HR1242 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1242 LRB098 22224 MST 61099 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Frank Edward Thomas on his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 27, 2014; and

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

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas starred in both baseball and football in high school; and

WHEREAS, In 1986, Frank Thomas enrolled at Auburn University, where he played tight end on the football team and also starred on the baseball team; he hit .359 in the 1986 season 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 debut on August 2, 1990 against the Milwaukee Brewers where he recorded his first RBI; on August 28, 1990, he hit the first home run of his career in Minnesota, against the Twins; he finished his first season hitting .330 with 7 home runs and 31 RBI 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 championship by hitting .317 with 41 home runs and 128 RBI; 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 RBI, 100 walks, 20 home runs, and a .300 average; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas contributed to the 2005 Chicago White Sox team that won the franchise's first World Series championship in 88 years; and

WHEREAS, During the 2006 season, Frank Thomas helped the Oakland Athletics win the American League West championship by hitting .270 with 39 home runs and 114 RBI; during the American League Division series he went 5 for 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 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 with at least 40 home runs; 1,704 RBI; a .301 career batting average; a .419 on-base percentage, including 4 seasons where he led the league; 1,667 walks with 4 league-leading seasons; 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, 83.7% of the votes cast; and

WHEREAS, Frank Thomas gave an emotional speech where he thanked many of the people in his life who have helped him make it into the Hall of Fame; 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 induction 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.