[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 130 (Thursday, September 19, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO PAUL MOLITOR, 3,000 HITS AND HOMETOWN HERO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM RAMSTAD

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 1996

  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise a true Minnesota 
hero, whose athletic exploits in the all-American game of baseball have 
dominated headlines from coast to coast in recent days.
  But as big a hit as Paul Molitor has been on the field for nearly two 
decades, Paul Molitor has been an even bigger hero to children and fans 
all across this great country for the person he is.
  Mr. Speaker, it is common for this most uncommon man to stand for 
hours at a time and sign autographs for all comers, fans young and old. 
Paul Molitor of Minnesota and the Minnesota Twins is as classy a person 
as his classic swing.
  A devoted family man who always answers the call of community 
organizations to help people in need, Paul Molitor gives us all much to 
admire. He visits to hospitals to cheer up suffering children in cities 
all across this great country are rarely covered in the newspapers. But 
the lives he has touched, the spirits he has raised are reason enough 
to celebrate this great American hero.
  Joining only 20 of the greatest players in the history of the sport, 
Paul Molitor became a member of one of major league baseball's most 
exclusive clubs on Monday, September 16 in the fifth inning of a game 
at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO.
  Showing his classic, never-give-up hustle, Molitor became the first 
player to enter the 3,000-hit club with a triple and an all-out, head-
first slide into third.
  And showing his strong love of family, Molitor immediately located 
his wife, Linda, and daughter, Blaire, in the stands and embraced them 
warmly.
  Overcoming injury after injury, Paul Molitor's relentless pursuit of 
perfection and team goals has set a shining example for all of us in 
our everyday lives.
  A fellow alumnus of the University of Minnesota, Paul Molitor has 
stolen our hearts with his heart for the game--just like he once stole 
second, third, and home in a single inning. His accomplishments in the 
game are already the stuff of legend.
  This St. Paul native was the most valuable player of the 1993 World 
Series and scored the series-clinching run. His 1987 hitting streak of 
39 games is the fifth longest in modern big-league history. In the 
first game of the 1982 World Series, he set a record with five hits.
  From his sandlot days on the same playgrounds in St. Paul that 
produced--within just a few years--other future Hall of Famers Dave 
Winfield and Jack Morris, to his emergence as a star at the University 
of Minnesota, Paul Molitor has been gathering fans all across America.
  In Milwaukee, Toronto, and Minnesota, Paul Molitor has collected a 
legion of loyal admirers who are devoted to our native Minnesota son as 
much for his character as his clutch fielding and hitting.
  Mr. Speaker, we can all take a lesson from what Paul Molitor has done 
on and off the field: never give up; bear down at each and every 
opportunity; stay mentally tough; keep your eyes on the goal; don't let 
some bad breaks deter you from your objective; look out for your 
teammates; remember what's truly important.
  Paul Molitor, the baseball player, is still going strong at age 40. 
He's leading the league in hits. But, more importantly, Paul Molitor, 
the person, is proving that Leo Durocher was wrong. Nice guys do finish 
first.

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