Steve Garvey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the baseball player and businessman. For the association football player, see Steve Garvey (footballer). For the musician, see Steve Garvey (musician).
Steve Garvey

Garvey at Dodger Stadium in June 2010.
First baseman
Born: December 22, 1948 (1948-12-22) (age 63)
Tampa, Florida
Batted: Right Threw: Right 
MLB debut
September 1, 1969 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
May 23, 1987 for the San Diego Padres
Career statistics
Batting average     .294
Hits     2,599
Home runs     272
Runs batted in     1,308
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948), nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held throughout his career in baseball, is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current Southern California businessman. Garvey was the 1974 NL MVP, 10-time All-Star, and holds the National League record for consecutive games played (1,207).

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Steve Garvey at bat in the mid-1970s against Cincinnati, in Dodger Stadium

Born in Tampa, FL to parents who had recently relocated from Long Island, New York,[1] from 1956 to 1961, Garvey was a bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. Garvey played football and baseball at Michigan State University after graduating from Chamberlain High School. Garvey played his entire career in the National League West for two teams; the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969–82) and the San Diego Padres (1983–87). He batted right and threw right. In a 19-year career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1308 RBI in 2332 games played.

[edit] Los Angeles Dodgers

Garvey was part of the most enduring infield in baseball history[2] along with third baseman Ron Cey, shortstop Bill Russell and second baseman Davey Lopes. The four infielders stayed together as the Dodgers' starters for eight and a half years.

Garvey is one of only two players to have started an All-Star Game as a write-in vote, doing so in 1974. That year he won the NL MVP award, and had the first of six 200-hit seasons. Only 15 players in all of Major League Baseball history have had six or more 200 hit seasons (as of the end of 2010).

Garvey set a National League record with 1207 consecutive games played, from September 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983. The streak ended when he broke his thumb in a collision at home plate against the Atlanta Braves. It is the fourth-longest such streak in Major League Baseball history.

In the 1978 National League Championship Series, Garvey hit four home runs, and added a double for five extra base hits, both marks tying Bob Robertson's 1971 NLCS record; Jeffrey Leonard would tie the NLCS home run record in the 1987 NLCS.

In 1981, at a point in his career when it looked like he would one day rank among the game's all-time greats, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.

[edit] San Diego Padres

PadresRetired6.png
Steve Garvey's number 6 was retired by the San Diego Padres in 1989.

In December 1982 Garvey signed with the Padres for $6.6 million over five years in what some felt was a "masterstroke" to General Manager Jack McKeon's effort to rebuild the team.[3] Though San Diego had vastly outbid the Dodgers, McKeon particularly noted Garvey's value in providing a role model for younger players.[4] Additionally, Garvey's "box office appeal"--his impending departure from the Dodgers provoked some Girl Scouts to picket the stadium—helped San Diego increase its season ticket sales increased by 6,000 seats in Garvey's first year.[4] Sports Illustrated ranked the signing as the fifteenth best free agent signing ever as of 2008.[5]

His first season in San Diego allowed him to break the National League's record for consecutive games played, a feat that landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated as baseball's "Iron Man."[6] (In an unusual homecoming, Garvey tied the record in his first appearance back at Dodger Stadium in Padre gold.[7])

It was Garvey's second season in San Diego, however, that would provide his highlight in a Padres uniform. Led by Garvey, winning his third National League Championship Series MVP award, the Padres won their first National League pennant over the Chicago Cubs in 1984.[8] Game 4, "the best game of the series, and one of the best games in memory," provided a particularly notable effort by Garvey.[9] His hot bat provided excellent insurance for the top of the order, including future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who drew an intentional walk that Garvey converted into one of his four crucial RBI.[9] After supplying critical hits in the third, fifth, and seventh innings, Garvey capped off his efforts with a two-run walk-off home run off future all-time saves leader Lee Smith in the 9th inning.[9] As he rounded third base, Garvey, who after the game would be compared by teammates to fictional baseball hero Roy Hobbs, was met by fellow Padres who later carried him off the field in celebration.[9] Following the 7–5 Padres victory, grateful fans thronged against stadium barricades chanting Garvey's name.[8] Garvey, about to play in his fifth World Series, called the experience "the greatest playoffs I've ever seen."[10]

[edit] Honors

He is a member of the Irish American Hall of Fame[11] and the Michigan State University Athletics Hall of Fame.[12] Steve Garvey Junior High School, in Lindsay, California, is named for him.[13] Garvey's jersey No. 6, worn when he was both a Padre and Dodger is retired by the Padres. His number was displayed at the site of his 1984 NLCS home run in right field at Qualcomm Stadium.

