Bobby Martin Antonio Bonilla

Bobby Bonilla (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=bonilbo01)

My hero was Bobby Martin Antonio Bonilla. Bobby Bonilla was born on February 23, 1963. He was born in the South Bronx in New York. His father Roberto Bonilla was a native New Yorker. His father, on the other hand, was born in Puerto Rico. Roberto Bonilla was very protective of his kids. He would wait every day for all his kids to come home, just to make sure that they were okay. Bobby’s mother, Regina Bonilla-Rodriguez was very relaxed. The only thing she knew was that Bobby didn’t have a career in baseball. Bobby had two twin sisters, Milagros and Socorro. He had a brother named Javier. All three siblings of Bobby’s were younger than he was. He married Millie Bonilla-Quinones. Together they had no kids.

Bobby Bonilla (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=1689)

From the age six to twelve, Bobby attended P.S. 77. After that, he went to Intermediate School 162. Next, he attended Lehman High School. Bobby Bonilla tried out and made the high school baseball team his freshman year, the coach, Joe Levine, gave Bonilla the final spot on the roster. After high school, while attending a baseball clinic, Bobby was sent to Europe where he played with an all American team. He then tried out for the Pittsburg Pirates. He didn’t make the team the first time he tried out. The second time he tried out he made the team. Playing major league baseball right out of high school is an excellent idea, but he risked having a bad education. Bobby played two games in the major leagues. The Pirates kept Bonilla in their program, they let him play on their minor league teams. He went through all of the minor league levels in four years. He yet again tried out for the team. This time he made it in when he was ready to play in the big leagues. He had 144 homeruns for his Pittsburg Pirates Career. His RBIs in his Pittsburg career was 500. After playing for the Pirates for six years, Bonilla decided to become a free agent. Bobby wanted to play for a team he thought would appreciate him. In the 1992 M.L.B. draft, Bonilla signed with the New York Mets, his hometown favorite team. He signed for twenty nine million dollars over a five-year deal, making him the most paid player ever!! In the first part of his career with the Mets, Bonilla was getting “booed” at by all the fans. This made Bonilla very upset. Bonilla retired from baseball in 2000.

Bobby Bonilla (http://www.ultimatemets.com/profile.php?PlayerCode=0475)

Bonilla faced many problems on his way to fame. For instance, he was a boy who grew up in the ghetto. Then people all around him were saying that he wasn’t cut out to play baseball because he had the body to play football. Next, was the deal of getting on a team. A few times, Bonilla wasn’t ready to play on the teams he tried out for. Also in his major league career, he faced a couple serious injures, for example when he was playing for the Pirates, he suffered a serious knee injury. He made a faster recovery than the Pirates anticipated. Also, Bonilla almost never missed a game. He would play in sickness or in health, this was an excellent, but dangerous idea.

Bobby Bonilla had many accomplishments, like getting 100 RBIs; this was a big deal in the late 1990s. It was huge!! Bobby Bonilla made this happen really quickly. He also led the Pittsburg Pirates to a World Series, which they won. He also became the most paid player in history with a whopping twenty nine million dollars over five years. Then in 1992 he played for the team he loved, the New York Mets. He also played through sicknesses. Next he did the best thing possible, for every RBI he hit in his 1992 season, he gave $500 dollars of his money to four schools.

Some examples of heroism would be always having a great attitude on and off the field. Then when a young hitter would get in a slump, Bobby would tell them to sit down and ignore the press. Then yet again giving $500 to four different schools for every RBI he hit in. Bobby Bonilla demonstrated many characteristics of a hero. Honesty, he would always tell the truth, that’s what he learned when he was little. Having a great attitude, he would be nice on and off the field. Giving, He would take shots from the press to defend younger teammates. Finally giving $500 to four schools during his 1992 season for every RBI he got. Bobby Bonilla was a great baseball player and hero. He is still alive today. He is currently in excellent heath and is currently living with his wife Millie in Florida. I learned if you have a great attitude and persevere, you can accomplish anything you want to.