Ken Griffey Obstacles

Being a Missouri native, Angela Juergensmeyer grew up watching St. Louis Cardinals baseball with her family and enjoying every minute of it. She grew up watching John Tudor, Ozzie Smith, and all the greats from St. Louis play baseball. She new a inconsequential amount of information about Mark McGwire before his debut with the Cardinals but never really watched him play until his first year with the Cardinals in 1997. She knew about his career over in Oakland and how he was an average player so she wasn’t the biggest

Nolan Ryan was a very popular athlete. Yet, lots of people don’t know much about him. Though Nolan Ryan is one of the most iconic baseball figures, many people don’t know about his early life, his career in the MLB, and how he has impacted baseball today.

Diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig (Under the yankees baseball organization) continued on to deliver one of the most famous speeches in sports history, and aimed himself towards his fans and family. Gehrig's mom pushed her son hard and is the reason he was such a gifted athlete not only in baseball but in football as well. Although not the main star gehrig pushed himself to be one of the greats and on of the most well respected men in the MLB in his quote "Let's face it. I'm not a headline guy. I always knew that as long as I was following Babe to the plate I could have gone up there and stood on my head. No one would have noticed the difference. When the Babe was through swinging, whether he hit one or fanned, nobody

Robinson has been one of the most influential people throughout history, Jackie has had a huge impact on today's world because of the numerous ideas and actions he has done.

Sports Magazine featured Robinson as the most significant athlete of that quarter century (Schutz 157). Many things can be learned from the awe-inspiring man that Jackie Robinson was. There is the obvious lesson to never give up and to follow your dreams, no matter what obstacles are placed in front of you . The deeper lesson, however, is to fight hard for what you believe in and never accept intolerance of any kind, be it race or religion. At first, Jackie was just another black man who was subject to racism; but, he fought that with every ounce of energy he had. Throughout the course of his life and baseball career, he overcame many obstacles, unthinkable to others, and went on to not only gain the respect of blacks and whites; he went on to become one of the greatest and most admired baseball players of all time. In an interview after a game, Branch Rickey was quoted saying “He’s the indispensable man that can carry a team by himself.” Jackie will be remembered for generations to come as a role model to

“The measure of life is not what life accomplishes but rather… the impact that life has on others” quote from Jackie Robinson. His legacy changed many lives. Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest baseball players of all time and his accomplishments led to increased equality for the blacks.

Some people are great athletes; others are great humanitarians, but Roberto Clemente combined both characteristics in one, dynamic package. From his early years as a poor child in Puerto Rico to dizzying heights as a pro baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemente’s life is one of inspiration and admiration.

October 23, 1945, Jackie Robinson shook hands with Branch Rickey, officially changing baseball and society, signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson grew up in a poor household in Pasadena, California. He attended UCLA, making himself a four sport star athlete . Major league baseball had been segregated at the time, with the only black men playing in separate Negro Leagues. Branch Rickey, the owner of the Dodgers, wanted to break the color barrier. To do that, he had to find someone that could withstand racial discrimination and learn to not fight back when dealt with harsh criticism. Jackie Robinson took an amazing risk when he became the first African-American athlete to play in the major leagues. Robinson has been a huge inspiration to athletes, paving the way for blacks, not just in the game of baseball, as well as being an outspoken activist for the rights of American-Americans.

Jackie Robinson is known to be one of the most influential people in baseball and in society. He eternally changed the aspect of American history. It was unusual to have a colored person be treated equally as a white person during the time of the 1900s. He was born in Cairo, Georgia in 1919 and later moved to Pasadena, California to pursue a better life. He came from a poor family of sharecroppers in the South and was the youngest of five. Robinson’s older brother Matthew Robinson was the person who inspired Jackie to pursue his talents and love for sports. Matthew won a silver medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games just behind Jesse Owens. Jackie did it all, he excelled in all types of sports it came natural to him. He attended Pasadena Junior College then later continued his education at UCLA where he became the first athlete to win varsity letters in four sports: basketball, football, track, and baseball.

On July 4, 1939, at the Yankee Stadium a man conveyed a standout amongst the most moving and powerful addresses. He was substantially more gifted on the baseball field as opposed to conveying speeches. His name is Lou Gehrig's in his 272 word speech which lasted about two minutes. Gehrig's farewell speech included rhetorical stratigies. Gehrig firmly used ethos and pathos to state his case. Gehrig strongly utilized ethos and pathos to assert his claim. Ethos and pathos are the two appeals combined that allowed him to establish himself as a self-effacing and thankful man who believed, he was nothing but lucky to have been given the opportunities in life that he had been given. In spite of Gehrig's hardships all through life he stayed devoted to baseball, faithful to his fans,

Jackie Robinson not only made impacts on the field that were monumental, but he made impacts off the field that were equally as important. Jackie helped presidents get elected, get kids off the streets and into the most prestigious schools there is, and most importantly he broke the black color barrier in baseball. Jackie Robinson is one of the most influential people to ever live, he did things that people would dream about, he stood up for what he believed.

First black baseball player, selfless, and courage are three attributes that describe Jackie Robinson. Many people know that Jackie Robinson was a baseball player, but he was so much more. As a well known baseball player, Jackie Robinson showed pro sports that it is all right to have a black person play. He broke the professional baseball color barrier. He is the reason our sports are open to all. He left a lasting legacy as a hero to all, someone who gave up his life to undiscriminate professional sports.

In Lou Gehrig's "Farewell to Baseball Address," his main goal is to make the claim that is "the luckiest man on the face of the earth" by using multiple techniques. The fist technique that Lou Gehrig uses is repitition of key phrases. As he is orally speaking to many insprired fans, he repeatedly uses the phrase, "Sure I am lucky." This phrase shows us how he had many people playing as jey roles in his life to make him feel lucky. One of them are his parents who Lou Gehrig says "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." This shows that he is thankful for his parents for investing in his life and making him became s famous legend in baseball history. Another

Being born to sharecropper parents living in Georgia, Jackie Robinson faced racism and hatred early on. He overcame these adversities and became one of baseball 's most historic players for not only his lightning speed on the field, but his courage to break major league baseball 's color barrier. Jackie Robinson was the most influential sports athlete because he changed American society forever.

Hard Working, Strong,and Committed are three words that people think of in connection to Jackie Robinson. Many people know who broke the color barrier in baseball,was jackie robinson, but he was so much more. As a normal kid, Jackie Robinson showed the world that anyone could make a positive change is you stay hard working, strong and committed. He left a legacy as a world changer.