[edit] Post-baseball career

Garvey, a Republican who harbored political ambitions after baseball, earned the nickname "Senator" from teammates. Those aspirations diminished after the public learned embarrassing details of his personal life.

Also, starting in the mid 1980s he began the Steve Garvey celebrity Blue Marlin tournament, as well as the Steve Garvey celebrity skiing challenge. These were featured on episodes of the ESPN Classic show Cheap Seats during its four season run.

Since 1988 he has been running Garvey Communications mainly involved in television production including infomercials. He is also the host of Baseball's Greatest Games. In addition he is hired out to do motivational speaking, mainly for corporations.

Garvey spent 15 years in the Community Affairs department for the Dodgers, where he was a greeter for VIP season ticket holders and a consultant for community relations.[14] He was fired by the team on July 8, 2011 after some very public comments he made critical of Dodger owner Frank McCourt and his involvement in a group trying to take over ownership of the team.[15] Garvey subsequently put together a group, that also included fellow former Dodger Orel Hershiser, that became involved in the bidding process for the Dodgers when the team was later put up for sale in 2012. His group did not make it past the first round of the bidding.[16][17]

Garvey, who made over $10 million in his career only to go broke afterwards,[18] currently serves as a member of the board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League, and Negro League players through financial and medical hardships.

He currently resides in Los Angeles and Palm Desert, California.[19]

[edit] Personal

Garvey, known as "Mr. Clean," carried such a record for unblemished personal behavior during his playing days that manager Tommy Lasorda once commented, "If he ever came to date my daughter, I'd lock the door and not let him out."[18] In the mid to late-1980s, however, Garvey engaged in a series of simultaneous romantic relationships and fathering of children with multiple women that led to him being the subject of national ridicule.[18]

At the age of 22 Garvey married Cyndy Garvey, "a prospective medical-school student, who dropped that ambition to be at Steve's side as he pursued his baseball career."[18] They had two children, Krisha and Whitney. Their marriage lasted from 1971 until their divorce in 1983. Following a tempestuous marriage, she left Garvey for famed composer Marvin Hamlisch.[18] (Cyndi would later claim Garvey "gave me away" to Hamlisch after a private two hour conversation.[18]) Garvey later became romantically involved with his secretary, Judy Ross.[18] Hiding it from Ross, Garvey began a simultaneous affair with CNN correspondent Rebecka Mendenhall.[18] Garvey then added a third relationship when he became involved with San Diego medical products sales representative Cheryl Ann Moulton.[18] Garvey discovered in July 1988 that Moulton was pregnant with his child, a pregnancy Garvey subsequently contended was intentional on Moulton's part but without his consent.[18] (It ultimately took a court order before Garvey paid child support to Moulton.[18]) He then proposed to Mendenhall because of what he termed her "ultimatum" in November 1988, while Moulton was several months pregnant with his child.[18] Ross asserts that during this period—engaged to one woman and having a child with a second—Garvey then told her that he wished to be married to Ross and had broken up with Mendenhall.[18] In January 1989, less than two weeks after nonetheless announcing his engagement to Mendenhall, Garvey became involved with a fourth woman, Candace Thomas, whom he met at a benefit for the Special Olympics.[18] Over the next few weeks, Garvey and Thomas began a whirlwind courtship that included trips to the inauguration of President George H.W. Bush and the Super Bowl.[18] Mendenhall, unaware that Garvey was romancing a fourth woman and believing she and the former All-Star were to be married, then discovered she, also, was pregnant with Garvey's child.[18]

