Separated At Birth
The Lives of Frank Thomas & Jeff Bagwell
Brothers-in-arms, friends, competitors.
These two MLB players will be forever linked to one another.
It's a long tradition in baseball to notice the wierd coincidences and freakish events one encounters in the World of The Major Leagues. But even longtime fans and historians have noted the strange co-existence of Frank Thomas and Jeff Bagwell.

Check This Out:

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 Both were born on exactly the same day: May 27, 1968. (Thomas - Georgia, Bagwell - Massachusetts)
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 Both played multiple sports in elementary and high school, but were better known for a sport other than baseball. (Thomas - Football, Bagwell - Soccer) (Wierd coincidence side fact: And speaking of kicking skills - did you know that Frank was his high school football team's PAT Kicker? It's true.) {:-D
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 Both were given full athletic scholarships. (Thomas - Auburn, Bagwell - Hartford)
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 Both played in the exact same college NCAA Summer League. (Cape Cod, 1988)
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 Both were selected in the 1989 Amateur Draft.
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 Both ended up playing in the league other than the one they were originally believed to be heading toward. (Thomas - Atlanta/National League, Bagwell - Boston/American League)
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 Both are known to have non-traditional batting stances relying more on eye-hand coordination/bat speed rather than pure power. (Thomas - Standing Upright, Bagwell - Crouching)
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 Despite hitting monstrous home runs, both are ardent believers in "contact hitting" along the lines of Ted Williams.
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 Both earned a Most Valuable Player Award in their careers. (Thomas - AL (twice), Bagwell - NL (once). In 1994 they were MVPs of their respective leagues)
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 Both likely suffered a loss of a Most Valuable Player Award in their careers due to other players using steroids. (Thomas: AL MVP 2000/Giambi, Bagwell - NL MVP 2001/Bonds)
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 Neither has ever been accused of/or thought to have used steriods, but both have had teammates whose careers were ruined by them. (Thomas - Canseco, Bagwell - Caminiti) (wierd coincidence side fact - both disgraced player's last names began with the letter "C")
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 Both were on World Series-bound teams in the same year - 2005. But due to injury, neither played a significant part in their team's eventual fate. They will never face each other during their prime playing days in another World Series.
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 Both are All-Time Team Record Holders in Home Runs, RBIs, Walks, Extra Base Hits, and Doubles. (Thomas also holds all-time CWS records for: Runs, Intentional Walks, Total Bases, and On-Base Percentage)
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 Both were released exactly 15 seasons after being with their respective "career" teams. (Thomas - White Sox/1990-2005, Bagwell - Astros/1991-2006)
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 Both had early marriages end in divorce.
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 Both are totally dedicated to their children.

Remember - these are two different people we're talking about. <lol>

Here's a fun game - eliminate the word "Both" from the above list and anything that refers to the other - and you'll see that this description easily fits either man by itself. Check out this biography:

He was born on May 27, 1968. Played multiple sports in elementary and high school, but was locally best known for a sport other than baseball. Was given a full athletic scholarship to go to college and eventually selected in the 1989 Amateur Draft. Was originally thought to be headed toward one MLB team, but was dumped and picked-up by a different MLB team, eventually going to a completely different League. Is known for having a non-traditional batting stance, relying more on hand/eye coordination and speed rather than pure power. Earned an MVP Award. Would have likely won an additional MVP Award had it not for been for another player cheating by using steroids. Has never used steroids, but had a teammate whose career and reputation was ruined because of them. Was on a 2005 World Series bound team, but because of injury, did not play a significant role in their team's eventual fate. Despite being his team's All-Time Leader in Home Runs, RBIs, Walks, Extra Base Hits, and Doubles, he was cut after 15 seasons with the same MLB team. Married young and later divorced, he is completely dedicated to his children.

Admit it - that's an amazing coincidence.

And for laughs try this out with your "friend-who-knows-everything-about-sports" for a prime steak dinner bet.
The best part: No matter which player he mentions - tell him/her you were talking about the other one.

You can't lose. <lol>

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