Sammy Sosa was born on November 12, 1968.  Sammy

did not grow up following baseball, in fact, his first basball glove

was a milk carton and the first "ball" he hit was a rolled up sock!  Sammy grew

up in the Dominican Republic and his father died when he was seven years

old.  Sammy had to sell oranges on the corner to help support his family.

However, deep down inside, Sammy loved playing baseball.  When he was 16,

Sammy was asked to try out for the Texas Rangers.  He was then traded

to the Chicago White Sox and later to the Chicago Cubs.

Sammy did not become a star right away.  He was very aggressive at the plate

and struck out more than many of the players in the league.

Sammy was persistent and worked very hard, and eventually Sammy became

one of the best players in the league.  Because Sammy is one of the best

players in the league, he gets paid a lot of money.  Sammy uses a lot of his

money to help his home country.  He has donated food, supplies, and money

to the Dominican Republic, and he also helped donate money to build

a shopping mall!

Sammy is a hero on the field, and his kindness to everyone,

especially his home country, makes him a hero off the field as well!