J. T. Snow
Encyclopedia
Jack Thomas "J. T." Snow, Jr. (born February 26, 1968) is a former Major League Baseball
player. He played all but two games in his career as a first baseman
, and played nine of his 13½ seasons with the San Francisco Giants
. He was known for his exceptional defense.
Los Angeles Rams
Pro Bowl
wide receiver
Jack Snow
.
Snow attended Los Alamitos High School
in Los Alamitos, California
and played baseball and football
and basketball with future teammate Robb Nen
. After high school, Snow played three seasons at the University of Arizona
, where his teammates included Scott Erickson
, Trevor Hoffman
and Kevin Long
. He was drafted by the New York Yankees
in the fifth round of the 1989 baseball amateur draft. Snow broke into the Majors with the Yankees at the end of the 1992 season.
After his father's death in 2006, Snow wore his father's number 84 in his honor. JT is married to Stacie Peters, and they have one son, Shane Michael, who was born December 16, 1997. He resides in Hillsborough, CA year-round.
that year as part of the Jim Abbott
deal, Snow played for them from 1993 to 1996 where he won his first two of what would be six career Gold Gloves.
Allen Watson
and minor league pitcher Fausto Macey.
While a switch hitter
earlier in his career, Snow batted exclusively left-handed after 1998. In 2000 he led the league in sacrifice flies
with 14. After a two year injury-riddled stretch from 2002 to 2003 where his batting average
was .246, Snow rebounded in 2004 with a .327 average, hitting .387 after the All-Star
break (which ranked second only to Ichiro Suzuki
in the Major Leagues).
as Snow was scoring in Game 5 off a Kenny Lofton
triple
, he swooped up by the back of the jacket and carried off the batboy
, 3-year-old Darren Baker. The young batboy and son of then Giants’ manager Dusty Baker
was at home plate
to collect Lofton's bat before the play was completed. This turned into a touching and memorable incident, but easily could have resulted in disaster with a small child wandering into the path of Snow and David Bell
as they both barreled home to score. Following the incident with Darren Baker, Major League Baseball required batboys and girls to be at least 14 years of age. A photograph of this incident now hangs in The Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, New York.
In the 2000 National League Division Series
against the New York Mets
, with the Giants trailing 4–1 in the bottom of the ninth, Snow hit a three-run pinch-hit
homer against Mets reliever
Armando Benitez
. However, the Giants failed to capitalize on their momentum, eventually falling in the 10th inning and going on to lose the series.
On June 26, 1999, Snow tagged out Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Carlos Pérez using the "hidden ball trick
", the last successful execution of the play in the 20th Century. The Giants nevertheless lost the game 7-6, off of a 3-run home run by Todd Hundley
in the 9th inning.
on January 6, 2006. He served primarily in a platoon
with Kevin Youkilis
at first base until he requested to be designated for assignment
due to a lack of playing time. He was granted his designation June 19, and was officially released eight days later.
on Giants radio broadcasts alongside play-by-play announcer Dave Flemming
. He also serves as an advisor to the Giants' general manager
, Brian Sabean
, and as a roving minor league instructor for the Giants. http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/team/frontoffice_bios/snow_jt.jsp
When he returned for a visit to AT&T Park
at the end of the 2006 season, Snow received a standing ovation when he was featured on the Jumbotron
.
, Omar Vizquel
, and Rich Aurilia
threw balls in the dirt to mess with Snow, but Snow still made the plays.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. He played all but two games in his career as a first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
, and played nine of his 13½ seasons with the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. He was known for his exceptional defense.
Early years
Snow is the son of former NFLNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Jack Snow
Jack Snow (football)
Jack Thomas Snow was an American football player who played wide receiver at the University of Notre Dame from 1962 through 1964 and with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL from 1965 to 1975.-Early years:...
.
Snow attended Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School
Los Alamitos High School is a public school for grades 9 to 12 located in Los Alamitos, California, and also serving the city of Seal Beach and the community of Rossmoor. It is the only traditional high school in the Los Alamitos Unified School District; the far smaller Laurel High School serves...
in Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos is a small city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,449 at the 2010 census, down from 11,536 at the 2000 census...
and played baseball and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball with future teammate Robb Nen
Robb Nen
Robert Allen Nen is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He spent most of his career as a closer. He is the son of former major league first baseman Dick Nen. He currently works in the Giants' front office as a special assistant to General Manager Brian Sabean.Nen is best...
