Title: The Remarkable Journey of Who Is
Kenneth is], the visionary mind behind the prominent blog "Who Is," has become a familiar figure in the blogosphere. With an unwavering commitment to their craft and a strong passion for sharing knowledge, they have created a platform that educates, entertains, and inspires readers from all corners of the globe. This blog post will take you through the incredible journey of Who is, shedding light on their background and their rise
Who is James Samuel Morris? The baseball world knows him as "Jimmy" Morris, he is a former American professional baseball player known for his brief Major League Baseball career.
Morris was born January 19, 1964 in Brownwood, Texas, he spent most of his childhood moving to different cities. According to his autobiography, he began playing baseball at the age of three. After the Vietnam War his father became a recruiter for the United States Navy and his family settled in Texas. He attended Angelo State University but as his school did not yet have a baseball program, he played football for the Lions in 1979 and won the state championship as a wingback with Gordon Wood as a coach. Still, he never gave up on his dreams of becoming a professional baseball player.
Originally selected 465th overall in the January 1982 amateur baseball draft by the New York Yankees but did not sign, Morris would then be later selected fourth overall in the January 1983 amateur baseball draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed with the organization. He suffered several arm injuries in the minor leagues, and was released during the 1987 season. He caught on with the Chicago White Sox organization for 1989, but was unable to make something of his career, and retired to become a high school physical science teacher and baseball coach at Reagan County High School in Big Lake, Texas, with his wife Lorri, his 9 year-old-son and his five and one-year-old daughters Jessica and Jamie.
While coaching baseball for the Reagan County Owls in the late 1990s, Morris made a promise to his team that he would try out for Major League Baseball if his team won the District Championship, something the team had never accomplished before. His team won the title, and Morris kept his end of the bargain by attending a Tampa Bay Devil Rays tryout. The scout wasn't interested in Morris, but gave him a tryout solely to let Morris keep his promise to his players. Surprisingly, Morris discovered that in spite of his age, and having several surgeries on his arm, he was able to throw 12 consecutive 98-mph fastballs. After much debate with his family, Morris signed a professional contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization at the age of 35. He started out with the Minor League Double-A Orlando Rays, but after a few appearances he moved up to a spot with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Thanks to solid pitching performances with Durham, Tampa Bay gave him a chance to pitch with the big club when the rosters expanded, and on September 18, 1999, against Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers, the 35-year old Morris made his debut, striking Clayton out on four pitches. His goal of pitching in the majors was finally realized, and he made four more appearances later that year.
Morris made 16 major league appearances in 2000, during which his arm problems recurred. His final appearance came on May 9, 2000, at Yankee Stadium. He entered a tie game in the bottom of the 10th inning with the bases loaded, and issued a game-ending bases-loaded walk to his first batter, Paul O'Neill, after which the Rays released him. He attempted to catch on with the Dodgers the following spring but wasn't able to overcome his injuries. At the end of his major league career he was 0-0 with an ERA of 4.80 and 13 strikeouts.
Morris has released an autobiography, The Oldest Rookie. He often appears as a motivational speaker, and currently receives $9000-$15000 for each appearance.[1] He often mentions God in his presentations.
A feature film made by Disney called The Rookie was released in 2002 about Morris's climb to the big leagues. He was portrayed in the film by veteran actor Dennis Quaid.
Morris was the subject of an episode of the game show To Tell the Truth.
Lohan began her career with Ford Models at age three, but found little work as a fashion model.[4] She persisted and eventually appeared in more than 100 print-ads for companies like Toys "R" Us.[5] She also modeled for Calvin Klein Kids (usually with siblings Michael and Ali) and Abercrombie Kids.
Lohan's first auditions for television work did not go well; by the time she tried out for a Duncan Hines commercial, she told her mother that she would give up if she did not get the job.[4] She was hired, and went on to appear in over 60 commercials, including a Jell-O spot with Bill Cosby. Her ad work led to roles in soap operas, and she was already considered a show-business veteran[5] in 1996 when she landed the role of Alexandra "Alli" Fowler on Another World, "where she delivered more dialogue than any other 10-year-old in daytime serials" of the time.[6]
Lohan gave up Another World for the big screen when director Nancy Meyers cast her to play the dual roles of the estranged twin sisters who try to reunite their long-divorced parents (Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson) in the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, Trap was well-received for a family comedy, bringing in US$92 million worldwide.[7] Film critic Janet Maslin found Lohan's dual performances so forceful "that she seems to have been taking shy violet lessons from Sharon Stone."[8] Critic Kenneth Turan called Lohan "the soul of this film as much as Hayley Mills was of the original, and … she is more adept than her predecessor at creating two distinct personalities".[9] She starred in two original television movies, Life-Size (2000) (with Tyra Banks) and Get a Clue (2002). She also played Bette Midler's daughter in the first episode of the short-lived series, Bette (2000), but Lohan, then 14, quit when the production moved from New York to Los Angeles. In 2001, she hosted the ABC-TV commercial series commemorating Walt Disney's 100th birthday during a rebroadcast of The Parent Trap,
