Happy Birthday–January 11

George Pinkney (1859)
Silver King (1868)
Elmer Flick (1876)
Max Carey (1890)
George Trautman (1890)
General Crowder (1899)
Schoolboy Rowe (1910)
Don Mossi (1929)
Gene Cook (1932)
Jim McAndrew (1944)
Jack Zduriencik (1951)
Rocket Wheeler (1955)
Lloyd McClendon (1959)
Donn Pall (1962)
Warren Morris (1974)

Second baseman Warren Randall Morris was with Minnesota for about a week at the beginning of the 2002 season. Born in Alexandria, Louisiana, he attended high school there and then went to LSU. To the extent he is remembered, it is for a walkoff home run he hit to win the 1996 College World Series. Morris was drafted by Texas in the fifth round in 1996. He played for the U. S. Olympic team that year, and so did not begin his professional career until 1997. He hit over .300 with double-digit home runs in each of his first two minor league seasons, but was traded to the Pittsburgh organization midway through the second one, in 1998. In 1999, Morris won the starting second baseman job for the Pirates, and would hold it for two years. He had a strong rookie year, hitting .288 with 15 homers and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. In 2000, however, he slumped to .259 with three home runs, and in 2001 he lost the second base job to Pat Meares. Morris spent part of that 2001 season in AAA, where he again hit well, but was released before the 2002 season. Minnesota signed him and gave him seven at-bats in the majors (he went 0-for-7) before sending him to AAA Edmonton. In mid-June, the Twins traded him to the Cardinals organization for a player to be named later (Seth Davidson), and in mid-July he was selected off waivers by the Red Sox' chain. A free agent again after the 2002 campaign, he went to the Tigers, starting in AAA but coming to the majors in early June. He was the Tigers' regular second baseman for most of the second half of the year, and responded by hitting .272. He lost the job in 2004 to Omar Infante, and spent the season in AAA Toledo. He was with the Brewers' organization for much of 2005 and finished the year in AA with Cleveland. He had minor league offers to play in 2006, but decided to call it a career. At last report, Warren Morris was an investment banker with Red River Bank in Alexandria, Louisiana. He also was working with a variety of Christian-oriented sports organizations.