ON THE WRITE TRACK: SANCHEZ TAKES THE LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS FORMER BURBANK HIGH PLAYER OVERCOMES INJURIES TO STAR FOR PITTSBURGH.Byline: HEATHER GRIPP Staff Writer Victor Cabral spent a good portion of his recent trip to Pittsburgh writing the name of childhood friend Freddy Sanchez Frederick Phillip (Freddy) Sanchez, Jr. (born December 21, 1977 in Hollywood, California) is an infielder in Major League Baseball. Since 2002, Sanchez has played for the Boston Red Sox (2002-03) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2003-Present). He bats and throws right-handed. on All-Star ballots. Another friend is using the Internet to solicit votes for Sanchez. Getting Sanchez elected to next month's All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games won't be easy -- his name isn't even on the ballot. But that's only fitting for Sanchez, who has done little the easy way in a career that has taken him from Burbank High to one of the National League's leading hitters as a third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker with the Pittsburgh Pirates This article is about the baseball team. For the National Hockey League team, see Pittsburgh Pirates (NHL). For the National Football League team (1933–1940), see Pittsburgh Steelers. . ``This is all such a blessing,'' said Freddy's mother, Michelle Sanchez. ``He was born with a club foot, so we weren't even sure if he was going to be able to walk. For him to be playing professional baseball and having the type of season he's having, it's amazing. ``He has gone through so much. It's made him stronger.'' After going 2 for 4 Friday in the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium • • [ , Sanchez was batting .354, second in the National League behind the Dodgers' Nomar Garciaparra Anthony Nomar Garciaparra[1] (born July 23, 1973, in Whittier, California) is a Mexican-American baseball player who currently plays third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers. . Sanchez also was the league's leading write-in All-Star candidate, with 343,371 votes in the latest polling update. ``If he's not there, there's a problem with the structure on an All-Star Game,'' Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson Jack Wilson can refer to different people:
Sanchez won't be found on the All-Star ballot, though, because he wasn't even supposed to be a starter on his own team. His .291 batting average batting average n. Baseball A measure of a batter's performance obtained by dividing the total of base hits by the number of times at bat, not including walks. Noun 1. last season -- his first full season in the majors -- was second on the team but not enough to convince the Pirates he should be an everyday player. The offseason acquisition of Joe Randa Joseph Gregory Randa (born December 18, 1969 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is a former Major League Baseball player. He was primarily a third baseman during his career. High School Years relegated Sanchez to the bench until Randa was injured in May. Claiming a piece of the spotlight never was easy for Sanchez, who had to use a walker in early childhood and overcame his club foot through surgery. He played at a high school that perennially finishes last in its league. He then spent twoseasons in junior college, and the next two seasons at two different NAIA NAIA abbr. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes programs. The Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Red Sox are a member and currently champions of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball’s American League. From to the present, the Red Sox have played in Fenway Park. gave him a $1,000 signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. These are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee e.g. if the annual salary is lower than they desire. after his senior season at Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University is an urban private university located in Oklahoma City, in the Midtown District. The university is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers a wide variety of degrees in the liberal arts and sciences disciplines. . An ankle injury shortly after being traded to the Pirates in July 2003 created another obstacle, sidelining Sanchez for most of the 2004 season. ``I'm not the biggest guy or the fastest guy or the strongest guy, or anything like that,'' Sanchez said. ``I've always had to try to do more and work harder to try to open up some eyes. Just playing hard is one of the things that I always try to do. That's always been my game. ``My attitude is if I were to get upset or bitter about the situation, it would not only affect my team, it will affect me in the long run. So when they wanted me to be a utility guy, I made a choice to go out and be the best utility guy I can be. I try to be the best I can be wherever I'm at.'' His Pirates teammates, and manager Jim Tracy, gush about Sanchez's hustle and work ethic, noting it is difficult to find someone who spends more time in the batting cages. Those who know Sanchez well say the batting cages have always been the best place to find Sanchez -- unless of course it was late and they were closed, in which case he'd take his bat to the local tennis courts and have a friend throw tennis balls to him until the lights were turned off. ``This is all he's ever wanted to do,'' said Cabral, a friend since youth leagues. Said Frank Garcia, another longtime friend: ``In high school, we'd get invited to a party on Friday night and he wanted to play baseball instead. ``He'd be at the cages working on his hitting. All our buddies would be out partying, but not Freddy. He was always playing baseball and trying to get better. ``You'd pass by the high school field and he'd be out there hitting or having someone hit grounders. They'd given him a key to the field, so he'd be out there at night with the lights on. If you said you'd hung out with Freddy last night, people knew where you were.'' Those friends now hope that on the night of July 11, Sanchez will be at Pittsburgh's PNC Park, site of the All-Star Game. Sanchez's parents, who have been to many of his West Coast games and rush home from work to watch him on TV, haven't yet seen him play in Pittsburgh. ``Maybe for the All-Star Game,'' said his father, Fred, ``You never know. He deserves to be there. ``This is amazing. He's dreamed of being a baseball player forever. We're so proud of him.'' heather.gripp@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): photo, 8 boxes Photo: Former Burbank High player Freddy Sanchez is currently batting .354 with four home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer Box: (1) DAILY NEWS/CBS 2/KCAL 9 SPORTS CENTRAL POWER RANKINGS - Matt McHale (2) THEY SAID IT (3) WHO'S HOT (4) WHO'S COLD (5) ROOKIE WATCH (6) NOTES (7) SERIES OF THE WEEK (8) VOTING FOR FREDDY |
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