Following a brief hiatus, Lohan won a lead role in another Disney remake: Freaky Friday (2003), starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Lohan's character in the movie was originally written as a Goth, but she did not think anyone would relate to that, and decided to dress in a preppy style for her audition, and the character ended up being re-written.[10] Through 2005, Friday was Lohan's biggest commercial film success, earning US$160 million worldwide.[11] In 2004, Lohan was given the lead in two films, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (her first feature that was not a remake) and Paramount'sMean Girls, both released in 2004. Drama Queen was a modest success at the box office, grossing about US$30 million, but was a failure with critics. "Though still a promising star, Lohan will have to do a little penance before she's forgiven for Confessions," Robert K. Elder wrote.[12]
Far more successful was Mean Girls, her first PG-13 (and first non-Disney) film. Her breakout lead performance[13] pushed the critical and commercial hit to gross US$128 million worldwide, "cementing her status as the new teen movie queen," wrote Brandon Gray.[14] "Lohan dazzles us once more," said Steve Rhodes. "The smartly written script is a perfect match for her intelligent brand of comedy."[15] Mean Girls was scripted by Tina Fey and featured several alumni of Saturday Night Live; Lohan was asked to host the show three times, in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
With Mean Girls Lohan's public profile was raised significantly and paparazzi began following her.[16] Lohan's attitude to the paparazzi and tabloids is ambivalent. She has said that while she doesn't ask them to follow her, if they're not around she wonders if it means people are bored of her or no one cares anymore.[17][18] Her manager worked with the paparazzi during the shooting of Labor Pains to encourage the media to show Lohan working, as opposed to partying.[19] In 2005, Lohan became the first living person to have a "My Scene Goes Hollywood" doll released by Mattel. She also voiced herself in the direct-to-DVD feature film based on the dolls.[20] Lohan returned to Disney in 2005 for Herbie: Fully Loaded, the fifth film in the Herbie series. Her popularity allowed her to choose from a wider variety of projects; Lohan felt the post-college character she portrayed in Herbie would help her make the transition into more grown-up roles.[21][22] Fully Loaded earned US$144 million worldwide.[23]
In 2006, Vanity Fair described Herbie as Lohan's "first disastrous shoot"; how she—stressed out from issues in her personal life and strained from trying to record her first album during the shoot—eventually ended up hospitalized with a kidney infection. The magazine also recounted how Lohan terminated Herbie's European promotional tour, and how Disney de-emphasized her on the movie poster due to "un-Disney-like behavior".[24] Her next film in wide release, Just My Luck, opened in May 2006 to poor reviews and earned only $38 million worldwide.[25] Following Just My Luck, Lohan focused on smaller roles in more mature, independent movies.[26] In June 2006, A Prairie Home Companion, in limited release, ended its run earning $25 million globally.[27] "Lohan rises to the occasion, delivering a rock-the-house version of 'Frankie and Johnny'," wrote Peter Travers.[28] Lohan completed filming the independent Emilio Estevez film, Bobby, in December 2005; the film was released in theaters on 23 November 2006, earning $19 million worldwide. While Bobby received generally mixed reviews (45% on Rotten Tomatoes),[29] Lohan got some praise for her performance, particularly a scene opposite Sharon Stone.[30][31] She then appeared in Chapter 27 as a John Lennon fan who befriends Mark David Chapman (Jared Leto) on the day he murders the singer. It was filmed in New York between January and March 2006. The film had trouble finding a distributor for the United States and received a very limited release. Chapter 27 was widely panned by critics, receiving a dismal "20% Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[32]
On May 11, 2007, the drama Georgia Rule, in which Lohan starred alongside Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda, was released. The production received adverse publicity when a letter from a studio executive to Lohan criticizing her professionalism was made public. James G. Robinson, CEO of the film's production company, wrote: "You and your representatives have told us that your various late arrivals and absences from the set have been the result of illness; today we were told it was 'heat exhaustion'. We are well aware that your ongoing all night heavy partying is the real reason for your so-called 'exhaustion'."[33] The film received mostly negative reviews. It grossed US$6.7 million at the box office in its opening weekend and to date has grossed over US$22 million worldwide.
After entering a rehabilitation facility in January 2007, Lohan withdrew from a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance, her publicist stating that Lohan needed to "focus on getting better". During her stay, she was allowed to continue shooting her latest film I Know Who Killed Me, returning to the center at night.[34][35][36][37] Production on the film was previously halted when Lohan underwent appendix surgery earlier in the month.[38][39][40][41] Lohan also dropped out of The Edge of Love in late April 2007, just before filming was to begin with the director citing "insurance reasons" and Lohan later explaining that she "was going through a really bad time then."[42][43][44] Lohan was then cast in the film adaptation of Poor Things. She ultimately lost, or perhaps withdrew from, the part following her May 2007 DUI arrest, although the film's producers voiced support for her decision to once again enter rehab.[45][46][47]
On July 24, 2007, Lohan—in the wake of her second DUI arrest—withdrew from a scheduled appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote her starring role as a stripper in the thriller-mystery film I Know Who Killed Me. Lohan plays a young woman who appears to suffer from split personalities after being rescued from a serial killer.[48] The film premiered "to an abysmal $3.5 million" and made $9,595,945 at the box office worldwide.[49][50] and earned Lohan two nominations for worst actress at the Golden Raspberry Awards. She came in first and second, tying with herself.