When these details became public, Garvey became the object of comedians' jokes and satirical bumper stickers as his post-baseball political ambitions were widely seen to have disappeared under the weight of the sex scandals.[18] Garvey, in the midst of what he later termed a "midlife disaster," sued Cyndi, his ex-wife, for access to his two children.[18] His daughters, who found his protestations of affection insincere, testified in court that they did not love their father and did not wish to see him.[18] (Cyndi was briefly jailed for her refusal to allow Garvey access to the girls.[18]) Under the shadow of multiple lawsuits and damage to his reputation, Garvey lost business opportunities, declared himself broke, and found himself paying half his monthly television earning in child support.[18] He and Candace Thomas married in 1989.[20] That same year Cyndy Garvey published a tell-all book in which she revealed the details of her marriage with Steve.[21][22]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ WFAN radio interview Steve Garvey on Mike and the Mad Dog, April 18, 2008
  2. ^ "Steve Sax – Los Angeles Dodgers Steve Sax". Losangelesdodgersonline.com. http://www.losangelesdodgersonline.com/stevesax.php. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  3. ^ Ivan Maisel (April 4, 1983). "San Diego – 04.04.83 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1120668/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  4. ^ a b Steve Wulf (April 25, 1983). "Incredibly, Steve Garvey's return to L.A. as a Padre – 04.25.83 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1120752/3/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  5. ^ "What a deal! (cont.) - Jon Heyman". Sports Illustrated. May 15, 2008. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/05/14/heyman.bestfreeagents/1.html. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  6. ^ "Steve Garvey, Baseball, San Diego Padres – 04.25.83 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. April 25, 1983. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/8847/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  7. ^ Steve Wulf (April 25, 1983). "Incredibly, Steve Garvey's return to L.A. as a Padre – 04.25.83 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1120752/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  8. ^ a b Steve Wulf (October 15, 1984). "Led by MVP Steve Garvey, San Diego charged from way behind". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122703/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  9. ^ a b c d Steve Wulf (October 15, 1984). "Led by MVP Steve Garvey, San Diego charged from way behind". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122703/5/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  10. ^ Steve Wulf (October 15, 1984). "Led by MVP Steve Garvey, San Diego charged from way behind". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122703/2/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  11. ^ "Walter O'Malley finally honored in NYC, inducted into Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame | Irish Sports". IrishCentral. http://www.irishcentral.com/sport/Walter-OMalley-finally-honored-in-NYC-inducted-into--50155942.html. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  12. ^ "MSU Athletics Hall of Fame inducts 10 new members". The State News. http://statenews.com/index.php/article/2010/10/msu_athletics_hall_of_fame_inducts_10_new_members. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  13. ^ Steve Garvey – Brooks International Speakers & Entertainment Bureau
  14. ^ By Jeff PearlmanSpecial to Page 2 (Archive (March 3, 2008). "Pearlman: No love from Nomar – ESPN Page 2". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/080303. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  15. ^ Brown, Tim. "Fed-up Dodgers fire Garvey". Sports.yahoo.com. http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-brown_garvey_fired_dodgers_mccourt_070811. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  16. ^ Orel Hershiser joining Steve Garvey-led team exploring possibility of purchasing Dodgers should franchise go up for sale
  17. ^ Source: Dodgers begin narrowing bids
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Rick Reilly (November 27, 1989). "America's Sweetheart". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069161/1/index.htm. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  19. ^ Schrotenboer, Brent. "Revisiting the Padres of '84". SignOnSanDiego.com. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/jun/27/84padscaps152624/. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  20. ^ Published March 3, 2003. "Steve Garvey’s public exile". Sportsbusinessdaily.com. http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2003/03/20030303/This-Weeks-Issue/Steve-Garveys-Public-Exile.aspx. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  21. ^ Mizell, Hubert (August 10, 2003). "Bryant reminds us we never know athletes". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/2003/08/10/Columns/Bryant_reminds_us_we_.shtml. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
  22. ^ Virginian Pilot

[edit] External links
The Franchise
Ballparks
Culture
Key Personnel
Owners: Jeff Moorad • John Moores • General Manager: Josh Byrnes • Sr. VP of Baseball Operations: Omar Minaya • Manager: Bud Black
Padres Hall of Fame
Retired Numbers
6 • 19 • 31 • 35 • 42 • 51
National League Pennants (2)
Division Titles (5)
1984 • 1996 • 1998 • 2005 • 2006
Minor League Affiliates
Related programs
Related articles
Commentators
Key figures
Guest commentators
Lore
Tiebreaker games
LCS games
World Series games
World Series
1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1977 · 1979 · 1981 · 1983 · 1985 · 1987 · 1989 · 1994 (cancelled) · 1995 (Games 1, 4, & 5)
AL Championship Series
1976 · 1978 · 1980 · 1982 · 1984 · 1986 · 1988 · 1995
NL Championship Series
1976 · 1978 · 1980 · 1982 · 1984 · 1986 · 1988 · 1995
AL Division Series
NL Division Series
All-Star Game
1976 · 1978 · 1980 · 1982 · 1984 · 1986 · 1988 · 1995
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_Garvey&oldid=474822080"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages