Ellis Valentine: Difference between revisions

'''Ellis Clarence Valentine''' (born July 30, 1954) is aan American former [[Major League Baseball]] [[right fielder]]. He is remembered for having one of the all-time great throwing arms. "There's a plateau where you can't throw the ball any harder and you can't be any more accurate", said former Montreal [[manager (baseball)|manager]] [[Felipe Alou]]. "That was Ellis Valentine."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1022090/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006132553/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1022090/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 6, 2009|author=Jeff Pearlman|date=March 26, 2001|title=Launchpad|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]}}</ref>

Valentine played [[American football|football]] and [[baseball]] at [[Crenshaw High School]] in Los Angeles. He was the first professional athlete ever signed out of Crenshaw when the [[Montreal Expos]] selected him in the second round of the [[1972 Major League Baseball draft]].<ref name="BAD">{{cite web|url=http://www.bad.org/profile/ellis.html|title=This Valentine is a Heart of Gold... and a Pillar of Character|publisher=Baseball Against Drugs|access-date=2013-01-13|archive-date=2013-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808083407/http://bad.org/profile/ellis.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was quickly recognized as one of the top prospects in the Expos' lauded [[farm system]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MvQiAAAAIBAJ&pg=4401,7121820&dq|author=Larry Mlynczak|date=May 29, 1974|title=McHale: Montreal's System Came of Age|newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]]}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He batted .289 with 27 [[home run]]s and 195 [[runs batted in]] over four different levels in four seasons to earn a September call up to Montreal at the end of the {{mlby|1975}} season. In his fifth major league [[at-bat]], he hit his first major league [[home run]] off the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]]' [[Jim Rooker]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hiJXAAAAIBAJ&pg=5740,5342556&dq|title=Pirates Split With Montreal|newspaper=Westmoreland County News-Dispatch|date=September 6, 1975}}</ref> He remained in the Expos' line-up semi-regularly through the end of the season, posting a .364 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]].

[[Gary Carter]], who was an [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] and finished second in [[National League (baseball)|National League]] [[Rookie of the Year (award)|Rookie of the Year]] balloting as the right fielder for the Expos in 1975, was shifted back to his natural position behind the plate for the {{mlby|1976}} season to make room for Valentine in right field.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yRMyAAAAIBAJ&pg=1022,2587154&dq|author=Ian MacDonald|date=January 26, 1976|title=Expos' Owner Urges Caution Over Tickets|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|The Gazette]]|location=Montreal}}</ref> After batting just .238 with two home runs and six RBIs through the middle of May, he was shipped back to the Triple-A [[Denver Bears]] for more seasoning.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z-9gAAAAIBAJ&pg=3408,3668386&dq|title=Jim Lyttle Looms as Expos' Hero|newspaper=The Evening News|date=May 24, 1976}}</ref> He rejoined the Expos in mid-July, and batted .285 with five home runs and 33 RBIs the rest of the way.

The controversy seemed to do him some good, as he started hitting right after the incident occurred. Valentine hit a [[pinch hit]] three-run home run to carry the Expos to a 7–5 victory over the [[San Francisco Giants]] in his first game back,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lXVQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6249,5887042&dq|title=Expos Streak to 5|newspaper=[[Milwaukee Sentinel]]|date=April 30, 1979}}{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and went 12-for-33 with ten RBIs in his first ten games back from his suspension. In the first game of a May 27 [[Doubleheader (baseball)|doubleheader]] with the [[St. Louis Cardinals]], he drove in six runs to carry the Expos to an 8–3 victory. In the second game, he drove in a seventh run to establish a club record for RBIs in a doubleheader.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=s90yAAAAIBAJ&pg=794,4244663&dq|title=Valentine's Bat Hot as Expos, Cards Split|newspaper=[[Ottawa Citizen]]|date=May 28, 1979}}</ref> The next day, he drove in four runs against the [[Philadelphia Phillies]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QZJVAAAAIBAJ&pg=2463,6098228&dq|title=Expos Flog Phils, Lead by One Game|newspaper=[[Reading Eagle]]|date=May 30, 1979}}</ref> The Expos won a franchise best 95 games in 1979 to finish two games back of the Pittsburgh Pirates. For his part, Valentine batted .276 with 21 home runs and a career high 82 RBIs.

After retiring from baseball, Valentine took a job with [[Avis Rent a Car System|Avis Rent-a-Car]] earning $4.25 per hour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://z.lee28.tripod.com/sbnsforgottenintime/ellisvalentine.html|author=David Zingler|date=October 2002|title=Ellis Valentine|publisher=Simply Baseball Notebook's Forgotten In Time}}</ref> In his first baseball-related job since retirement, Valentine managed Antelope Valley in the short-lived [[Golden State League]] in {{baseball year|1995}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-07/sports/-sp-17378_1_minor17378-leaguestory.html|author=Steve Elling|date=January 7, 1995|title=No Players Yet, but Six Teams Set to Play Ball: Baseball: Golden State League is ready to throw its first pitch in May with a franchise in the Antelope Valley.|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> His tenure with the financially doomed league lasted just a week, intoas the seasonleague would fold.<ref>{{cite web|url=httphttps://articleswww.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-11/sports/-sp-34104_1_golden34104-state-leaguestory.html|author=Rob Fernas|date=August 11, 1995|title=For Rosamond, It Was Only Another Mirage: Baseball: Desert town might have taken to the Ravens, but some citizens just feel taken by Golden State League|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>

Valentine fought drug and alcohol addiction throughout his career.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ELLIS+SEES+THE+LIGHT+AFTER+HELPING+HIMSELF,+VALENTINE+HELPS+OTHERS...-a080264747|title=Ellis Sees the Light After Helping Himself, Valentine Helps Others Now|newspaper=[[Daily News (Los Angeles)]]|date=November 23, 2001|access-date=March 31, 2013|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305060104/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ELLIS+SEES+THE+LIGHT+AFTER+HELPING+HIMSELF,+VALENTINE+HELPS+OTHERS...-a080264747|url-status=dead}}</ref> In September 1986, a year after retiring, he moved from [[Southern California]], and immediately entered drug rehab in [[Phoenix, Arizona]]. After cleaning up, he took a position as a drug counselor with St. Luke's Hospital, and began helping others overcome similar issues.<ref name="BAD"/> He holds certificates in behavioral-health and chemical dependency counseling.

[[Category:21st-century African-American peoplesportsmen]]

[[Category:20th-century African-American sportspeoplesportsmen]]