Entertainment Weekly quoted the head of a major film studio as saying, "Her career was over long before she had these troubles ... Right now, she'd have to pay a studio to get herself into a movie."[50] The article continues, "There's the L.A. bar scene that serves underage stars and Hollywood's compulsion to turn child actors into products, plus a frenzied 21st century media culture that has made Lohan and other celebs into exotic prey in flashbulb cages." ABC News quoted publicist Michael Levine as calling Lohan unemployable "for the next 18 months." The head of a talent agency agreed, noting that her personal issues likely made the insurance and other costs required for any film production to proceed prohibitively expensive.[51] James Robinson, the producer of Georgia Rule, stated he would still like to work with her. "She's a good person who's making some bad choices. She needs time to get the proper medical care, but when she's in the right emotional state, I'd put her in a movie right away ... She's probably one of the most talented young women in the movie business today." In May 2008, Lohan appeared on ABC's Ugly Betty television series, her first screen appearance since I Know Who Killed Me.[52] Subsequently guest starring in a total of four episodes, spanning seasons two and three in 2008, Lohan played Kimmie Keegan, an old schoolmate of America Ferrera's character Betty Suarez.[53][54] Lohan is the star of the forthcoming film comedy Labor Pains, playing a young woman who pretends to be pregnant to avoid being fired.[55][56] The film is in post-production as of July 2008 and scheduled for release in spring 2009.[57]
Hoping to become a triple threat - actor, singer and dancer - like her idol, Ann-Margret, Lohan began showcasing her singing talent through her films.[58] For the Freaky Friday soundtrack, she sang the closing theme, "Ultimate"; she also recorded four songs for the Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen soundtrack. Producer Emilio Estefan, Jr. signed Lohan to a five-album production deal in 2002. "The minute I heard her sing, I knew she was gifted," he said, "and [she] has an incredible ability to connect with her audience. I am very excited to be working with her." Lohan — who said she was "extremely excited" — added, "I am surrounded by a group of very talented people."[59] Two years later, Lohan signed a recording contract with Casablanca Records, headed by Tommy Mottola. In 2006, Lohan was switched from Casablanca to Motown Records by Universal Music Group.[60]
Her debut album, Speak, was released in December 2004, and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. By early 2005, it was certified Platinum. Though primarily a pop album, Speak was introduced with the single "Rumors", described by Rolling Stone as "a bass-heavy, angry club anthem".[61] Its sexually suggestive video reached number one on MTV's Total Request Live and was nominated for Best Pop Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. "Rumors" eventually earned a Gold certification in America. The album spawned the second single "Over" and the third single "First." which was featured in Lohan's 2005 film Herbie: Fully Loaded. The music video also featured Herbie the Love Bug. Both music videos were directed by Jake Nava, who also directed the music video for "Rumors." "[W]ith just two hit films under her belt, Lohan decided it was time to turn [herself] into a multimedia, cross-platform star," wrote Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic, "And so Speak was recorded quickly and rushed into the stores". He called her music "a blend of old-fashioned, Britney-styled dance-pop and the anthemic, arena rock sound pioneered by fellow tween stars Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simpson. [However,] Lohan stands apart from the pack with her party-ready attitude and her husky voice."[62] In December 2005, her second album, A Little More Personal (Raw), debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 chart, but fell under the top 100 within six weeks. Slant magazine called it "contrived ... but for all the so-called weighty subject matter, there's not much meat on these bones."[63] A Little More Personal (Raw) was certified Gold on 18 January 2006. The music video for the album's first single, "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)" — directed by Lohan and featuring the acting debut of her sister, Ali — was a dramatization of the pain Lohan says her family has suffered at the hands of her father.[64] She said "It's kind of offensive... I hope he sees the positive side of the video rather than the negative". It was Lohan's first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #57.[65] Lohan started work on a third album in 2007.[66][67] Lohan stated that she wants the album to be dance, hip-hop, and R&B - "kind of Kylie Minogue-meets-Rihanna."[68][69][70][71][72] She was working with a wide range of producers and songwriters, including J. R. Rotem, Stargate, Ne-Yo, Akon, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland,[73][74]Bloodshy & Avant, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, The-Dream, Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell,[75]Pharrell Williams, 50 Cent, and Sam Sparro, among others.[76][77][78][79] In May, 2008, a song entitled "Bossy" was leaked and later officially released as a "buzz single" from the album and received a favourable reaction from consumers. Bossy became Lohan's first single to enter the Hot Dance Club Play chart, and her first #1 hit on this chart.[80] On November 13, 2008, Access Hollywood reported that Lohan has been avoiding calls and e-mails from her Motown manager about finishing work on the album, feeling “on the defensive.” “I just — I didn’t want to,” she explained. “With my other records, I kind of just did it, just to do it.” Lohan said she struggled while working on her movies and music at the same time and wants to avoid the stress of simultaneous major projects in the future. “I want to be able to focus and balance my life,” she continued. “So, I can enjoy each thing as I do it and as it comes”. Lohan also stated in the interview that she called back her manager to resume work on the album.[81][82] As a result the album, reportedly titled "Spirit in the Dark", was not released on November 4, 2008 as scheduled.[83][84][85]. A new release date has not been announced. Tracks that were confirmed and scheduled to be on the album were "Bossy", "Problem Solver",[86] "Washing My Hands",[86] and "Playground" featuring Pharrell, which was slated to be released as the album's first single in September 2008.[87] Lohan was voted #10 on the list of "100 Sexiest Women" by readers of FHM.[88]Maxim placed her at #3 on its 2006 Hot 100 list.[89] In 2007, Lohan placed at #1 on the Maxim "Hot 100".[90][91] Lohan has a long-lasting admiration for Marilyn Monroe going back to when she saw Niagara during the The Parent Trap shoot. In the February 25, 2008 Spring Fashion edition of New York, Lohan re-created Monroe's final photo shoot, known as the Last Sitting, including nudity.[92] Her mother said doing the photo shoot was an "honor."[93] Lohan makes a cameo in the music video for the single "Everyone Nose" by N*E*R*D, released in May 2008. A song about the restroom drug usage of young party-goers, the video also has appearances by friends of Lohan.[94] Lohan is the face of the 2008 Visa Swap UK fashion campaign. Lindsay was photographed for the campaign in early 2008 in Los Angeles, California.[95] In 2008 Lohan launched a leggings line named 6126, choosing 6126 as her brand name because it represents Marilyn Monroe's birth date.[96] Lohan also started a brand development firm called Stay Gold which will focus on a lower-priced line of leggings, creating a self-tanner, and a line of accessories.[97] Lohan will be a guest judge on U.S. TV style contest “Project Runway.” She will sit in with show host Heidi Klum and designer Michael Kors on the series’ sixth season premiere episode in 2009, Access Hollywood reports.[98] In May 2008 Lohan was chosen as the face of Italian clothing company Fornarina for its Spring/Summer 2009 campaign. Lohan has also been the face of Jill Stuart, Miu Miu, and Dooney and Bourke.[99]
