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Imperialism32 · 05-20-2020, 08:45 AM

He can thank his mother for the nickname.

"I'd come home from the sandlot and throw my clothes on my ground," Jay Givens recalled of his childhood in Fort Worth, Texas. "My mom would pick them up and ask 'Why should I wash these, you're just gonna get them dirty again!' Well, the next day'd come and I wanted to play ball, so I'd just throw the same clothes on and get back out there.

"So the captains would be picking teams and it was 'hey, I'll take the dirty kid,'" he says with a smile.

It didn't take too long for the others to realize Givens was the best player out there, and soon enough 'the dirty kid' was one of the captains.

"There was nothing, literally nothing, that he couldn't do better than the rest of us," said Matt Mangold, who is a year older than Givens but grew up playing with him in Fort Worth. Mangold is currently a first baseman for the Houston Apollos' A1 minor league team.

"It's always so natural, too, that's the thing," he said. "When Jay steps on the field you just go, 'okay, that's a ballplayer.' So to see him doing this to the best pitching in the world, honestly it's kind of a relief. Growing up I was a little bitter that I wasn't as good as Jay. Well, nobody's as good as Jay."

Through three weeks of the inuagural World Baseball Alliance, that's been true. Givens leads the entire world in on-base percentage (.524) and WAR (1.5). Earlier in the spring, he hit for a 143 OPS+ for Team USA in the World Baseball Championship, helping lead them to the round of eight teams. He was selected as the best hitter in the North American League in a pre-season survey.

This comes as little surprise to most. Givens has been one of the most popular baseball stars in the world as the game exploded in popularity through the last decade.

Jan Jankowski, the 23 year-old shortstop of the Warsaw Trappers in the European Premier League, got to meet Givens for the first time when their paths crossed in March during the WBC.

"It was incredible," he said. "I read everything I could about baseball and I learned about him early on. I didn't dream of being a shortstop, I dreamed about being Jay Givens."

Some pre-season publications - notably, those from outside the United States who may have had a vested interest in downplaying an American star - wondered if Givens, at age 32, would disappoint relative to his reputation. Even the man himself admits he's no longer at the apex.

"I'm a step slower and it takes me longer to loosen up," he said. "And I've found a gray hair or two in my cap, but I don't know who's putting them there," he added dryly.

His teammates credit his continued success to his work ethic and his even keel.

"No matter what, he's out there early getting his swings in," said Bombers third baseman Vince Jones. "Whether he went 0-4 or 3-4 yesterday, he's getting his work in."

"I don't care about going 3-4 yesterday," Givens said, overhearing his teammate's quote. "I'm worried about 3-4 today.

"Yup, that sounds like Jay," said Dale Clark, the longtime Texas scout who signed Givens to his first professional contract fifteen years ago. "It's one of the reasons I knew he'd make it.

"I threw him maybe 30 pitches, he launched 'em all over the field. So I said alright, let's see how he is with the glove. I start hitting ground balls and he's going left and right, scooping 'em up. I go and take a rest under a tree and he comes over, 'hey, don't you want to see me run the bases?' I said 'son, I've seen plenty. How soon can I get you to come to Houston?' And that was that."

Givens played for the Houston team - now the Apollos - during his late teens and early 20s before getting a taste of northeast city ball. He spent a few seasons playing with the New York Empire before finding his way to Boston to be the face of the Bombers squad as they joined the WBA.

The Bombers suffered a sweep at the hands of New York and then a loss at Detroit to drop to 7-9 on the season. The next day, Givens scored three runs in a 14-2 rout of the Chargers. And the next day it was Vince Jones who had the 3-4 day, doubling twice and leading the Bombers to a win to get back to .500.

Givens went 0-4, the first time all season he failed to record at least one hit or walk in a game. But in the bottom of the 8th inning, Detroit brought the tying run to the plate. Theodore Meloche cracked a grounder up the middle. Givens dove to snare it, and flipped it from the ground to Eli Trader, who relayed it to first base for the double play.

Jay Givens pumped his fist, and then stood up and looked down. His uniform was dirty.

