Lastings Darnell Milledge (born April 5, 1985) is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the New York Mets as well as a rapper. He was the youngest player in the National League during the 2006 season.^[1] Image File history File links Lastings_Milledge. ... Austin Kearns, an outfielder, catches a fly ball. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. ... In baseball, a home run is a base hit in which the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring a run, with no errors on the play that result in the batter achieving extra bases. ... 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 National League (1962–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 14, 37, 41, 42 Name New York Mets (1962–present) Other nicknames The Amazin Mets, The Amazins, The Metropolitans, The Kings of Queens Ballpark Shea Stadium (1964–present) Polo Grounds (1962–1963) Major league... The following are the baseball events of the year 2006 throughout the world. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... MLB and Major Leagues redirect here. ... Major league affiliations National League (1962–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 14, 37, 41, 42 Name New York Mets (1962–present) Other nicknames The Amazin Mets, The Amazins, The Metropolitans, The Kings of Queens Ballpark Shea Stadium (1964–present) Polo Grounds (1962–1963) Major league... Rapping is one of the elements of hip hop and the distinguishing feature of hip hop music; it is a form of rhyming lyrics spoken rhythmically over musical instruments, with a musical backdrop of sampling, scratching and mixing by DJs. ... The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada and the worlds oldest extant professional team sports league. ...

Early life

Milledge was born in Bradenton, Florida. Milledge was given the name Lastings as his mother knew he would be her last child.^[2] At the age of twelve, he pitched and played third base and hit third for the Manatee East Little League team that was the national runner-up in the 1997 Little League World Series. One blemish on his Little League record was a home run given up to Matt Rigney of Mississippi in the semi-final game of the regional, the only run scored by the Mississippi team. ^[3] In 2001, he led Team USA to a Gold Medal game victory over Venezuela in the International Baseball Federation's AA World Youth Championships. Later that year, Baseball America named Milledge the best 16-year-old player in the United States. He graduated from Lakewood Ranch High School in Bradenton, Florida in 2003 after leading his team to the state 5A title his senior year. Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Little League Baseball - Logo Little League pitcher in Winesburg, Ohio Little League, Wayne, Michigan Little League Baseball is the name of a non-profit organization in the United States which organizes local childrens leagues of baseball and softball throughout the USA and the rest of the world. ... A Little League World Series game at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport. ... Baseball America is an alternative Major League Baseball resource, with in-depth coverage of every level of the game and a particular focus on up-and-coming players. ... Bradenton is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. ...

Amateur draft

Prior to the 2003 amateur draft, he was expected to be among the top three selections, but as draft day approached, press reports from 2002 resurfaced regarding Milledge's expulsion from Northside Christian High School after his junior year for allegedly having sex with a 15-year-old girl.^[4][5] He subsequently transferred to Lakewood Ranch High School where he finished his education and amateur baseball career.

As a result of the incident, Milledge was passed over in the 2003 amateur draft until the Mets selected him as the twelfth overall pick in the first round. The Mets began contract negotiations with Milledge, but the talks were interrupted in early August 2003, when the Mets learned of allegations of additional sexual misconduct against Milledge during his time at Northside. The Mets completed a private investigation of the matter and, satisified with the results, signed Milledge to a contract with a $1.9 million bonus.

Minor league career

The delay in signing Milledge prevented him from beginning his professional career until shortly before the end of the minor league season in 2003. He appeared in only seven games, hitting .231 for the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League. In 2004, he was slated to start the year with the class A Capital City Bombers, but he suffered a fractured metacarpal on his right hand in spring training, missing the first six weeks of the season. In 65 games with the Bombers, he hit .337 with 13 home runs, 58 RBI and 23 stolen bases, earning him a promotion to the St. Lucie Mets in August. In 2005, he continued his minor league success hitting .302 with St. Lucie in the first half of the season and .337 with the AA Binghamton Mets in the second half. He began the 2006 season leading off and playing right field for the AAA Norfolk Tides. The Kingsport Mets are a minor league baseball team based in Kingsport, Tennessee. ... The Appalachian League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the Virginia and Tennessee region. ... The Capital City Bombers are a minor league baseball team that plays in Columbia, South Carolina as a Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and a member of the South Atlantic League History The Bombers began their history in 1977 Shelby, North Carolina as the Shelby Reds. ... The metacarpus is the intermediate part of the hand skeleton that is located between the fingers distally and the carpus which forms the connection to the forearm. ... The St. ... League Eastern League (1923-37, 1940-63, 1967-68, 1992- ) Division Northern Division Year founded 1992 Major League affiliation New York Mets (91) Home ballpark NYSEG Stadium (formerly Binghamton Municipal Stadium) Previous home ballparks None City Binghamton, New York (92) Current uniform colors blue, orange Previous uniform colors Logo design...