Despite the conflicts, Lohan calls herself "a family girl" and has spoken very fondly of her family, including her father.[114][115] However, in 2007 and again in 2008 she stated that she is no longer in contact with him, describing his unpredictable behavior as hard to deal with.[116][117][118]
Lohan has suffered from asthma since the age of two.[119] Despite this she is a smoker.[120] Following Mean Girls in 2004 Lohan spent several years living out of hotels in Los Angeles, two of those years at Chateau Marmont. In fall 2007 she settled down in more permanent residency, and later explained that she spent so much time in hotels because she "didn't want to be alone" but that "it wasn't a way of life ... not very consistent."[121][122][123]
Lohan has had a series of car accidents that have been widely reported, with minor crashes in August 2004,[124] October 2005,[125] and November 2006, when Lohan suffered minor injuries because a paparazzo who was following her for a photograph hit her car. Police called the crash intentional, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to file criminal charges.[126] Lohan is well known on the celebrity party scene.[127] In 2006, Lohan attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.[128] On January 18, 2007, Lohan checked herself in to the Wonderland Center rehabilitation facility. Through her representative, she issued a statement saying, "I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health". Lohan checked out on February 16, 2007 after completing a 30-day stay.[129][130]
On May 26, 2007, Lohan lost control of her car and ran the vehicle up a curb. Beverly Hills police also found a "usable" amount of cocaine in her car and the police lab detected cocaine in her blood. After receiving treatment for minor injuries, Lohan was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.[131] Two days later, Lohan entered the Promises Treatment Centers rehabilitation facility, where she stayed for 45 days.[132][133] On July 24, 2007 the police found Lohan by a parking lot in Santa Monica having a "heated debate" with her former assistant who was fired several hours earlier. After failing field sobriety tests Lohan was taken to a police station where her blood alcohol level was found to be above the legal limit. While conducting a search, the police found a small amount of cocaine in her pocket.[134][135][136] Lohan was booked on a felony charge of possession of cocaine and misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.[137][138] In August 2007 Lohan entered Cirque Lodge Treatment Center in Sundance, Utah for a third stint at rehabilitation, staying until discharge on 5 October 2007.[139]
On August 23, 2007, Lohan pleaded guilty to cocaine use and driving under the influence and was sentenced to one day in jail and 10 days community service. She was also ordered to pay fines and complete an alcohol education program, and was placed on three years probation. “It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs,” Lohan said in a statement.[140] On November 15, 2007, Lohan served only 84 minutes in jail. A sheriff spokesman cited overcrowding and the nonviolent nature of the crime as reasons for the reduced sentence.[141]
The Beverly Hills police department announced on March 14, 2009 that they had issued a warrant for Lohan's arrest in connection with the May 2007 hit-and-run and DUI allagations,[142] but the matter turned out to be a "misunderstanding" according to Lohan's attorney, and the judge dismissed the warrant.[143]
In 2004, Lohan stated that she did not like to talk about politics because she did not want to risk alienating any part of her fanbase.[144] However, in 2006 she expressed an interest in going to Iraq on a USO tour with Hillary Clinton.[145] During the 2008 US presidential campaign, she offered her services to Barack Obama's election effort, including hosting events aimed at young voters; but her offer was declined, reportedly because the campaign considered her "not exactly the kind of high-profile star who would be a positive for us."[146] She nonetheless weighed in publicly on her choices in that election, urging voters to support Obama, criticizing media coverage of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and posting MySpace blogs describing Palin as homophobic, anti-abortion and anti-environmentalist.[147][148][149][150][147]
Lohan began dating singer Aaron Carter in 2001. It was reported that Carter left Hilary Duff for Lohan, but soon broke up with Lohan and resumed dating Duff.[151] On March 23, 2007, Claymation facsimiles of Lohan and Duff appeared on the celebrity wrestling series Celebrity Death Match episode "Where's Lohan?". Duff and Lohan were later reported to have been involved in a "feud" with each other over their relationship with Carter.[152] In 2007, Duff and Lohan had reconciled. Lohan attended the release party for Duff's album Dignity and Duff told People magazine that she thought Lohan was "fun" and "a nice girl".[153]
Lohan started dating Wilmer Valderrama in 2003, though the couple were not seen together until May 2004 and didn't go public with their romance until Lohan's 18th birthday bash at the Hollywood nightclub, Avalon, two months later; the couple broke up in late 2004.[154] Lohan has also dated Pink Taco restaurant owner Harry Morton[155]and British TV personality Calum Best.[156]
While seeking treatment at the Cirque Lodge in Utah, Lohan met and began dating Riley Giles; however, in late November 2007, it was announced that they had split up. Lohan's mother, Dina Lohan said, "[Riley] took desperate measures to hurt Lindsay because she broke up with him".[157]
In 2008, several media outlets began commenting on Lohan and Samantha Ronson, who were regularly seen being affectionate in public.[158][159] In July 2008, several newspapers, including The Times and Los Angeles Times, published opinion pieces describing their relationship as romantic.[160][158] Lohan's father, Michael Lohan, has been very outspoken in his disapproval of Lohan's relationship with Samantha Ronson, and on September 24, 2008, Lohan wrote a response to him via e-mail to the New York Post: "Samantha is not evil, I care for her very much and she's a wonderful girl ... She loves me, as I do her."[161][162] Lohan opened up about her relationship with Ronson in the December 2008 issue of Harper's Bazaar magazine. She stated, "I think it's pretty obvious who I'm seeing ... I think it's no shock to anyone that it's been going on for quite some time ... She's a wonderful person and I love her very much." While speaking about her sexual orientation, Lohan said she was not a lesbian, but responded "Maybe. Yeah." when asked if she was bisexual. She then added, "I don't want to classify myself." Lohan said her family, with the exception of her father Michael, had been supportive of her relationship with Ronson.[163]
Even with a 90-day jail sentence and a 90-day bid in an inpatient rehab facility to follow, a lawyer who met with Lindsay Lohan over the weekend about possibly taking up her case said the actress still doesn't appear to fully understand how serious her situation is
Who is Larry Joe Bird? The sports world knows him as a basketball legend. Bird is a retired American NBAbasketball player, widely considered one of the best players of all time and one of the top clutch performers in the history of sports.[1]Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, teaming with legendary center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Due to back problems, he retired as a player from the NBA in 1992. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team[1] in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame[2] in 1998. He served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently still holds.
