As you probably know by now, I’ve been a fan of the Kansas City Royals since I was a small boy. Hundreds of Royals’ players have come and gone since I started following them, and I can remember many of them. But a few of them stand out in my mind. Mike Sweeney is one of them.
The Royals drafted him in the tenth round of the 1991 free agent draft. He worked his way to the major leagues in late 1995, and then again in 1996—after being named to the Minor League All-start team (as a catcher) by Baseball America. He spent a little time in the minor leagues in 1997, but he spent the majority of the season as a catcher at the major league level—splitting time with then Royals’ catcher Mike Macfarlane. He put up mediocre numbers for his first couple of major league seasons, but in 1999, the Royals moved him to first base just as he was beginning to gel as a hitter. He hit 22 home runs and drove in 102 runs that season. In 2000, he drove in 144 runs—which is the all-time Royals’ record for a season. Sweeney has since developed into one of the best hitters in baseball. He’s been a major league All-Star five times. And he’s become the face of the Kansas City Royals.
I’ve cheered each one of his on-field successes. He’s one of the best clutch hitters I’ve ever seen. But that’s not the only reason that Sweeney is one of my favorite athletes of all time. I admire him for what he has done off the field. He spends time at Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City. He spends countless hours investing in youth through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He teams up with the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation to help raise money for children’s charities. He’s a spokesman for “Enjoy the Game” in which he encourages good sportsmanship and teamwork. He started something he calls “Sween Team” in which he provides Royals’ tickets to disadvantaged youth. On and on it goes. In an age in which so many athletes are part of the problem, Mike Sweeney is part of the solution.
I had a chance to interview Mike in June. One of the articles I wrote about him appeared in a newspaper called The Pathway. Here’s a link if you are interested in reading it: Royals’ Star Relies on Faith. Another article I wrote, in which I quoted him extensively, will appear in a national publication next month. The Royals were in the midst of a fire-storm of media attention when I interviewed Mike. A new general manager was about to take over, and a steroid scandal had broken out—in which a former Royals’ player was implicated. Yet, in between interviews with ESPN and other media, Sweeney still made time to speak to me, knowing that I was working for a publication (the article that will be released next month) that is targeted at youth. That’s the type of athlete and man that Sweeney is.
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