Tag: Frank Thomas

Which ‘ESPN College GameDay’ analysts picked Auburn to beat Kentucky?

Did the analysts on College GameDay make the jungle happy on Saturday?

The latest edition of ESPN’s College GameDay from Auburn’s Neville Arena is complete. Now, we must wait for tipoff between the highly-anticipated game between No. 12 Auburn and No. 20 Kentucky.

College GameDay, which has now visited Auburn for a game in three straight seasons, provided several highlights such as an interview with [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag], MLB Hall-of-Famer and former Tiger [autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag] delivering Toomer’s lemonade to the analysts, and the traditional “gameday picks.”

ESPN analysts Andraya Carter, Seth Greenburg, and Jay Williams are confident that Auburn will earn the win at home, as all three picked Auburn to beat Kentucky. Jay Bilas did not pick the game as he will be on the broadcast tonight alongside Dan Shulman and Jess Sims.

Auburn is the lone team in the SEC to not lose a game at home this season and has won every game by double-digits. Kentucky is 7-4 in SEC play and has lost two games on the road in SEC play. The Wildcats have been unlucky in Neville Arena lately, as they have dropped three straight games and five of its last six trips to the Plains.

Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT in Neville Arena. ESPN will broadcast the game live.

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MLB All-Star break: A look at Josh Donaldson’s first half numbers

After an injury slowed down his first half production, the former MVP hopes to have a strong second half in the Bronx.

As the first half of the Major League Baseball season comes to a close, Auburn Wire will check in with several former Tigers who are currently on active MLB rosters.

The first up is the longest-tenured former Tiger in the show, New York Yankees’ third baseman, [autotag]Josh Donaldson[/autotag].

Donaldson had a sluggish first half, as he missed most of April, and all of May, due to a hamstring injury. Because of this, the distance between his hits and home run is minimal.

On Sunday, he set a new record by registering the fewest base hits by any player with double-digit home runs before the All-Star break in baseball history with 15 total hits and 10 home runs. Ironically, he took over that title from fellow Auburn alum, [autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag], who had 20 hits and 11 home runs prior to the 2005 all-star break.

His home runs have been a product of great plate appearances. He hopes to turn those into more base hits and RBI opportunities in the second half.

“I feel like the at-bats have been there and the home runs have been predicated on having some pretty good at-bats,” Donaldson said Saturday. “I haven’t really had much fall other than that. I’m looking forward to that changing.”

Here’s a look at Donaldson’s first-half numbers.

Derek Jeter to replace Frank Thomas on Fox Sports MLB pregame crew

Thomas was a staple of FOX’s Major League Baseball coverage for a decade.

After a decade as an on-air personality for Fox Sports MLB pregame shows, Auburn baseball and Chicago White Sox legend [autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag] is being replaced by Derek Jeter. A New York Post article written by Andrew Marchand told the story.

“Frank has been an integral member of the FOX MLB studio team for nearly a decade and has helped raise the bar on our coverage while continuously growing the game of baseball,” a Fox Sports spokesman said in a statement to The New York Post on Saturday. “Although he is not a part of our coverage this season, ‘The Big Hurt’ will always be a member of our Fox Sports family and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Thomas has been a part of a team that has included MLB Hall of Famers such as David Ortiz and Alex Rodriguez and long-time MLB analyst Kevin Burkhardt.

Jeter will make his debut in June for the MLB London Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs.

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Auburn set to honor Frank Thomas with statue at Plainsman Park

Auburn Baseball will honor the SEC’s lone member of the Baseball Hall of Fame with a statue this upcoming season.

When college sports fans associate legends with Auburn University, their minds usually go to the three B’s… Bo, Barkley, and the Big Hurt.

[autotag]Bo Jackson[/autotag], who won the Heisman Trophy in 1985, has a statue at the entrance of Jordan-Hare Stadium alongside the program’s other two winners, [autotag]Pat Sullivan[/autotag] and [autotag]Cam Newton[/autotag].

Soon after Jackson’s statue was unveiled, a statue was constructed to honor [autotag]Charles Barkley[/autotag]. That statue now welcomes scholarship donors to Neville Arena on Auburn Basketball game days.

The only statue missing is one honoring [autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag]. Those days are now numbered.

Thomas, who played baseball and football at Auburn in the late 1980s before enjoying an MLB career that spanned from 1990-2008, will have a statue unveiled at Plainsman Park in his honor on April 8, 2023, according to officials with Auburn Baseball.

Thomas was selected No. 7 overall by the Chicago White Sox during the 1989 Major League Baseball draft and would play for the White Sox from 1990-2005. He spent the final three seasons of his career with the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays.

During his 19-year career, Thomas hit 521 home runs and drove in 1,704 runs while batting .301. He was also a five-time all-star and a two-time winner of the Most Valuable Player award. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame as a first-ballot selection in 2014, and remains the SEC’s lone member.

Auburn Baseball head coach [autotag]Butch Thompson[/autotag] says that Thomas’ statue is a testament to the strong history of the program.

“I think it just gives another degree and shows how good our history is with Auburn baseball,” Thompson said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “There are so many other players that I’m not mentioning, but none are bigger than Frank Thomas. For him to get our first statue, I think it’s in line with the other amazing Auburn men and women that have gotten statues.”

