User:Fabscano/sandbox

Andre Ethier
Andre Everett Ethier (born April 11, 1982) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Having been denied the capacity of playing for Division I during college, Andre eventually made his way to play for the MLB. Ethier has been playing in the major leagues since 2006 and has won two awards since - in 2009 the Silver Slugger Award and in 2011 the Gold Glove Award.

In 2009, Ethier hit six walk-off hits (including four walk-off home runs), which was the most by any player in the Major Leagues since 1974. His four walk-off home runs tied the Major League record for most in a season. He earned the nickname Captain Clutch by his teammates due to his late-inning heroics. Ethier has made history and broken records that have helped the Dodgers offensive lineup over the years - such as averaging 25 home runs a year over three consecutive years.

Family Background
Andre Ethier was born on April 11, 1982 in Phoenix, Arizona. He is one of seven children born to Byron Ethier and Priscilla Ethier. There are a total of four brothers including Ethier - Adam, Devon and Steven, and three sisters - Catherine, Belinda and Shaye. His father Byron comes from a mixed background of French Canadian and Cherokee cultures and his mother Priscilla is Mexican American.

Father, Byron Ethier was also a baseball player and was coached under legend Gary Ward at Yavapai JC; he went as far as winning a JC national title while playing there. One of the three brothers, Devon, also played baseball at Gateway Community College and was drafted by the Dodgers in the 32nd round of the 2010 MLB Draft.

Marriage and Personal Life
While in college, Andre met Maggie Germaine, who is a former ASU gymnast. She made school history while at ASU with a total of nine perfect 10.0 scores. The couple ended up marrying in 2006 and had two sons together. On October 17 and 18 of 2014, for their past successes at ASU, Andre and his wife were titled and honored the first husband-wife inductees in the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame.

The family lives in West Hollywood, which LA Times editor, Tom Murray, says to be something new because not many L.A. pro athletes live in that area. Ethier and his family follow a Catholic faith and attend mass very regularly. He is a big fan of Korean food and enjoys spending time off the field with his wife and children.

2007 Season
Although he began the season fairly slow, hitting with a .250 average in April, over the course of the first, three months to the season he managed to gradually raise his hitting average. Overall, Ethier enjoyed a solid sophomore campaign, playing in 153 games while batting .284, with 13 home runs, and 64 RBIs.

2008 Season
Starting the 2008 season, Juan Pierre was benched, while Ethier took the starting position of left fielder. Manager Joe Torre and General Manager Ned Colletti put forth how Pierre would mainly be used as a pinch runner and pinch-hitter for the season.

2010 Season
No treatment could be given, but to allow time to heal the fracture which meant that no one really knew how long Ethier would be out for. Meanwhile, manager Joe Torre announced that Xavier Paul, Reed Johnson and Garret Anderson would trade off in filling in the right field position for Andre.

2011 Season
Despite his injury, Andre Ethier won his first Gold Glove Award on November 1, 2011, along with Clayton Kershaw and Matt Kemp, who was receiving it a second time around. The players made history by giving the Dodgers three Gold Glove receivers in one year. The award was based on a polling and players competed for thier specific positions, leaving managers and coaches to decide. Ethier beat two other right fielders - Carlos Beltran (Giants) and Jay Bruce (Reds).

2013 Season
His season though took a quick step back after getting injured. Since September 13, Ethier was wearing a walking boot for a sore foot that caused him to be put off the lineup for a while, accompanied by Hanley Ramirez. For the entire season though he managed to play a total of 142 games and hit .272 with 12 homers, 33 doubles and 52 RBI.

2014 Season
General Manger Ned Colletti mentions how the team has been criticized for not carrying a late-inning power guy off the bench on their team and believes that Ethier will become that player to change this.

The LA Times further mentions how Ethier was able to remain completely professional over the entire situation, unlike some past Dodger players who would openly and publicly complain about getting less time on the field and possibly losing their positions - before being told that was the case. Ethier even continued to show ip for the pre-game autographs and photos, continuing to remain normal and popular amongst his fans.