How did he get the nickname 'Yogi'?  A childhood friend watched a movie about a snake character and noticed striking resemblance between the Indian man and young Berra.  When the friend declared that the "yogi" reminded him of Berra, Berra adopted the nickname and it stuck!

Back to Index

Mike Schmidt is one of baseball's greatest third basemen and a favorite of Phillies fans. He hit 548 career home runs, with three 40-plus seasons. Mike set a MLB record for third basemen by hitting 48 homers in 1980. Mike Schmidt was a three-time National League MVP, won 10 Gold Gloves, and was a 12-time All Star.

Mickey Mantle helped the New York Yankees dominate baseball during much of the 1950s and 1960s.  Mickey was known for always playing to win.  He did it through pain: a football injury in 1946 left him with a bone tissue infection in his leg, which required five operations.  The injury was bad enough to keep him out of the Army, but he still managed to play Major League baseball -- with his leg heavily taped.

Mickey Mantle was a 20 time All-Star and played in 12 World Series, hitting a record 18 home runs.  Mickey Mantle is famous for leading the league in home runs for four seasons, 1955–56, 1958, and 1960.  In 1961, when his teammate Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth's season home-run record, Mickey blasted a career high 54.  Mickey Mantle was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

Did you know?  Mickey's father named him after Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane.

Back to Index

Joe DiMaggio was one of the greatest hitters and center fielders of all time -- and one of the best all-around players ever.  Known as "The Yankee Clipper," Joe helped his team win nine World Series and was the American League Most Valuable Player three times.  He is well-known for setting a Major League record in 1941 for a 56 game hitting streak.  Joe DiMaggio was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.  Joe DiMaggio was known as an all-around good guy -- once he retired, he worked for charitable causes. 

Did you know?  Joe DiMaggio married movie star Marilyn Monroe in 1954.  The marriage lasted less than a year, but they remained close until her death.

Back to Index

Back to Index

Babe Ruth is the most famous baseball player ever.  Two elements of his legend:

The Called Shot: At the World Series facing Chicago, Babe stepped back from the plate and seemed to point his bat at the center-field bleachers…then slammed a home run right to them!

The Curse of the Bambino: In 1918, the Red Sox won their fifth World Series, and a big star was Babe Ruth.  Two years later, they traded him to the Yankees.  The Yankees had never won a World Series before that, but since then they have won more than any team in baseball.  The Red Sox had terrible luck in the World Series after that.  They rarely made it that far and when they did, horrible things happened, such as the famous Bill Buckner error.  (The Sox lost the series to the Mets because of his error, letting the ball roll between his legs.) In 2004, the Red Sox broke the curse in the biggest way possible -- by winning the World Series in a four game sweep.

How Babe Ruth changed baseball:

The Focus of the Game: With all his home runs, Babe Ruth changed the game from pitcher dominated to hitter dominated.  Now, instead of the focus on pitchers making it so hitters fight to scratch out a run, the excitement of the ballgame revolves around hard hits and home runs. 

The New York Yankees: Even now, Yankee Stadium is known as "The House That Ruth Built." The Yankees had never won any title before acquiring Babe, but they won seven pennants and four World Series with Ruth.  Ever since, they have dominated the game of baseball. 

The Records: Babe Ruth held or shared about 60 records, with 28 made in World Series games.  Some of the most famous records are pitching 29 consecutive scoreless innings in World Series play and hitting 714 Major League home runs -- plus 15 World Series homers.  Amazing home runs are still described as 'Ruthian.'

The Nicknames: Babe Ruth got his most famous nickname on the first day of practice on the Baltimore Orioles.  A coach scoffed, “Here's another one of Dunn's babes.” Other Babe Ruth nicknames: "The Sultan of Swat," "The Bambino," "The Colossus of Clout," "The Maharajah of Mash," "The Wazir of Wham," "The Rajah of Rap," "The Caliph of Clout," "The Wali of Wallop," and "The Behemoth of Bust."

Back to Index

Reggie Jackson is known as "Mr. October" because of his amazing performance in World Series games.  Reggie Jackson is especially well known for hitting home runs and exceptional base running.  Reggie led the league in home runs in 1973, 1975 and 1980 and was an 11 time All-Star.

The most famous thing about Reggie Jackson: in the final game of the 1977 World Series, Reggie hit three consecutive home runs.  Earlier in his career, he helped the Athletics win the 1973 World Series by driving in all three of his teams' runs in the sixth game and hitting a two-run homer in the seventh game.  Reggie was the Most Valuable Player in that World Series and was the MVP of the American League in that year.

