Shawn Green says Adios

You might have missed that Shawn Green retired yesterday. Its not huge news because Green isn't a Hall of Fame player. He had a few great years with the Dodgers, but the last couple years with the D'backs and Mets were uneventful and his numbers declined. But when I think of Shawn Green, I will always remember two distinct things. The first is that Green was notorious for always giving away his batting gloves after hitting a homerun. Kids that were sitting near the dugout would expect a pair of his batting gloves once he knocked one out...that’s a cool thing to be known for. The second thing I will always remember about Green is that he took his Jewish faith so seriously that he would skip games if they fell on the Yom Kippur holiday. To see someone have a conviction outside of their sport/ career and then honor that commitment is something that deserves to be acknowledged.

Green will not be talked about as a superstar. But he will always be known for a few odd accomplishments. 1) He hit 4 HR in one game (tying a MLB record). 2) He had 7 HR over a 3 game span...a record. 3) Lastly, Green had 19 total bases in one game (vs. Brewers in 2002).