HR0751 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0751 LRB098 16737 MST 51805 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Frank Edward Thomas on his 2014 election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas was born May 27, 1968 in Columbus, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas was a star in both baseball and football while in high school; and

WHEREAS, In 1986, Frank Thomas enrolled at Auburn University, where he played tight end on the football team and stood out on the baseball team, hitting .359 in 1986, and was selected to play for the United States team in the Pan-Am Games; in 1989, he was named the Southeastern Conference Most Valuable Player in baseball; and

WHEREAS, In the 1989 Major League Baseball draft, Frank Thomas was selected with the seventh pick in the first round by the Chicago White Sox; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas made his Major League Baseball debut on August 2, 1990 against the Milwaukee Brewers, where he drove in his first run; on August 28, 1990, he hit the first home run of his career against the Minnesota Twins; he finished his first season hitting .330, with 7 home runs and 31 runs batted in in 60 games; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, Frank Thomas's first full season, he established himself as a multi-talented hitter, combining power with hitting for average, drawing walks, and driving in runs; he finished third in Most Valuable Player voting with a .318 batting average, 32 home runs, 109 runs batted in, and 138 walks; he won the first of 4 Silver Slugger awards and led the league in on-base percentage, something he would accomplish 4 times throughout his career; and

WHEREAS, During the 1993 season, Frank Thomas would lead his team to the American League West title by hitting .317 with 41 home runs and 128 runs batted in; he would unanimously win the 1993 Most Valuable Player Award by receiving all 28 first place votes; and

WHEREAS, In the 1994 strike shortened season, Frank Thomas became the sixth player in American League history to win consecutive Most Valuable Player Awards; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas continued to pile up the numbers in the 1990s, winning a batting title in 1997 with a .347 batting average, and by compiling a major league record of 7 consecutive seasons with at least 100 runs batted in, 100 walks, 20 home runs, and a .300 batting average; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas was instrumental in the Chicago White Sox's 2005 World Series victory, the franchise's first championship in 88 years; and

WHEREAS, During the 2006 season, Frank Thomas helped the Oakland Athletics win the American League West title by hitting .270, with 39 home runs and 114 runs batted in; during the American League Division series, he went 5-10 with 2 home runs as the A's swept the Minnesota Twins; and

WHEREAS, On June 28, 2007, Frank Thomas, as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, became the 21st person in Major League Baseball history to hit 500 home runs; and

WHEREAS, On February 12, 2010, Frank Thomas signed a one-day contract with the Chicago White Sox and announced his retirement; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas finished his career with 521 home runs, with 5 seasons of at least 40 home runs; 1,704 runs batted in; a .301 career batting average; a .419 on-base percentage, including 4 seasons where he led the league; 1,667 walks, including 4 times leading the league; 5 All-Star Game selections; 4 Silver Slugger Awards; and 9 Top 10 finishes in the American League Most Valuable Player voting, including his back-to-back wins in 1993 and 1994; and

WHEREAS, On January 8, 2014, Frank Thomas was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame the first year he was eligible by receiving 478 votes, which is 83.7% of the votes; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Frank Edward Thomas on his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Frank Edward Thomas and the Chicago White Sox as a symbol of our recognition of his great achievements.