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TMS
Posts: 60684
Alba Posts: 617
Joined: 5/11/2004
Member: #674
USA
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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2008/12/27/2008-12-27_new_yankee_mark_teixeira_called_a_gentle.htmlNew Yankee Mark Teixeira called a gentleman, great player who will fit in
BY OREN YANIV
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, December 27th 2008, 5:29 PM
New Yankee Mark Teixeira should slip comfortably into pinstripes - he's a big-city guy who idolized Don Mattingly and once harbored contempt for the hated Red Sox.
The 28-year-old first baseman is known as a humble, hardworking ballplayer, low-maintenance in the clubhouse and high-impact on the diamond.
"He's a gentleman, he's a competitor and he'll get the job done," predicted Dave Norton, Teixeira's coach at Mount St. Joseph High School in Baltimore.
Although Teixeira grew up an Orioles fan in Severna Park, Md., he wore No. 23 as a tribute to Donnie Baseball - one of his pinstriped predecessors at first base.
"He admired Don Mattingly," recalled Norton, who remains friendly with the Gold Glove winner. "He admired the way that he played."
Teixeira was born into a baseball family. His mother, Margy, has several ballplaying brothers; his father, John (Tex) Teixeira, played baseball at the U.S. Naval Academy.
By the time Mark was 4, he was already swinging for the fences. The switch-hitting slugger finished high school in 1998 as one of the country's top prospects - and then had his run-in with the Sawx.
The Boston ballclub asked him to accept a predraft, $1.6 million bonus before selecting him in the first round. When Teixeira declined, the team leaked word that he was opting for college over a pro contract - and the first baseman's draft position plunged.
"The Red Sox had passed the word around that he's going to go to Georgia Tech so, for the first few rounds, everybody passed on him," Norton said.
Boston eventually picked him in the ninth round. Teixeira turned down a smaller offer and spent three stellar years at Georgia Tech.
"I don't think after what happened that I want any future involvement with the Red Sox," he told the Baltimore Sun in 1999.
Norton believes that's water under the bridge. "I think he forgot all about that," he said.
He reentered the draft in 2001, with the Texas Rangers making him the fifth player chosen in round one. He was in the majors just two years later, hitting 26 homers and 84 RBI as a rookie.
His breakout season came in 2005, when the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder hit .301 with 43 homers and 144 RBI. He was traded from Texas to Atlanta in midseason 2007, and from the Braves to the Angels last July.
Teixeira negotiated with the Yankees' archrivals this winter, his grudge apparently forgotten during a bidding battle. The Red Sox were considered the favorites until the Bronx Bombers swooped down with an eight-year, $180 million deal last Tuesday.
As a Yankee, Teixeira is sure to face familiar questions: Can he thrive in the big city? Will he crack under the pressure of demanding fans and media?
"He'll handle all that," Norton said. "He'll be very professional."
Through his six-year career, Teixeira earned a reputation as a private person. The All-Star first baseman and his wife, Leigh, have a son, Jack, 2, and a daughter, Addison, 1.
He's also not afraid to step up for a good cause: On Mother's Day 2006, Teixeira was one of some four dozen big leaguers who used a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.
It was a very personal decision. When he was 15, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although weak and tired from chemo, Margy Teixeira - now cancer-free - managed to attend his high school games.
While with the Rangers, Teixeira also handed out a dozen $5,000 college scholarships at local high schools through his charitable fund.
Unlike CC Sabathia, a fellow free agent who recently signed with the Yanks, Teixeira has never been leery of urban life.
"I love it. I love coming here," he once said during a trip to New York. "I grew up in a big city. I went to college in a big city. I like having a lot of things to do."
Teixeira will also have family nearby. His parents remain in Maryland, while his sister works in the city for a financial firm and lives in Hoboken.
"He's been raised by a wonderful family. He's got wonderful morals," gushed Pat Liebratore, whose son Nick was a high school friend of Teixeira.
Nick died in a car wreck during their junior year. Teixeira later endowed a scholarship in Nick's name, and remained close with his friend's parents.
"I know he wanted to play for a successful team, that was his No. 1 priority," Liebatore said. "I don't think it was the money.
"I don't think anything will change him." I like him already. 
After 7 years & 40K+ posts, banned by martin for calling Nalod a 'moron'. Awesome.
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12/27/2008 2:50 AM