Brian Jay Downing (b. October 9, 1950 in Los Angeles, California) is a former professional baseball player who had a 20-year MLB career with the Chicago White Sox, California Angels and Texas Rangers. Known for his hard work and hustle, he transformed his body and career through weight training and became a testament to baseball fans around the country to the power of hard work in overcoming odds. This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... The position of the left fielder A left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder in the sport of baseball who plays defense in left field. ... The position of the catcher Catcher is also a general term for a fielder who catches the ball in cricket. ... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January-March January 3 - A group of investors, headed by shipbuilder George Steinbrenner, purchases the New York Yankees from CBS for $10 million. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 16, 19, 42, 72 Name Chicago White Sox (1904–present) Other nicknames The Sox, The South Siders, The ChiSox, The Pale Hose, The Good Guys, The Go-Go Sox, The... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1992 throughout the world. ... Major league affiliations American League (1961–present) West Division (1972–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 26, 34, 42 Name Texas Rangers (1972–present) Washington Senators (1961-1971) Other nicknames None in common use Ballpark Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (1994–present) a. ... Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. ... Homerun redirects here. ... In baseball statistics, a run batted in (RBI) is given to a batter for each run scored as the result of a batters plate appearance. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 16, 19, 42, 72 Name Chicago White Sox (1904–present) Other nicknames The Sox, The South Siders, The ChiSox, The Pale Hose, The Good Guys, The Go-Go Sox, The... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January-March January 3 - A group of investors, headed by shipbuilder George Steinbrenner, purchases the New York Yankees from CBS for $10 million. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1977 throughout the world. ... Major league affiliations American League (1961–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 11, 26, 29, 30, 42, 50 Name Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2005–present) Anaheim Angels (1997-2004) California Angels (1965-1996) Los Angeles Angels (1961-1965) Other nicknames The Halos, The Wings, The Seraphs... The following are the baseball events of the year 1978 throughout the world. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1990 throughout the world. ... Major league affiliations American League (1961–present) West Division (1972–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 26, 34, 42 Name Texas Rangers (1972–present) Washington Senators (1961-1971) Other nicknames None in common use Ballpark Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (1994–present) a. ... This article is currently under construction // This year in baseball Events January 8 - Rod Carew, Gaylord Perry and Ferguson Jenkins are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, with Carew becoming the 22nd player to be named in his first year of eligibility. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1992 throughout the world. ... The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also popularly known as the Midsummer Classic, is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by fan vote for the starting position players and by the respective managers (from the previous years World... is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the sport. ... Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in North America. ... Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 16, 19, 42, 72 Name Chicago White Sox (1904–present) Other nicknames The Sox, The South Siders, The ChiSox, The Pale Hose, The Good Guys, The Go-Go Sox, The... For the Pacific Coast League franchise see: Los Angeles Angels (PCL). ... Texas Rangers American League AAA Oklahoma RedHawks AA Frisco RoughRiders A Bakersfield Blaze Clinton LumberKings Spokane Indians R Arizona Rangers The Texas Rangers are a Major League Baseball team based in Arlington, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. ...

Chicago Years

Despite not playing well in high school and not making his Junior College team^[1], Downing was signed as an amateur free agent by Chicago White Sox scout Bill Lentini on August 19, 1969. This early part of his career with the Chicago White Sox (1973-1977), was not so promising. On the first pitch of his first inning in his first Major League game he severely damaged his knee making a diving catch near 3rd base. He hit only .225 as a rookie catcher (1974), and .240 in his second year, with only 7 home runs in 138 games. Nor was his defense exceptional. There was no reason to think Brian Downing had a long career in front of him. Major league affiliations American League (1901–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 11, 16, 19, 42, 72 Name Chicago White Sox (1904–present) Other nicknames The Sox, The South Siders, The ChiSox, The Pale Hose, The Good Guys, The Go-Go Sox, The...

California Years

On December 5, 1977 Downing was traded along with Dave Frost and Chris Knapp to the California Angels for slugger Bobby Bonds and propects Thad Bosley and Richard Dotson. This trade allowed him to come home to Southern California and avoid the pressures of Chicago Fan’s expectations.^[2] It gave Downing’s career new life. Although his 1978 numbers were uninspiring (.255 batting average, 7 HR, 46 RBI), in the offseason he committed to serious weight training and in 1979 dramatically changed his batting stance, and hit an impressive .326 which was good for 3rd in the American League. He also made the All-Star team for his first and only time. A broken ankle in 1980 forced him to move from catcher to the outfield beginning in 1981 because his offense was so valuable. Although his range was not great for an outfielder, his hard work and steady hands allowed him to play the entire 1982 season without making an error. His contined weight training helped him hit 20+ home runs in 6 of 7 seasons from 1982-1988 and made him an inspiration for fans throughout Southern California. Carl David Frost (born November 17, 1952 in Long Beach, California) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. ... For the Pacific Coast League franchise see: Los Angeles Angels (PCL). ... Bobby Lee Bonds (March 15, 1946 – August 23, 2003) was an American right fielder in professional baseball from 1968 to 1981, primarily with the San Francisco Giants. ... Thaddis Bosley Jr. ... Rich Dotson was a Major League Baseball Pitcher int he 1980s. ...

In 1985 Downing played himself when Louise Jefferson snuck into the Angels' locker-room looking for Reggie Jackson in an episode of "The Jeffersons."

When he finally played his last game for the Angels after 13 seasons, he was their career leader in Games, At Bats, Runs, Hits, Total Bases, Doubles, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, and Bases on Balls.

Texas Years

Downing played his final two seasons with the Texas Rangers as a designated hitter. He remained a productive hitter until retiring at age 41, getting his last hit on the last day of the 1992 season – a single off Angels’ pitcher Bert Blyleven. Texas Rangers American League AAA Oklahoma RedHawks AA Frisco RoughRiders A Bakersfield Blaze Clinton LumberKings Spokane Indians R Arizona Rangers The Texas Rangers are a Major League Baseball team based in Arlington, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. ... Rik Aalbert Bert Blyleven (born April 6, 1951 in Zeist, Netherlands), is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1970 - 1992, and was best known for his curveball. ...

He finished his career with a .267 average, 275 HR, 1073 RBI and 1188 runs scored. He was an American League All-Star in 1979 when he hit .326 with 12 HR, 75 RBI and 81 runs scored. His best all-around season came in 1982 when he hit 28 HR, had 84 RBI, scored 109 runs and hit .281. Downing set single-season career highs with 95 RBI in 1986 and 29 HR, 110 runs scored and an AL leading 106 walks in 1987.

See also

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• List of major league players with 2,000 hits
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
• Chicago White Sox all-time roster

In the sport of baseball, a home run is the act of hitting the ball in such a manner, whether out of the park or in (see inside the park home run), that allows the batter to safely reach home and score in one play. ... Below is the list of Major League Baseball players who have reached the 2,000 hit milestone. ... Below is the list of 295 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 1,000 Runs milestone. ... Below is the list of 252 Major League Baseball players who have reached the 1,000 RBI milestone. ... The following is a list of players and managers (* ), both past and current, who appeared at least in one game for the Chicago White Sox franchise as listed on MLB.com. ...

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference
• Brian Downing at the Internet Movie Database