While Yankee fans at Henninger High School were still feeling a little down on Friday over the end of their team's season, MLB Hall of Famer Rod Carew was able to cheer them up by day's end. The Baseball great visited the high school on Friday afternoon, part of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Character and Courage Weekend. Carew admits to having a tough childhood with an abusive father, and wants to encourage the youth of today to overcome any obstacle that may be in their way.
"I've gone through just as much as these kids are going through today, and I think from my experiences, it's so much tougher today for a lot of these kids, peer pressure, kids wanting them to do things that they shouldn't be doing. I want them to know that they should be their own person, don't let someone lead them the wrong direction."
Carew owns a .328 career batting average and won seven American League batting titles in from 1969 to 1978. Over 19-years with the Twins and Angels, Carew earned 18 All-Star Game selections and 3,053 hits. He says there's one specific current player that reminds him of how he loved to play the game.
"From the day Derek (Jeter) came to the big leagues, he's played the game the same way. He always hustles, runs hard down to first base, and he knows how to play the game. When you see a player like that that's capable of doing all those things, you just sit back from a far and admire him."