Back to Index

An amazingly durable pitcher, Nolan Ryan pitched for 27 seasons.  He led the league in strikeouts 11 times, once during his 24th season.  Nolan Ryan was the oldest pitcher ever to lead the league in strikeouts.  He pitched seven no-hitters, setting a record.

Nolan Ryan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Did you know?  Nolan Ryan threw more no-hitters and had more strikeouts than any other pitcher, but he never won a Cy Young Award.

Back to Index

Jackie Robinson is a very special baseball player not only because of his talent, but because of his courage.  Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball and worked all his life for Civil Rights causes. 

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,” reads Jackie's tombstone, and when studying his life you can see that he always tried to make a difference in the world.

Jackie Robinson was amazing at sports -- all sports.  He played baseball, football, basketball and track at the University of California at Los Angeles and became the first student at the school to earn four letters in one year.

Did you know?  Jackie Robinson played professional football briefly after leaving UCLA and before being drafted into the Army.

Jackie played in baseball's Negro Leagues, where he caught the eye of a Brooklyn Dodger scout and was brought to the attention of team president Branch Rickey.  Branch Rickey asked Jackie Robinson if he would be part of a great experiment -- playing in the Major Leagues, which were closed to black players at the time.  Branch Rickey wanted Jackie to understand that he would have to be silent while others taunted and threatened him.  Branch and Jackie were very aware that if Jackie failed, it would be a long, long time before another black player would be in Major Leagues.

Jackie made his Major League debut in 1947.  He worked very hard to control his temper and never broke his promise, even when the crowds and other ballplayers, including some of his own teammates, taunted him because he was black.  Pitchers threw baseballs at Jackie, he received death threats against himself and his family, and on road trips, Jackie often was not allowed to stay with his teammates in hotels.

Did you know?  Jackie Robinson was not the first black player in Major League Baseball.  The first black player ever in Major League Baseball was Moses Fleetwood Walker (Fleet Walker) in 1884.

Jackie Robinson won the very first Rookie of the Year award ever given.  The award was later renamed the Jackie Robinson Award in his honor.  Jackie played Major League Baseball for only 10 years, but his record is very distinguished.  He was the league's batting champion and Most Valuable Player in 1949.  Jackie helped the Dodgers win six National League pennants and one World Series.

Jackie Robinson was the first black player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame -- in 1962.  He is the only player in the history of Major League Baseball to have his number retired by every team (1997). 

An avid supporter of Civil Rights, Jackie Robinson worked with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Jackie raised money for Dr. King and participated in protest marches.  Jackie wrote to the White House, urging more government support of Dr. King's causes.  Jackie also raised money to help rebuild churches that were bombed by hate groups.

Jackie Robinson/Rosa Parks connection: While in the Army, Jackie refused to sit at the back of the bus.  He was threatened with a court-martial, but the charges were dropped.  In 1945 Jackie was given an honorable discharge.

Jackie Robinson is an American hero.

Back to Index

Lou Gehrig is known as baseball's "Iron Horse" for his 2,130 consecutive games played.  A boy who never missed a day of school, Lou endured many injuries and illnesses to play those consecutive MLB games.  A quiet and unassuming man, he often was overshadowed by his more boisterous teammate, Babe Ruth.  But Lou Gehrig was a star in his own right: he is known as the ultimate teammate, a man of remarkable honor and character, and a great hero of the game.

Lou Gehrig won the Triple Crown in 1934, leading the American League in batting average (.363), home runs (49), and runs batted in (RBIs; 165).  Lou Gehrig batted in at least 100 runs for 13 straight seasons, from 1926 to 1938.  He established an American League record of 184 RBIs in 1931and hit 493 home runs in his career.

In 1938, Lou Gehrig suddenly became unable to play baseball.  He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a deadly disease that affects the central nervous system.  Lou Gehrig left baseball with dignity and grace, and the Yankees retired his uniform number, 4.  He was the first player to have this honor.  In his farewell speech on July 4, 1939, Lou said that he was the "luckiest man on the face of earth." That same year, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in a special election.  In 1941, Lou Gehrig died of ALS.  He was 37 years old.  Lou Gehrig's life story was made into a movie, Pride of the Yankees.

Here is Lou Gehrig's famous farewell speech:

Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got.  Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.  I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

Look at these grand men.  Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day?  Sure, I’m lucky.  Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert?  Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow?  To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins?  Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy?  Sure, I’m lucky. 

