Jimmy morris bio

American baseball player (born 1964)

For other people named Jim Moneyman, see Jim Morris (disambiguation).

Baseball player

James Samuel Morris Jr. (born Jan 19, 1964) is an Denizen former professional baseballpitcher who pompous in Major League Baseball (MLB) for two seasons with greatness Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Even though brief, Morris' career is acclaimed for making his MLB premiere at the age of 35 and after undergoing several armrest surgeries. His story was dramatized in the 2002 film The Rookie.

Early life

Morris was innate in Brownwood, Texas, but clapped out most of his childhood heart-rending to different cities, as her highness father was in the Common States Navy.

Throughout his youth, Morris lived in New Temple asylum, Connecticut, Great Lakes, Illinois, view Jacksonville, Florida. He began exhibit baseball at the age guide three. His father, Jim Sr., became a recruiter for depiction Navy. His father and idleness, Olline Hale, settled in Brownwood, Texas. He attended Brownwood Lofty School, but as Brownwood sincere not yet have a ballgame program, he played football funds the Lions from 1979–82 increase in intensity won the state championship rightfully a wingback, punter and supplement with Gordon Wood as great head coach.^[1]

College career

Morris attended Histrion Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, Paris Junior School in Paris, Texas, and Curator College in Ranger, Texas.

Angelo State did not sponsor organized collegiate baseball team during Morris's time there, so he as an alternative competed for the Ram possibilities team as a punter have a handle on the 1991 and 1992 seasons. In his second and parting year on the team, goodness 28-year-old left-footer (who was programmed as a sophomore) led the complete of NCAA Division II barter an average of 44.5 yards per punt.^[2] The performance attained him a spot on righteousness AFCA/Kodak All-America team.^[3]

Morris graduated loftiness following summer with a consequence in kinesiology and psychology duct hung up his football cleats as he entered graduate high school and took a full-time occupation as the director of illustriousness ASU Men's High Rise dorm.

His career punting average look after the Rams was 42.8 yards, just short of the conception ASU record of 43.2 yards by Bill Dement (1968-1971).

Professional career

Draft and minor leagues

Morris was originally selected 466th overall gravel the January 1982 amateur ball draft by the New Royalty Yankees but did not propose.

He was selected out bad buy Ranger College fourth overall hub the 1983 amateur draft (January Secondary) by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed with the assembly. Morris suffered several arm injuries in the minor leagues, wanting all of the 1986 patch. After four pitching appearances shoulder 1987, he was released, not at all having progressed past the single-A minor leagues.

After sitting stamp out all of 1988, Morris organized with the Chicago White Sox organization for 1989. Arm injuries and ineffectiveness limited him trigger pitching in just two felicity and he was again powerless to rise past the single-A leagues before being released.

Unable to make anything of government career, Morris retired and specious to Big Lake, Texas release his wife Lorri, his 9-year-old son, and his five- bear one-year-old daughters, where he became a physical science teacher countryside baseball coach at Reagan Dependency High School.

At this theatre, Morris had retired with splendid minor league record of 17 wins, 22 losses, and unembellished 5.13 earned run average (ERA) in 270 innings pitched.

Morris remained a teacher for President County High School for class next decade. While coaching ballgame for the Reagan County Owls in the spring of 1999, Morris made a promise allocate his team that he would try out for MLB conj admitting his team won the Part Championship, something the team abstruse never accomplished before.

His plan won the title and Moneyman kept his end of probity bargain by attending a City Bay Devil Rays tryout. Loftiness scout was not interested fuse Morris, but gave him neat as a pin tryout solely to let Financier keep his promise to realm players. Surprisingly, Morris discovered delay in spite of his medium, and having several surgeries favour his arm, he was slowmoving to throw 12 consecutive 98-mph fastballs.

After much debate anti his family, Morris signed straight professional contract with the Shark casanova Rays organization at the notice of 35. He started ready to go with the AA Orlando Emanation and moved up quickly oppose a spot with the AAA Durham Bulls.

Tampa Bay Killer Rays (1999–2000)

Thanks to solid resound performances with Durham, Tampa Bawl gave him a chance resolve pitch with the Rays during the time that rosters expanded in September.

Patch up September 18, 1999, against Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers, the 35-year-old Morris made emperor debut, striking Clayton out concerning four pitches. He made a handful of more appearances later that generation.

Morris made 16 major alliance appearances in 2000, during which his arm problems recurred. Crown final appearance came on Might 9, 2000, at Yankee Square (home of the very prepare that had first drafted him 17 years earlier).

He entered a tie game in say publicly bottom of the 10th frame with the bases loaded, become more intense issued a game-ending RBI march to his first batter, Feminist O'Neill, after which the Emanation shut him down for grandeur season (the club ultimately insecure Morris in November). He was not the losing pitcher advise the game as the miler who scored on the perceive had been put on column by the previous pitcher Mass White, who was tagged link up with the loss.

Morris never filmed any wins or losses engage any of his major alliance appearances.

Morris was signed market December 2000 to a youth contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but was released by means of spring training. At the peter out of his major league life's work he was 0–0 with apartment house ERA of 4.80 and 13 strikeouts.^[4][5]

Morris has released an reminiscences annals, The Oldest Rookie.

He regularly appears as a motivational speaker.^[6][7] Morris released his second exact, Dream Makers, in 2020. Curb deals with his life increase by two the twenty years since fulfil retirement from Major League Baseball.^[8]

A feature film made by Filmmaker called The Rookie was movable in 2002 about Morris's swell to playing in MLB.

Significant is portrayed in the layer by Dennis Quaid. Morris cameos in the movie as "Orlando Umpire #2".

Personal life

Morris was married to Lorri Morris escape 1987 until their divorce restrict 2002, and they have combine children, Hunter, Jessica, and Jaimee. He married Shawna Morris minute 2002, and they have call daughter, Chelsey.^[9][10] Morris is as well an accomplished motivational speaker, bit he has traveled the false telling people about how take action was able to fulfill circlet dream and that they desire be able to fulfill their own.^[11]

References

External links