Larry Bird was born December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana, the son of Georgia Kerns and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird. He grew up in both West Baden and the adjacent town French Lick, which earned him the nickname "the Hick from French Lick" in his later basketball career. Financial troubles would plague the Bird family for most of Larry's childhood. In a 1988 interview with Sports Illustrated, Bird recalled how his mother would make do on the family's meager earnings: "If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first." Bird sometimes was sent to live with his grandmother due to the family's struggles. Bird told Sports Illustrated that being poor as a child "motivates me to this day".
The Bird family's struggle with poverty was compounded by the alcoholism and personal difficulties of Joe Bird. In 1975, after Bird's parents divorced, his father committed suicide. In spite of his domestic woes, by the time he was a high schoolsophomore, Bird had become one of the better basketball players in French Lick. He starred for French Lick/West Baden's high school team, Springs Valley High School, where he left as the school's all-time scoring leader. Bird's high school coach, Jim Jones, was a key factor to Bird's success. "Jonesie', as Bird called him, would come help Bird and his friends practice any day of the week. Bird would always be in the gym early, shoot in between classes, and then stay late into the evening. He quit both football and baseball to focus on the sport he loved, basketball.
Bird received a basketball scholarship to Indiana University in 1974. However, he was overwhelmed by the size of the campus and number of students and, as he would later admit in his biographies, wasn't mentally ready for this stage of life. Bird was also treated poorly by an established IU star, Kent Benson; as Bird recalled, the other upperclassmen of the team treated him well.He dropped out of Indiana and went home to French Lick where he enrolled in the nearby Northwood Institute before dropping out and getting a job with the Street Department (the department did pick up garbage once a week, but also repaired roads, removed snow, mowed lawns, etc.) for a year.[6] He played AAU basketball for Hancock Construction [7] and, after that year, decided to enroll at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where he was coached by Bob King. King suffered a stroke prior to the 1978–79 season and assistant Bill Hodges was promoted to head coach. Hodges had been scouting Bird and really wanted him to play for ISU. Bird led the Sycamores to the NCAA championship game in 1979, his senior season, only to lose to the Michigan State University Spartans, who were led by his future NBA rival, Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The Sycamores finished the season 33–1. That year, Bird won the USBWA College Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Awards, given to the year's top male college basketball player. After his three seasons at Indiana State, he left as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. Bird finished his collegiate career with an average of 30.3 points per game. He is on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Century Team. The Boston Celtics selected the 6'9", 220-pound Bird 6th overall in the 1978 NBA Draft, even though they were uncertain whether he would enter the NBA or remain at Indiana State to play his senior season. Bird ultimately decided to play his final college season, but the Celtics retained their exclusive right to sign him until the 1979 NBA Draft, because of the NBA's "junior eligible" rule that existed at that time (allowing a collegiate player to be drafted when the player's original "entering" class was graduating and giving them one calendar year to sign them, even if they went back to college). Shortly before that deadline, Bird agreed to sign with the Celtics for a US $650,000 a year contract, making him at the time the highest-paid rookie in the history of the NBA. Shortly afterwards, the NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign. The rule is called the Bird Collegiate Rule. Larry Bird's impact on the Celtics was immediate. The Celtics were 29–53 during the 1978–79 season, but with Bird the team improved to 61–21 in the 1979–80 season, posting the league's best regular season record. Bird's collegiate rival, Magic Johnson, also had entered the NBA in 1979, joining the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1980, despite a strong rookie season from Johnson, Bird was named the league's Rookie of the Year and was voted onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team (an honor he would receive for each of his 12 full seasons in the NBA). For the 1980 season, Bird led the Celtics in scoring (21.3 points/game), rebounding (10.4 rebounds/game), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5 assists/game) and three-pointers (58). Though Boston was beaten by the more athletic Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals that year, Bird's addition to the team had renewed the promise of Celtic glory.
Following Bird's first season, the Celtics acquired centerRobert Parish and the 3rd pick in the 1980 NBA Draft via a trade with the Golden State Warriors (in exchange for the 1st and 13th picks in the draft). After the Warriors took Joe Barry Carroll with the 1st pick and the Utah Jazz chose Darrell Griffith second, the Celtics selected University of Minnesotapower forwardKevin McHale. With Bird at small forward, the additions of Parish and McHale gave Boston one of the most formidable frontcourts in the history of the NBA. The three would anchor the Celtics throughout Bird's career. In his second season, Bird led the Celtics into the playoffs, where they faced off for a second consecutive year with Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers. Bird helped the Celtics overcome a 3–1 deficit by winning the last 3 games by 2, 2, and 1 point margins, propelling them into the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Houston Rockets in six games with Bird averaging 15.3 points on .419 shooting, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.[8] It would be the first of three championships in Bird's career, as well as the first of his five Finals appearances.