When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift -- that’s something.  When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies -- that’s something.  When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter -- that’s something.  When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body -- it’s a blessing.  When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed -- that’s the finest I know. 

So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.

Back to Index

At a time when fans of professional sports were disappointed by the greed of many players, Cal stood out as heroic athlete and all-around good guy.  Cal is known as is "Iron Man" because he played 2,632 consecutive games, surpassing the 2,130 consecutive games played record of Lou Gehrig.  Lou Gehrig's record had stood for 56 years before Cal broke it.

Cal grew up around baseball: his father was a minor league manager and a coach for the Baltimore Orioles.  In fact, he became the first manager to coach two sons in one game: Cal and his brother Billy. 

Cal Ripken Jr.  started a wave of shortstops who are also great hitters.  He was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1982, when he hit 28 home runs.  Cal led the Orioles to a World Series title in 1983.  He was voted Most Valuable Player in 1983 and 1991.

Back to Index

Joe Brinkman is a Major League umpire.  He has worked many games, including All-Star games, Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series.  Joe Brinkman played amateur baseball in the US Army and became interested in umpiring during an umpire clinic in Germany.  His proudest moment as a Major League umpire was working the 1978 World Series.

Back to Index

Ted Williams is known as one of baseball's great hitters.  He hit 521 home runs in his career.  He lost five years of his career to military service, and many say he might have broken Babe Ruth's career home run record of 714 if he had played those years.  Ted Williams had a batting average of .406 in 1941, the highest since Rogers Hornsby's .416 batting average in 1924. 

After his retirement, Ted Williams had a brief stint as a manager of the Washington Senators.  He wrote The Science of Hitting because he felt that players did not take hitting seriously enough.  Ted Williams was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. 

Did you know?  Ted Williams was cryogenically frozen upon his death...  in hopes he may someday be brought back to life.

Back to Index

Greg Maddux made his Major League debut in 1986 at the age of 20.  At the time he was the youngest player ever to be a member of the Cubs.  Later that year, Greg Maddux pitched against and beat his older brother Mike.  It was the first case of rookie brothers pitching against each other in the big leagues.

Back to Index

A famous pitcher, Satchel Paige was legendary in the Negro Leagues.  He was finally allowed to enter Major League Baseball in 1948, a year after Jackie Robinson's rookie year.  Satchel was an amazing pitcher.  He pitched hard and fast, but he also had a lot of different pitches.  Satchel is said to have pitched a total of 2,500 games during his nearly 30 year career, winning 2000 of them.  Satchel was the oldest rookie ever to play in the Major Leagues.

Satchel was known for his popularity and showmanship in the Negro Leagues.  He caused white baseball fans to pay more attention to the Negro Leagues, which helped the racial integration of baseball.  Before he was drafted into the Major Leagues, Satchel occasionally played the best Major League players in exhibition games.  He once struck out Rogers Hornsby, probably the greatest right-handed hitter of all time, five times in one game. 

Satchel Paige was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.

Back to Index

Hank Aaron's nickname was "Hammerin' Hank," and it's easy to see why.  His most famous accomplishment was surpassing Babe Ruth's home run record, hitting 755 homers over his 23-year career.  Hank Aaron also set 12 other Major League career records.  Among the most famous are most games played, most at-bats, most total bases and most runs batted in (RBIs).  Hank Aaron won three Gold Glove awards and was National League Most Valuable Player in 1957.  Hank played in 24 All-Star games.  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Did you know?  Hank Aaron was the last Negro Leagues player to play in the Major Leagues.

Back to Index

Casey Stengel was a player and manager.  He was in the Major Leagues from 1910 until his retirement in 1965.  Casey is more famous as a manager, but he did well as a player, too.  As a New York Giant in 1923, Casey won two World Series games with two home runs...  but was overshadowed by Babe Ruth, who hit three home runs for the New York Yankees and helped them win the series.

Casey's managing career is interesting because he managed "just okay" for quite a while before hitting his stride with the New York Yankees.  During his 12 seasons with them, he led the team to 10 American League pennants and seven World Series championships, five of them in a row.

Casey Stengel was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. 

Back to Index

Rogers Hornsby is considered baseball's greatest right-handed hitter.  His Major League career batting average was .358.  It is second only to Ty Cobb's .367.  Rogers Hornsby led the National League in batting from 1920-1925, and again in 1928.  Rogers Hornsby's 1924 average of .424 is the highest in Major League baseball for the 1900s.  As the St.  Louis Cardinals playing manager, he led the team to a World Series victory -- playing against the New York Yankees.

Rogers Hornsby was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1942.

Back to Index