Hank Greenberg was one of the most influential Jews in sports. Henry Benjamin Greenberg was born on Sunday January first, 1911 in New York City. He was born to an orthodox, middle class Jewish family who emigrated to the US from Romania. During his childhood, he was always discriminated against for being Jewish. Despite the fact that he was made fun of and constantly put down he still tried to be the best athlete he could be. By the age of 15, he was an all city athlete in soccer and basketball, but his true passion was always baseball. Somewhat awkward looking in the field, he was very hard working, and this became his trademark in later years. Many teams did not scout him because they didn't see a big future for him; little did they know that he would become one of the greatest players of all time. .
The only teams that scouted him were the New York Yankees, the Washington Senators, and the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees and the Senators both had very good first basemen (Lou Gehrig and Joe Judge), and Greenberg wouldn't play any other position at the time (he later played left field as well). Therefore, his only option was the Detroit tigers. He had to settle for the nine thousand dollar annual salary that the Tigers offered him, which was nearly one thousand less than the amount offered to him by the Senators and Yankees. He left college in 1930 to join the Tigers minor league system. Near the end of the 1930 season, he made his major league debut against his former pursuers, the New York Yankees. Being very young at the time (nineteen years old), he joined the minor leagues for two more years. In 1933, he returned to the Tigers, where he would remain for the rest of his career. After a mediocre rookie season, in 1934 Hank Greenberg became known as one of the best sluggers in baseball and earned the nickname Hammerin" Hank. Perhaps the greatest years of his career were from 1934 to 1940.
The Power Pitcher Sandy Koufax. Three-time Cy Young Award winner. Four no hitters including a perfect game. A modern legend acclaimed even by opposing teams" fans. A Jewish icon who refused to pitch on High Holy Days. An elusive, enigmatic hero who left the spotlight at the height of his powers. ...
