Sure can, Mr. Real. He is basically known as "The Doctor" or "Doc" but back when he was with the Mets, they also called him "Dr. K" for his ability to make batters whiff.
OK, betcha don't know this one. What great NBA center who played for L.A. never fouled out of a game during his career?
-- From a Mike the Hoop Head at a Kansas.edu.
Sorry, Mike. Too easy. That was Wilt Chamberlain.
Why is it that today's baseball players are always getting hurt?
From Frankie C. at one of those Canadian .coms.
That's a good question, Frank. I personally think they're using too much torque. But it also has to do with the money they cost. Much cheaper to sit them these days than to risk a season-ending injury.
I sure do wish I could figure out what is wrong here.
-- From a P. Riley, who's riled up at Miami's lack of stinging the .nets.
Yo, Patrick. Chill out, man. Everyone gets gored by the Bulls this time of year. What you ought to do is pray that Phil Jackson goes to Orlando and then you can pick up Michael Jordan for your club. All you have to do is give him the city of Miami and I am sure he will come.
1) How did he get his name? Give up?
2) What was his nickname and how did that come about? Give up?
3) How many pinch-hit homers did he collect? Give up?
4) In what year did he win baseball's Triple Crown? Give up?
5) How many Gold Glove awards did he win? Give up?
Mike Emmett has been kicking around sports departments in newspapers and online operations around the U.S. for years. Got something to say to the Irishman? Email him with a click here.
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