The additions of Bird and Johnson rejuvenated the NBA, which had suffered from low attendance and minimal television interest through much of the 1970s. Immediately upon their entry into the league, the two players became repeating presences in the NBA Finals. Johnson's Lakers won the championship in 1980, Bird's Celtics captured the NBA title in 1981, and Johnson's Lakers wrested it back in 1982. Bird and Johnson first dueled in the 1979 NCAA title game; as professional basketball players, they would face off numerous times during the 1980s, including the NBA Finals of 1984, 1985 and 1987. Lakers versus Celtics, and specifically Bird versus Magic, quickly became one of the greatest rivalries in the history of professional sports. In 1984, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning game seven 111–102. Bird averaged 27.4 points on .484 shooting and 14 rebounds a game during the series,[9] earning the award of Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Bird was also named the league regular season MVP for that year.[10] In 1985, however, the Lakers avenged the loss, defeating the Celtics in game 6 of the Finals in the Boston Garden. In a losing effort against Los Angeles, Bird averaged 23.8 points on .449 shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.[11] That year, the NBA again named Bird the league MVP.[12] Boston would have another great season the next year, with help from another Hall of Famer, Bill Walton. Walton had been refused by the Lakers, and as a last chance, called Celtics president and general manager Red Auerbach. Auerbach was initially unwilling to take a risk on Walton, who had been plagued for years by foot injuries. But Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office at the time of Walton's call, urged him to sign Walton, saying that if Walton felt he was healthy enough to play, it was all Bird needed to hear. With Walton backing up Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, the Celtics would return to the finals in 1986, albeit not against Johnson and the Lakers, who lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Houston Rockets. The 1986 Celtic team, which finished the regular season 67–15 and defeated the Rockets in six games, is generally considered to be the best of Bird's career. Bird again was named the Finals' MVP for that year, averaging 24 points on .482 shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series.[13] He also won his third consecutive league MVP award,[14] a feat matched only by the great Celtic center Bill Russell and the dominant Wilt Chamberlain, who played for Philadelphia and Los Angeles. In 1987, the Celtics made their last Finals appearance of Bird's career, fighting through difficult series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons but as they reached the NBA Finals, the Celtics, plagued by devastating injuries, lost to a dominant Lakers team which had won 65 games during the season. The Celtics ended up losing to the Lakers in six games, with Bird averaging 24.2 points on .445 shooting, 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the championship series.[15] The Celtics would fall short in 1988 losing to the Pistons in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Pistons made up from the heartbreak the previous season. Between them, Bird and Johnson captured eight NBA championships during the 1980s, with Magic getting five and Bird three. During the 1980s, either Boston or Los Angeles appeared in every NBA Finals. Throughout the 1980s, contests between the Celtics and the Lakers—both during the regular season and in the Finals—attracted enormous television audiences. The first regular season game between the Celtics and the Lakers in the 1987-88 season proved to be a classic with Magic Johnson banking in an off balance shot from near the 3-point line at the buzzer for a 115-114 Lakers win at Boston Garden.[16] The historical rift between the teams, which faced each other several times in championship series of the 1960s, fueled fan interest in the rivalry. Not since Russell squared off against Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The apparent contrast between the two players and their respective teams seemed scripted for television: Bird, the introverted small-town hero with the blue-collar work ethic, fitted perfectly with the throwback, hard-nosed style of the Celtics, while the stylish, gregarious Johnson ran the Lakers' fast-paced "Showtime" offense amidst the bright lights and celebrities of Los Angeles. A 1986 Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two players. In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone on a rural basketball court when Johnson pulls up in a sleek limousine and challenges him to a one-on-one match.
Despite the intensity of their rivalry, Bird and Johnson became friends off the court. Their friendship blossomed when the two players worked together to film the 1986 Converse commercial, which depicted them as archenemies. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993 and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever." 1988–1992: The twilight years In 1988, Bird had the best statistical season of his career, but the Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in four years, losing to the Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird started the 1988–89 season with Boston, but ended his season after six games to have bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Nonetheless, through the final years of his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. He averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists a game in his last three seasons with the Celtics, and shot better than 45% from the field in each. Bird led the Celtics to playoff appearances in each of those three seasons. Bird's body, however, continued to break down. He had been bothered by back problems for years, and his back became progressively worse. After leading the Celtics to a 29-5 start to the 1990-91 season, he missed 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that would eventually lead to his retirement. He had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but his back problems continued and he missed 37 games during the 1991–92 season. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers Bird missed 4 of 7 games in the series due to his back problems. Olympic medal record Men's basketball
In the summer of 1992, Bird joined Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and other NBA stars to play for the United States basketball team in that year's Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. It was the first time in America's Olympic history that the country sent professional basketball players to compete. The "Dream Team" won the men's basketball gold medal. Following his Olympic experience, on August 18, 1992, Bird announced his retirement as an NBA player. He finished his career with averages of more than 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, while shooting 49.6% from the field, 88.6% from the free throw line and 37.6% from three-point range. Following Bird's departure, the Celtics promptly retired his jersey number "33". In 1989, Bird published his autobiography, Drive: The Story of My Life with Bob Ryan. The book chronicles his life and career up to the 1989 NBA season. The Celtics employed Bird as a special assistant in the team's front office from 1992 until 1997. In 1997, Bird accepted the position of coach of the Indiana Pacers. Despite having no previous coaching experience, Bird led the Pacers to an Eastern Conference championship in 2000 and two Eastern Conference runner-up finishes the previous two seasons. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year for the 1998 season. Bird resigned as Pacers coach shortly after the end of the 2000 season. In 2003, he returned as the Pacers' President of Basketball Operations, where he oversees team personnel and coaching moves, as well as the team's draft selections. Indiana Pacers 1998: 58–24, Eastern Conference Runner-Up 1999: 33–17, Eastern Conference Runner-Up (note: season was shortened due to lockout) 2000: 56–26, Eastern Conference Champions Legacy "Larry, you only told me one lie. You said there will be another Larry Bird. Larry, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird." — Magic Johnson, as quoted at Bird's retirement party. Bird's humble roots led to his most frequently used moniker, "The Hick From French Lick". Other observers called him "The Great White Hope". In 1999, Bird ranked #30 in ESPN's SportsCentury's 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century.
For the 2008 NBA Finals, which featured a rematch of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, Bird appeared in a split-screen advertisement with Magic Johnson (as part of the "There Can Only Be One" campaign which had played throughout the 2008 NBA Playoffs but to that point only featured players from the two teams competing in a given series) discussing the meaning of rivalries.