. After high school, Snow played three seasons at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
, where his teammates included Scott Erickson
Scott Erickson
Scott Gavin Erickson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.-Career:Erickson was born in Long Beach, California, and began his professional career, after being drafted by the NY Mets in 1986, Houston Astros in 1987, and Toronto Blue Jays in 1988, in when he was drafted by the Minnesota Twins...
, Trevor Hoffman
Trevor Hoffman
Trevor William Hoffman is a former Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. During his 18-year career from 1993 to 2010, he pitched for the Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers, spending years of his career with the Padres. A long-time closer, he is the Major...
and Kevin Long
Kevin Long (baseball)
Kevin Richard Long is a former minor league baseball player and the current hitting coach for the New York Yankees.-Playing career:Long graduated from Thunderbird High School in Phoenix, Arizona....
. He was drafted by the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the fifth round of the 1989 baseball amateur draft. Snow broke into the Majors with the Yankees at the end of the 1992 season.
After his father's death in 2006, Snow wore his father's number 84 in his honor. JT is married to Stacie Peters, and they have one son, Shane Michael, who was born December 16, 1997. He resides in Hillsborough, CA year-round.
California Angels (1993–96)
Traded to the California AngelsLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
that year as part of the Jim Abbott
Jim Abbott
James Anthony Abbott is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, who played despite having been born without a right hand. He played for the California Angels, the New York Yankees, the Chicago White Sox, and the Milwaukee Brewers, from 1989 to 1999.He graduated from Flint Central High School and...
deal, Snow played for them from 1993 to 1996 where he won his first two of what would be six career Gold Gloves.
San Francisco Giants (1997–2005)
He was traded to the Giants after the 1996 season for left-handed pitcherPitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Allen Watson
Allen Watson
Allen Kenneth Watson is a high school baseball coach and former left-handed starting pitcher in professional baseball. He is a graduate of Christ The King Regional High School in Middle Village, New York and attended New York Institute of Technology-Baseball career:Allen Watson was picked by the St...
and minor league pitcher Fausto Macey.
While a switch hitter
Switch hitter
In baseball, a switch-hitter is a player who bats both right-handed and left-handed.-Baseball:Usually, right-handed batters hit better against left-handed pitchers and vice-versa. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher. Such pitches are often...
earlier in his career, Snow batted exclusively left-handed after 1998. In 2000 he led the league in sacrifice flies
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
with 14. After a two year injury-riddled stretch from 2002 to 2003 where his batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
was .246, Snow rebounded in 2004 with a .327 average, hitting .387 after the All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
break (which ranked second only to Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki
, usually known simply as is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262...
in the Major Leagues).
Three memorable moments with the Giants
In the 2002 World Series2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
as Snow was scoring in Game 5 off a Kenny Lofton
Kenny Lofton
Kenneth Lofton is a former Major League Baseball outfielder known for his great speed on the base paths as well as in the field, award-winning defensive play , timely hitting, and playful spirit. He batted and threw left-handed...
triple
Triple (baseball)
In baseball, a triple is the act of a batter safely reaching third base after hitting the ball, with neither the benefit of a fielder's misplay nor another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, he swooped up by the back of the jacket and carried off the batboy
Batboy
A batboy is an individual who carries the baseball bats around to a baseball team. A batboy may also lay out the equipment and mud the baseballs to be used in the game.Mascots and batboys had both been part of baseball since the 1880s....
, 3-year-old Darren Baker. The young batboy and son of then Giants’ manager Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
was at home plate
Home Plate
Home Plate is the fifth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1975 .-Track listing:#"What Do You Want the Boy to Do?" – 3:19#"Good Enough" – 2:56#"Run Like a Thief" – 3:02...
to collect Lofton's bat before the play was completed. This turned into a touching and memorable incident, but easily could have resulted in disaster with a small child wandering into the path of Snow and David Bell
David Bell (baseball)
David Michael Bell is a former Major League Baseball third baseman who is currently the manager of the Triple-A Louisville Bats...
as they both barreled home to score. Following the incident with Darren Baker, Major League Baseball required batboys and girls to be at least 14 years of age. A photograph of this incident now hangs in The Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, New York.
