Friday, October 31, 2008

Eisenreich

Royals, Phillies, and Marlins fans who remember Jim Eisenreich fondly will be happy to hear that he's living a happy little life in Missouri, complete with a daughter who is, naturally, the star centerfielder on a state champion softball team.

Those of you of a certain age will recall that Eisenreich's career was interrupted for a few years due to Tourette's Syndrome, which was severely aggravated by psycho-social stuff stemming from the noise and larger crowds once he got to the majors. If I remember correctly, the big thing for him was that, unlike the minors, once he got to the bigs, having people in the crowd behind him as he played centerfield was particularly difficult. As with all forms of Tourette's there was a vocal tic involved and general nervousness and all kinds of awful things.

So what's he doing now? he's the PA announcer for the team's home games, which is pretty cool.

1 comment:

Matt Glenn said...

A woman nicknamed Hoover. I've known many, but this is the first time I've heard her dad coining the nickname.

Seriously though, Eisenreich was one of the most popular Phillies on the '93 team. It's great to hear that he's doing well. I still remember when he came back with the Marlins and received one of the biggest ovations in Vet Stadium history. Say what you will about Philly fans, but we loved that guy.

Thanks for linking to the update, Craig.