Thomas’ statue will be unveiled during a crucial SEC weekend for Auburn Baseball. The Tigers welcome fellow 2022 College World Series participant, Texas A&M, from April 6-8, and the statue reveal will be the icing on the cake.

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Allen Greene’s exit ‘discouraging’ to Auburn legend Frank Thomas

Frank Thomas does not sound happy to see Allen Greene leaving the Plains.

[autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag] did not shy away from sharing his reaction to the departure of [autotag]Allen Greene[/autotag] as Auburn’s athletic director.

The baseball great took to Twitter Friday night to share his thoughts on Greene stepping down and what it means for the entire athletic department, not just the football program.

“I’m still so shocked by this Allen Greene situation at my alma mater,” he wrote. “The entire sports department has flourished under his leadership! Yes the AU football program has struggled over the last two years. That’s another conversation period. Auburn football will bounce back!!”

“For him not to get another few years to make things right is discouraging in my eyes,” Thomas added in a second tweet. “I was just getting to know this man and he has left an impression on me that will last forever. He cares about Auburn University and I wish him well in the future.”

In his tenure as athletic director, Auburn won eight conference championships, reached the Men’s Final Four, reached a No. 1 ranking in men’s basketball, and made two Men’s College World Series appearances.

Thomas, who is in the MLB Hall of Fame, played at Auburn from 1987-89 before having a 19-year MLB season where he was twice named the MVP.

Auburn announced earlier Friday that Greene was resigning after a four-and-a-half-year tenure as athletic director. Auburn appointed Marcy Girton as acting athletic director while Auburn embarks on a national search for his permanent replacement.

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Auburn to build Frank Thomas statue at Plainsman Park

Auburn legend Frank Thomas will be honored with a statue.

Auburn legend and Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member [autotag]Frank Thomas[/autotag] will be honored with a statue at Plainsman Park. The Auburn University Board of Trustees approved the statue in a meeting on Friday.

“At Auburn I became a man. I was blessed to have Coach Pat Dye and his staff who pushed me to new heights and instilled football toughness and a will to win that I never knew existed,” Thomas said.  “I was also lucky enough to have Coach Hal Baird and his baseball staff to help mold and prepare me for the next level. My Hall of Fame career that followed resulted from hard work, dedication and commitment. I was also taught at Auburn that there are no shortcuts to success, all of which I carry with me to this day. War Damn Eagle!”

Thomas signed with Auburn to play both football and baseball in the 1980s. He played the 1986 season with the football team before deciding to focus on baseball after willing All-SEC honors as a freshman.

He went on to win All-SEC honors as a sophomore and a junior and was a consensus All-American as a junior. He led the team in home runs and RBIs in each of his three seasons. He finished his Auburn career as a .382 hitter with 49 home runs and 205 RBI.

He was taken seventh overall by the Chicago White Sox in the 1989 draft. Thomas played 19 years, including 16 with the White Sox before concluding his career with Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays.

He finished his MLB career with 2,468 hits, 521 home runs, 1,704 RBI, 1,484 runs scored, and a .301 batting average. He was a five-time all-star and was named the American League Most Valuable Player twice.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014 and is the only SEC baseball player in Cooperstown.

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Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Auburn Alumni: The Tigers most famous graduates and attendees

A look at 12 of the most notable alumni from Auburn University, how many can you name? #WarEagle

Auburn University is known for more than just its athletic accomplishments. They have won national championships, but some of their students and alumni have done the Tigers proud off the field as well.

Top Alumni are even known for accomplishments following their time on the Plains. Currently, one of those notable graduates is the CEO of one of the top technology companies in the world.

As far as current students, they have an Olympic Gold Medalist currently partaking in the War Eagle way of life. Sunisa Lee won gold before coming to the Plains to join the gymnastics program. Just as she did representing Team USA, she has taken the SEC world by storm.

Some of the top graduates from Auburn have gone on to be politicians, work for NASA, and even become top athletes in their sports.

Auburn Wire looks at the top 12 most notable people to attend the university over the years.

Remembering those we lost from the world of golf in 2021

The world of golf said goodbye to legends and icons in 2021.

The world of golf said goodbye to host of legends and icons in 2021.

The game of golf touches so many and those who contribute to its success come from all over.

The list includes a famous golf-course architect, a key figure in the USGA, Tiger Woods’ coach at Stanford, a pioneer of the game who finally got to participate in the ceremonial Masters tee shot as well as innovators, coaches, and a comedian, as well as golf writers and broadcasters.

As we prepare to turn the calendar to 2022, let’s not forget those who have left their mark on the game.

Every Alabama football player in the College Football Hall of Fame

Alabama is a source of history in college football, so it’s only fitting that the Crimson Tide is very well represented at the College …

Alabama is consistently the golden standard in college football. Not only is the program seemingly competing for a national title every year, but they are always sending new talent to the NFL. The Crimson Tide’s impact on the game throughout history has been great.

The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta is where players and coaches become permanently enshrined, where their legacies will forever be a part of the game, even when they are gone.

There are 21 inductees that were at one point members of the Crimson Tide, either as a player or a coach.