Jimmie Foxx - Christmas

by Brian Wallace

Title

Jimmie Foxx - Christmas

Artist

Brian Wallace

Medium

Photograph - 2d Digital Image

Description

2D "Color Select" image.
Coming back home from the Eastern Shore of Maryland just 5 days after Christmas, I road through the town of Sudlersville where I attended grade school as a child. Approaching the "four corners" of the town, I noticed the memorial statue of baseball great, Jimmy Foxx had been adorned with the Christmas spirit! I stopped to capture the moment.

James Emory "Jimmie" Foxx (October 22, 1907 – July 21, 1967), nicknamed "Double X" and "The Beast", was an American baseball first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball for four different teams. His most productive years were with the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox, where he was a formidable power hitter, hitting 30 or more home runs in 12 consecutive seasons and driving in more than 100 runs in 13 consecutive years.

Foxx became the second player in Major League Baseball history to hit 500 career home runs, after Babe Ruth. Attaining that plateau at age 32 years 336 days, he held the record for youngest to reach 500 for sixty-eight years, until superseded by Alex Rodriguez in 2007. His three career Most Valuable Player awards are tied for second all-time. Foxx was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951.

Foxx was born in Sudlersville, Maryland on October 22, 1907 to Dell and Mattie Foxx, who were farmers. Dell Foxx had played baseball for a town team when he was younger. Jimmie Foxx did well in school but truly excelled in sports, particularly soccer, track, and baseball. He played all three sports at Sudlersville High School.

Foxx dropped out of high school early to join a minor league team managed by former Philadelphia Athletics great Frank "Home Run" Baker. Foxx had hoped to pitch or play third base, but since the team was short on catchers, Foxx moved behind the plate. He immediately drew interest from the Athletics and New York Yankees. Foxx signed with the A's and made his major league debut in 1925 at age 17.

A statue of Foxx was erected in his hometown of Sudlersville, Maryland on October 25, 1997. In 1999, he ranked number 15 on The Sporting News '​ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and was a nominee for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Tom Hanks' character Jimmy Dugan in the movie A League of Their Own was largely based on Foxx and Hack Wilson, although the producers took a number of liberties in creating the role.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Foxx

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January 6th, 2015

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