Bird, a versatile wing man who played the power forward and small forward positions, is considered as one of the greatest wing players of all time, to which his twelve All-Star team nominations are a testament. The versatile, sharpshooting Bird made his name stepping up his performance in critical situations, and is credited with a long list of dominating games, buzzer beaters and clutch defensive plays. He won two NBA Finals MVP and three regular-season MVP awards, something only five other players in the history of the NBA have accomplished. He won them all in a row, a feat only shared by Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Bird possessed an uncanny and unparalleled ability to anticipate and react to the strategies of his opponents. His talent for recognizing the moves of opponents and teammates prompted his first coach with the Celtics, Bill Fitch, to nickname him "Kodak", because he seemed to formulate mental pictures of every play that took place on the court. Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a high .496 field goal average, a stellar .886 free throw average (9th best all-time) and a 37.6 percentage on 3-point shots. Bird was also a good rebounder (10.0 rebound career average) and an excellent playmaker (6.3 assist career average). His multidimensional game made him a consistent triple-double threat; Bird currently ranks fifth all-time in triple-doubles with 59, not including the 10 he recorded in the playoffs. Bird's lifetime player efficiency rating (PER) is 23.5, 16th all-time, a further testament to his all around game.[18] Bird's high free throw percentage is due in no small part to the fact that when he was a boy, he used to shoot 200 free throws before school, every day, according to a late 1990s Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance commercial with Larry himself.
Bird is also remembered as an excellent defender. While he was neither fast or quick-footed, and could not always shut down an individual player one-on-one, he consistently displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, allowing him to intercept passes and create turnovers. His 1,556 career steals ranks 27th all-time.[19] Unspectacular but effective defensive moves, such as jumping into a passing lane to make a steal or allowing his man to step past and drive to the hoop, then blocking the opponent's shot from behind, were staples of Bird's defensive game. In recognition of his defensive abilities, Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams. Bird's competitive nature often emerged in nearly constant trash-talking on the court. Some notable examples follow:
During the three-point shooting contest on All-Star Weekend 1986, Bird entered the locker room, looked around without saying a word, then finally said, "I want all of you to know I am winning this thing. I'm just looking around to see who's gonna finish up second." He won the shooting contest. During one game on Christmas Day against the Indiana Pacers, before the game Bird told Chuck Person that he had a Christmas present waiting for him. During the game, when Person was on the bench, Bird shot a three-pointer on the baseline right in front of Person. Immediately after releasing the ball, Bird said to Person, "Merry f***in' Christmas!", and then the shot went in. This was no doubt inspired by Person (nicknamed the "Rifleman") stating prior to the game that "The Rifleman is Coming, and He's Going Bird Hunting." Reggie Miller recalled his encounter with Larry Bird's legendary trash talking ability in his book "I Love Being The Enemy". Reggie tried to disrupt Larry's concentration when he was shooting free throws late in a game. Larry glared at him, made the first free throw and said, "Rook, I am the best f***ing shooter in the league. In the league, understand? And you're up here trying to f***ing tell me something?" Then Larry buried the second free throw. Late in a tied game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Bird told Supersonics forward Xavier McDaniel, who was guarding him, exactly where he would hit the game winning shot. After a timeout, Bird made two baseline cuts, then posted in the exact spot he had indicated to McDaniel, paused, turned, and hit the shot in his face.[20] On November 9, 1984, Bird was ejected along with Julius Erving in the third quarter after an on court scuffle. At the point of both ejections, Bird had outscored Erving 42 to 6. During the game, Bird had continuously informed Erving of their tallies with every chance he got to score. Bird denies this stating that it was "M.L. (Carr) talking trash from the bench" during that game. Eventually a shoving match ensued, then swings taken by both players, and finally a bench-clearing brawl.
Prior to attending Indiana State University, Bird married his high-school girlfriend, Janet Condra.[22] The marriage lasted only 11 months, but produced a daughter, Corrie, born on August 14, 1977. In 1998, Corrie Bird appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and revealed that she was Bird's daughter from his first marriage though Larry had denied paternity until the mid '80s. She
discussed her longing to connect with her father, who she had not seen in 17 years. Corrie's story was also shown on 20/20 and was run as an article in the September 4, 1998 issue of Sports Illustrated. Corrie, like her father, played basketball in high school and attended Indiana State University, graduating with a degree in elementary education. On October 31, 1989, Bird married Dinah Mattingly (Not related to New York Yankees legend and Los Angeles Dodgers coach Don Mattingly). The couple has two adopted children, son Connor and daughter Mariah.
