Randy Bass
Randy William Bass ( born March 13, 1954 in Lawton, Oklahoma ) is a former American professional baseball player in the U.S. professional league MLB and the Japanese professional league Nippon Professional Baseball. His field position was first baseman. With the Hanshin Tigers, he won the 1985 Japanese Championships and won the 1985 and the 1986 Triple Crown. Currently, Bass is a member of the Senate of Oklahoma for the Democratic Party.
Career
In MLB Draft 1972 Bass was hired by the Minnesota Twins, where he debuted in 1977. There, neither there, nor later at the Kansas City Royals, the San Diego Padres or the Texas Rangers, he prevailed, so that in 1982, he left the MLB. In six years, he had made only 130 games.
Bass went to Japan for the Hanshin Tigers, where he was called Ba -Su. There he established himself as a surprise performers and used, inter alia, from that Japanese baseballs stitched solid at impact and thus different " wegtitschen " than American. He broke the 200 - home run limit faster than any other NPB players in front of him. 1985 bass beat 54 home runs, only one less than the eternal NPB home run record (details below), won the Triple Crown for infielder ( .350, 54 homers, 134 runs batted in) and took the Tigers the Japanese championship. In the same year he was honored as the first non-Asian to Japan's " Sportsman of the Year ". In 1986, a bass Schlagdurchschitt of .389, which is eternal NPB record. His 47 home runs and 109 RBIs meant again the Triple Crown. Although the Tigers did not bring any more success because of excessive management, bass still holds eight NPB records. In Hanshin bass was a crowd favorite, and for " Basu " the slogan " Kami- sama, Hotoke - sama, Basu - sama " (God, Buddha, bass) is a coined.
After his career as an athlete Bass went into politics for the Democrats. In 2004 he was elected to the Senate from Oklahoma and confirmed in 2006. Furthermore, he argues for the maintenance of the Japan-US relations.
The Curse of Colonel Sanders
Bass is indirectly responsible for a curious "curse", explained by the Tigers fans the continued since 1985 sporting bankruptcy. In Hanshin it is customary that after a big Tigers - success (eg Final Tournament ) the Tigers players will be called up individually and a fan that looks like the current player, jumps into the Dotonbori River. In the championship celebration in 1985 this ritual took place. Since bass no Tigers fan the gaijin (foreigner) looked similar enough to steel ado a statue of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland D. Sanders from a nearby KFC restaurant and tossed it into the river. As the Tigers came after no green branch more, it was interpreted as "revenge" the sunken statue, and this is the name of " The Curse of Colonel Sanders " naturalized one. 2009, the statue was finally pulled from the Dotonbori. KFC plans to give the Tigers the statue.
Home Run controversy in 1985
Bass was in the championship season in 1985 on the way to break the eternal season home run record of Japanese baseball legend Sadaharu Oh. Before the last game of the regular season against the Yomiuri Giants he was on 54, one less than the 55 of Oh. But normally throw on bass instead, the Giants pitcher threw four times in a row next to intentionally ( intentional walk ) so that bass though always reached first base, but there was no chance for a home run. In this way, should be " holy " record of Oh to be protected, who was himself a former Giants player. Bass said later that he had since been lost " a lot of respect" for Oh.
Private life
Bass is married to his wife Kelley and the couple have a son, two daughters and four grandchildren. In his spare time, he plays a lot of golf. When he was five years old, Bass broke both legs in a boating accident and was in a cast for six months. That he learned ever walk again, let alone a professional athlete, was holding his family for the greatest miracle.