Nomar Garciaparra Biography

He has a sweet swing, a golden glove and has one of the most unique names in sports. Kidzworld looks at Dodgers' first baseman, Nomar Garciaparra.

Nomar Garciaparra - What's In A Name

Anthony Nomar Garciaparra was born July 23, 1973 in Whittier, California. He was given the name Nomar because it was the name of his father, Ramon, spelled backwards. Nomar Garciaparra began playing baseball at a young age and quickly became a star. When he was nine, Nomar began playing in a league with kids who were four years older than him and he still made the all-star team. Nomar Garciaparra was quite small and skinny when he was kid and he was nicknamed "Glass" by his teammates because he looked so breakable. But Nomar hit a growth spurt when he was 16 and graduated as a three sport all-star (soccer, football and baseball) from St. John Bosco High School in 1991.

Nomar Garciaparra Bio - College Star

After high school, Nomar Garciaparra had several offers to turn pro and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. Instead, Nomar decided to go Georgia Tech on a baseball scholarship where he studied business management. Garciaparra played three years for the Yellow Jackets and led them to the College World Series for the first time in the school's history in 1993.

Nomar Garciaparra Bio - From Short To First

The Boston Red Sox made the wise decision to draft Nomar Garciaparra in the 1994 Draft. After spending two seasons in the minors, Nomar was called up to play with the Red Sox and he smoked a homerun during his first time at bat. It would be a sign of things to come. In 1997, Nomar Garciaparra became the starting shortstop on the Red Sox and was unanimously named the American League Rookie of the Year. Garciaparra won two American League Batting Titles and played in five All-Star Games before the Red Sox traded him to the Chicago Cubs. While with Chicago, Garciapparra missed more than 100 games due to injuries and many thought his career as an All-Star shortstop was over. But in 2006, Garciaparra began playing first base and signed with the LA Dodgers, where he found his sweet swing again and became an All-Star for the first time since 2003.

Nomar Garciaparra - Did U Know

Nomar Garicaparra is married to former soccer star, Mia Hamm.

Nomar Garciaparra is a bit superstitious. He always adjusts his wristbands before every pitch and he never washes his baseball cap during the season.

When Nomar Garciaparra played T-ball as a kid, some parents nicknamed him "No-Nonsense Nomar" because he took the game so seriously.

Nomar Garciaparra Says...

"When I was a kid, I tried all the positions, and I enjoyed them all. Back then, my idol was Bugs Bunny, because I saw a cartoon of him playing ball - you know, the one where he plays every position himself with nobody else on the field but him. Now that I think of it, Bugs is still my idol. You have to love a ballplayer like that."

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