05-20-2020, 08:45 AM	#22
Imperialism32 Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 341	He can thank his mother for the nickname. "I'd come home from the sandlot and throw my clothes on my ground," Jay Givens recalled of his childhood in Fort Worth, Texas. "My mom would pick them up and ask 'Why should I wash these, you're just gonna get them dirty again!' Well, the next day'd come and I wanted to play ball, so I'd just throw the same clothes on and get back out there. "So the captains would be picking teams and it was 'hey, I'll take the dirty kid,'" he says with a smile. It didn't take too long for the others to realize Givens was the best player out there, and soon enough 'the dirty kid' was one of the captains. "There was nothing, literally nothing, that he couldn't do better than the rest of us," said Matt Mangold, who is a year older than Givens but grew up playing with him in Fort Worth. Mangold is currently a first baseman for the Houston Apollos' A1 minor league team. "It's always so natural, too, that's the thing," he said. "When Jay steps on the field you just go, 'okay, that's a ballplayer.' So to see him doing this to the best pitching in the world, honestly it's kind of a relief. Growing up I was a little bitter that I wasn't as good as Jay. Well, nobody's as good as Jay." Through three weeks of the inuagural World Baseball Alliance, that's been true. Givens leads the entire world in on-base percentage (.524) and WAR (1.5). Earlier in the spring, he hit for a 143 OPS+ for Team USA in the World Baseball Championship, helping lead them to the round of eight teams. He was selected as the best hitter in the North American League in a pre-season survey. This comes as little surprise to most. Givens has been one of the most popular baseball stars in the world as the game exploded in popularity through the last decade. Jan Jankowski, the 23 year-old shortstop of the Warsaw Trappers in the European Premier League, got to meet Givens for the first time when their paths crossed in March during the WBC. "It was incredible," he said. "I read everything I could about baseball and I learned about him early on. I didn't dream of being a shortstop, I dreamed about being Jay Givens." Some pre-season publications - notably, those from outside the United States who may have had a vested interest in downplaying an American star - wondered if Givens, at age 32, would disappoint relative to his reputation. Even the man himself admits he's no longer at the apex. "I'm a step slower and it takes me longer to loosen up," he said. "And I've found a gray hair or two in my cap, but I don't know who's putting them there," he added dryly. His teammates credit his continued success to his work ethic and his even keel. "No matter what, he's out there early getting his swings in," said Bombers third baseman Vince Jones. "Whether he went 0-4 or 3-4 yesterday, he's getting his work in." "I don't care about going 3-4 yesterday," Givens said, overhearing his teammate's quote. "I'm worried about 3-4 today. "Yup, that sounds like Jay," said Dale Clark, the longtime Texas scout who signed Givens to his first professional contract fifteen years ago. "It's one of the reasons I knew he'd make it. "I threw him maybe 30 pitches, he launched 'em all over the field. So I said alright, let's see how he is with the glove. I start hitting ground balls and he's going left and right, scooping 'em up. I go and take a rest under a tree and he comes over, 'hey, don't you want to see me run the bases?' I said 'son, I've seen plenty. How soon can I get you to come to Houston?' And that was that." Givens played for the Houston team - now the Apollos - during his late teens and early 20s before getting a taste of northeast city ball. He spent a few seasons playing with the New York Empire before finding his way to Boston to be the face of the Bombers squad as they joined the WBA. The Bombers suffered a sweep at the hands of New York and then a loss at Detroit to drop to 7-9 on the season. The next day, Givens scored three runs in a 14-2 rout of the Chargers. And the next day it was Vince Jones who had the 3-4 day, doubling twice and leading the Bombers to a win to get back to .500. Givens went 0-4, the first time all season he failed to record at least one hit or walk in a game. But in the bottom of the 8th inning, Detroit brought the tying run to the plate. Theodore Meloche cracked a grounder up the middle. Givens dove to snare it, and flipped it from the ground to Eli Trader, who relayed it to first base for the double play. Jay Givens pumped his fist, and then stood up and looked down. His uniform was dirty. Last edited by Imperialism32; 05-20-2020 at 05:32 PM.