Major League career

Rookie season

Milledge made his major league debut on May 30, 2006 as the starting right fielder for the Mets in a 7-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He went 1 for 4 with a double off Arizona pitcher Miguel Batista. Milledge was 21 years, 55 days old on the day of his debut - the exact same age as former Met Darryl Strawberry when he made his 1983 debut. In his three separate stints in the majors in 2006, Milledge hit .241 with 4 HR and 22 RBI in 56 games. is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Major league affiliations National League (1998–present) West Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–present) Other nicknames The D-Backs, The Snakes Ballpark Chase Field (1998–present) a. ... Miguel Jerez Batista Descartes (born February 19, 1971 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a Major League Baseball pitcher who most recently played for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. ... Darryl Eugene Strawberry (born March 12, 1962) is a former baseball player who is well-known both for his play on the baseball field and for his controversial behavior off of it. ... The following are the baseball events of the year 1983 throughout the world. ...

On June 4, 2006 against the San Francisco Giants, Milledge hit a solo home run off Giants closer Armando Benitez to tie up the game 6-6 in the bottom of the tenth inning (this was Milledge's first career home run). When the Mets returned to the field the following inning, Milledge, still excited, high-fived the Shea faithful as he returned to his position, inciting the ire of his manager and some teammates, not to mention the national sports media. ^[6] In late September, one of Milledge's Mets teammates placed a sign on his locker which read, "Know Your Place, Rook!"^[7] The sign-placer was identified in published reports as Billy Wagner. ^[8] is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers NY, NY, 3, 4, 11, 24, 27, 30, 36, 42, 44 Name San Francisco Giants (1958–present) New York Giants (1885–1957) New York Gothams (1883–1885) Other nicknames Jints, Gigantes, G-Men Ballpark AT... Armando German Benitez (born November 3, 1972) in Ramon Santana, D.R.), is a relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. ... William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971 in Tannersville, Virginia) is a American Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the New York Mets. ...

2007

After having an impressive spring training both on and off the field, Milledge was named to the Mets' opening day roster. He saw very limited game action, and was subsequently optioned down to AAA New Orleans after the game on 12 April to create room on the roster so that starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey could be called up and make his season debut in the following day's game. League Pacific Coast League Division American Conference Year founded 1993 Major League affiliation New York Mets Home ballpark Zephyr Field Previous home ballparks Mile High Stadium City Metairie, Louisiana Current uniform colors navy, green Previous uniform colors Logo design The wordmark Zephyrs in navy blue outlined in white and green. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Michael Alan (Mike) Pelfrey (born January 14, 1984) is a starting pitcher in the New York Mets organization. ...

In May, it was reported that Milledge appeared in a rap song, "Bend Ya Knees," by Manny D, a childhood friend. The song contained the words "bitch", "ho", and "nigga" - terms which were particularly sensitive in light of the then-present Don Imus controversy, whose show originated on WFAN, the Mets' radio broadcaster. The Mets organization responded by saying, "We disapprove of the content, language and message of this recording, which does not represent the views of the New York Mets."^[5] Look up bitch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up Ho, ho in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nigga is a term used in African American Vernacular English that began as an eye dialect form of the word nigger (which is derived ultimately from the Latin word niger meaning the color black). ... John Donald Don Imus, Jr. ... Imus in the Morning was a comedy, news, and political radio program the United States, hosted by radio personality Don Imus. ... For other uses, see WFAN (disambiguation). ...

Upon his recovery from a foot injury, Milledge was called up to the major leagues after the All-Star break on 12 July. Veteran Julio Franco was designated for assignment to make room for Milledge. 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 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Major League Baseball Player. ...

Through 7 September, Lastings is hitting .288 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI. Milledge had substituted as the everyday center fielder for the Mets for much of August while Carlos Beltrán was on the disabled list. Presently Milledge is competing for time in right field with veteran lefthander Shawn Green, who is currently substituting at first base for the injured Carlos Delgado. is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the article on the Mexican progressive rock musician, see Carlos Beltrán (musician) Carlos Ivan Beltrán (pronounced: bel-trahn) was born April 24, 1977 in Manatí, Puerto Rico. ... In baseball, the disabled list (a. ... Shawn David Green (born November 10, 1972, in Des Plaines, Illinois) is a 6 4 left-handed Major League Baseball player. ... This article is about the baseball player. ...

Career statistics

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References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Newsday is a daily tabloid-size newspaper that primarily serves Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens, although it is sold throughout the New York City metropolitan area. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year (137th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily. ...

External links

• Lastings Milledge at ESPN.com

• Lastings Milledge Minor League Splits and Situational Stats
• Milledge photo