Today was the first weekend of the NFL season! So many incredible games were played and more should-be exciting games will be played tonight and tomorrow night. In honor of this fun and action-packed weekend, I want to talk about a baseball Hall of Famer that was not only drafted into the MLB, but also into the NFL (and the NBA).
One of my favorite Hall of Famers of all time, Dave Winfield played from 1973-1995 with the Padres, Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Twins, and Indians. One of the tallest Hall of Famers, standing at 6' 6'', Winfield was one of the best players of his time. The twelve-time All Star batted .283, with 465 home runs and 1,833 RBIs in his great career, but his most famous stat is his hit total: 3,110 career base hits (20th all time). This five-tool player had great years in San Diego and New York, but despite his last name, he never won a World Series with those clubs. However, he helped the Toronto Blue Jays win their first Fall Classic in franchise history in 1992 with a go-ahead hit in the top of the eleventh inning of Game Six of the Series. The seven-time Gold Glove Award winner didn't have to wait long after his retirement to get into Cooperstown, as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, in 2001.
In case you were wondering, Winfield was drafted by the Padres of the MLB, the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, and the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA. I wonder what his career would have been like in pro football and/or pro basketball. Anyway, thanks for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it and check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."
Great article Matt. I just saw Dave Winfield interviewed on the Tim McCarver Show. He seems like a great guy.
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