Bird is remembered as one of the foremost clutch performers in the history of the NBA. Few players have performed as brilliantly in critical moments of games. In Game 7 of the 1981 Eastern Conference finals against the rival Philadelphia 76ers, The Sixers led all game. Inside the final minute, Boston and Philadelphia were tied 89–89 when Bird sank a fast-break mid-range pull-up bank shot with his left hand, a very difficult shot to execute under intense pressure. That basket put the Celtics up 91-89. The Sixers had a chance to win the game, but threw away the lob inbounds pass intended for Julius Erving. The Celtics' 91-90 win put them into the NBA finals for the first time since 1976 and they would go on to win the NBA championship in the Finals, beating the Houston Rockets in 6 games. In the late stages of the game, Bird also had two key steals, two free throws made, a rebound, and a blocked shot. In 1985 (January 27), Larry Bird hit an amazing baseline jumper at the buzzer while falling out of bounds to give the Celtics a 128-127 win over Portland. In the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1986 Finals, Bird recorded a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. In Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons, with six seconds
remaining in the fourth quarter and Boston trailing the Pistons 107–106, Bird stole an inbound pass from Isiah Thomas that was intended for Bill Laimbeer. Falling out of bounds, Bird turned and passed the ball to teammate Dennis Johnson, who was cutting to the basket and converted a 2-point layup with less than a second left. The Pistons called a timeout but had no chance of getting off a shot. The dramatic play saved the series for the Celtics who won in 7 games, and they advanced to the Finals. In a game in Washington against the Bullets in 1987, the Celtics trailed the Bullets by 3 points with 6 seconds remaining in regulation. A three-pointer by Bird had been waved off because their coach, K. C. Jones, had already called a timeout. Bird then made another three-pointer to send the game into overtime. When the Celtics trailed by two points near the end of the first overtime, Bird was fouled and converted both free throws. In the second overtime, trailing by 1 point with 2 seconds remaining, Bird made a buzzer-beating running shot to win the game, 140–139. In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, Bird shot 9 of 10 from the floor in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points in that quarter and lifting the Celtics to a series-clinching victory over Atlanta. This effort helped to overcome a 47 point performance by Dominique Wilkins in the same game. On March 31, 1991, the Celtics played a double overtime game with the Chicago Bulls in their last meeting of the season. In the second overtime period, Bird scored 9 points on 4 of 5 shooting from the field and helped the Celtics beat the Bulls, 135–132. Many called this particular game Bird's finest performance against Michael Jordan.[23] In the last seconds of a nationally-televised regular season game with the Portland Trail Blazers in March 1992, Bird sent the game into overtime with an off balance running one-handed three-point shot. Bird tallied 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals for his 59th and final career triple-double in what many fans called his last great game in the NBA. The Celtics won in double overtime over the Blazers, 152–148.[24] Michael Jordan once was asked who he would want to take a shot with the game on the line, other than himself. Before the question could be finished, Jordan quickly responded, "Larry Bird."[25]
On August 18, 1992, Larry Bird announced his retirement during the day. At Fenway Park that day, the Red Sox were playing the California Angels. Roger Clemens, the Red Sox starting pitcher, had a small 33 on his hat as a tribute to Bird. Angels manager John Wathan immediately protested, saying it did not meet regulations. The crowd booed relentlessly, chanting "Larry, Larry, Larry." Clemens threw his hat into the dugout in disgust when told it was not allowed. He then proceeded to throw a four-hit shutout for an 8-0 victory.[26]
At the end of his third three-point contest, Bird was trailing, needing to make his last couple shots. On his last shot, when he released it he turned his back and walked off the court with his index finger pointing up in the air that he was number one before the shot even went in, and then it went in and he won his third three-point contest in a row. On March 30, 1983, Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers to set the Celtic record for highest scoring output in a game by an individual player (the previous record belonged to Sam Jones who scored 51 points against the Detroit Pistons on October 29, 1965). Bird also set the franchise record for most points scored in a quarter with 24 points in the third quarter which has since been equaled by Todd Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 22, 1995. On February 18, 1985, Bird registered a triple double (30 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) and also had 9 steals in three quarters of play against the Utah Jazz. Bird sat out the fourth quarter, as the Celtics led 90–66 after the third quarter and won the game 110–94. When asked by reporters if he actually wanted to play in the fourth quarter to get the quadruple double, Bird said "What for? I already did enough damage to them." On March 3, 1985 Kevin McHale puts up a record high 56 points against the Detroit Pistons. As Kevin was coming down from the ramp from the rear of the old Boston Garden, he was asked about the feat that night to which he jokingly responded that the record wont last, Larry will probably beat it within the next couple games. On March 12, 1985, Bird scored 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks to reclaim the record for highest scoring output in a game by a Celtic, just nine days after teammate Kevin McHale broke Bird's previous record by scoring 56 points against the Detroit Pistons. On April 1, 1987, Bird registered a triple double (17 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) by halftime against the Washington Bullets. He finished the game with 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 15 assists.[27] On November 11, 1987, Bird completed the first 40-point – 20-rebound game in Celtics history against the Indiana Pacers. On November 10, 1989, Bird scored 50 points against the Atlanta Hawks to register his fourth and final 50-point game in his career.[28] Bird's four career 50-point games stand as the record for most 50-point games by a Celtic. Bird recorded three 40-point triple double games in his professional career. The first was on February 14, 1986 in an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers. He finished that game with 47 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. The second occurred on December 13, 1989 in a win over the Seattle SuperSonics (40 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). The last was in a double-overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 15, 1992 where Bird finished with 49 points (second place for the most points scored while recording a triple double), 14 rebounds, and 12 assists. Bird also totaled 69 triple doubles (59 regular season and 10 postseason) which stands behind Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, and Wilt Chamberlain for fifth most all-time. To see more of Who Is click here
Who is James Samuel Morris? The baseball world knows him as "Jimmy" Morris, he is a former American professional baseball player known for his brief Major League Baseball career. 
While coaching baseball for the Reagan County Owls in the late 1990s, Morris made a promise to his team that he would try out for Major League Baseball if his team won the District Championship, something the team had never accomplished before. His team won the title, and Morris kept his end of the bargain by attending a Tampa Bay Devil Rays tryout. The scout wasn't interested in Morris, but gave him a tryout solely to let Morris keep his promise to his players. Surprisingly, Morris discovered that in spite of his age, and having several surgeries on his arm, he was able to throw 12 consecutive 98-mph fastballs. After much debate with his family, Morris signed a professional contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization at the age of 35. He started out with the Minor League Double-A Orlando Rays, but after a few appearances he moved up to a spot with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Thanks to solid pitching performances with Durham, Tampa Bay gave him a chance to pitch with the big club when the rosters expanded, and on September 18, 1999, against Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers, the 35-year old Morris made his debut, striking Clayton out on four pitches. His goal of pitching in the majors was finally realized, and he made four more appearances later that year.
Morris has released an autobiography, The Oldest Rookie. 
He often appears as a motivational speaker, and currently receives $9000-$15000 for each appearance.[1] He often mentions God in his presentations.
