Barbara Boxer: “I rise to salute a native son of California, a man who grew up in the playing fields of southern California, a graduate…”

“I rise to salute a native son of California, a man who grew up in the playing fields of southern California, a graduate of California public schools and honed his skills at the University of Southern California and developed into a mature professional in Oakland, CA, where I saw him play many a game; a man who has since settled in Missouri, but will always remain a favorite son of California; a man who brought immense talent, hard work, energy, enthusiasm and, above all, dignity and grace to one of America's most revered institutions. I grew up, when I was a kid, six blocks from a Major League ballpark. I heard the sound of those home runs all through the years I was growing up. I went to many a game and sat in the bleachers. I am a baseball fan. Yet, I haven't seen such excitement in so many years that we have seen in the last month or so. This man has really helped reinvigorate the game of baseball, further enshrining it as our national pastime.”