In the 2000 National League Division Series
2000 National League Division Series
-St. Louis Cardinals vs. Atlanta Braves:-Game 1, October 4:Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco, CaliforniaGiants Pitcher Liván Hernández allowed one run and five hits over a inning effort, backed by a three-run home run by Ellis Burks as the Giants cruised to an easy 5–1 victory.-Game 2, October...
against the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
, with the Giants trailing 4–1 in the bottom of the ninth, Snow hit a three-run pinch-hit
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
homer against Mets reliever
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Armando Benitez
Armando Benítez
Armando Germán Benítez is a relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.-Baltimore Orioles:...
. However, the Giants failed to capitalize on their momentum, eventually falling in the 10th inning and going on to lose the series.
On June 26, 1999, Snow tagged out Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Carlos Pérez using the "hidden ball trick
Hidden ball trick
In the game of baseball, the hidden ball trick is a play in which the runner is deceived about the location of the ball, in an effort to have him tagged out.-Execution:...
", the last successful execution of the play in the 20th Century. The Giants nevertheless lost the game 7-6, off of a 3-run home run by Todd Hundley
Todd Hundley
Todd Randolph Hundley is a former Major League Baseball catcher and outfielder. He is the son of former Chicago Cubs catcher Randy Hundley...
in the 9th inning.
Boston Red Sox (2006)
Snow's tenure with the Giants effectively ended when the team declined to offer him salary arbitration before the 2006 season. He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Boston Red SoxBoston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
on January 6, 2006. He served primarily in a platoon
Platoon system
The platoon system in baseball is a method of designating two players to a single defensive position—usually one right-handed and one left-handed. Typically the right-handed half of the platoon is played on days when the opposing pitcher is left-handed and the left-handed player is played otherwise...
with Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Youkilis
Kevin Edmund Youkilis , also known as "Youk" , is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...
at first base until he requested to be designated for assignment
Designated for assignment
Designated for assignment is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball. When a player is designated for assignment, he is immediately removed from the club's 40-man roster. This gives the club 10 days to decide what to do with the player while freeing up a roster spot for another...
due to a lack of playing time. He was granted his designation June 19, and was officially released eight days later.
Retirement
At the end of the 2006 season, Snow retired from baseball and began working as a color commentatorColor commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on Giants radio broadcasts alongside play-by-play announcer Dave Flemming
Dave Flemming
David Braxton "Dave" Flemming is an American sportscaster and television personality, currently working as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball as well as the Stanford Cardinal football and basketball teams.Flemming grew up in Alexandria, Virginia,...
. He also serves as an advisor to the Giants' general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
, Brian Sabean
Brian Sabean
Brian R. Sabean is the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the San Francisco Giants, a Major League Baseball franchise. He has held the job since 1997, when he replaced former General Manager Bob Quinn...
, and as a roving minor league instructor for the Giants. http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/team/frontoffice_bios/snow_jt.jsp
When he returned for a visit to AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
at the end of the 2006 season, Snow received a standing ovation when he was featured on the Jumbotron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
.
2008
On September 24, 2008, the Giants signed Snow to a one-day contract, and he took the field on September 27 against the Dodgers, but was replaced before the first pitch. It was a move that allowed Snow to retire as a Giant. Eugenio VélezEugenio Vélez
Eugenio Vélez Vancomper is a Dominican professional baseball infielder and outfielder who is a free agent.-Toronto Blue Jays :...
, Omar Vizquel
Omar Vizquel
Omar Enrique Vizquel González , nicknamed "Little O", is a Venezuelan Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. Vizquel has played for the Seattle Mariners , the Cleveland Indians , the San Francisco Giants , the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox...
, and Rich Aurilia
Rich Aurilia
Richard Santo Aurilia is a former Major League Baseball player, mainly as a shortstop. He bats and throws right-handed.The 24th round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Aurilia worked in the Rangers minor league system before being traded with first baseman Desi...
threw balls in the dirt to mess with Snow, but Snow still made the plays.