Ben Edward Weber (born November 17, 1969) is an American

chiropractor Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscien ...

and retired

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

right-handed

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. As an athlete, Weber was known for a unique pitching windup.

Career

Weber attended Port Neches-Groves High School and then the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the university in Texas with over 47,000 students. Its campus, which is primarily in s ...

. Weber was selected by the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

in the 20th round (537th overall) of the 1991 Major League Baseball draft. After spending six years in the Blue Jays minor league system, Weber was released and pitched in the independent

Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. Its member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002. The league was founde ...

for the

Salinas Peppers The Salinas Peppers were an independent baseball team located in Salinas, California. The team played in the independent Western Baseball League, and was not affiliated with any Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a profess ...

in 1996 and in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

in the

Taiwan Major League The Taiwan Major League Professional Baseball (TML; ) was a professional baseball league in Taiwan that operated from 1996 to 2003. It was established by TV tycoon Chiu Fu-sheng after a row over the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) b ...

from 1997 to 1998. In 1999, he pitched in the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

minor league system. He was added to the 40-man roster on October 21. On April 3, 2000, Weber made his Major League debut against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The fran ...

at the age of 30. On August 30, 2000, Weber was claimed off waivers by the

Anaheim Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team h ...

, where he had two of his best years. In 2002, Weber and the Angels went on to win the

2002 World Series The 2002 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB)'s 2002 season. The 98th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the American League (AL) champion Anaheim Angels and the National Lea ...

. In 2003, Weber posted an

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

below 3.00. In 2004, Weber dealt with recurring back and neck injuries and struggled through a difficult season in which he posted an ERA over 8.00. Weber was released by the Angels in September 2004. On December 15, 2004, Weber signed a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He could not regain his old form and posted an 8.03 ERA while appearing in only 10 games. On January 11, 2006, Weber signed a minor league deal with the

. At the start of the season, Weber was sent to the Blue Jays' AAA club in Syracuse where he posted a 4.33 ERA in just over 43 innings before being released June 29, 2006. Weber went to spring training with the Houston Astros in 2007. He requested and was granted his release prior to the start of the regular season.

Personal life

Weber retired after spring training in 2007. He then attended Texas Chiropractic College where he obtained his doctorate of chiropractic degree. He presently resides in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, with his wife Marisa and his triplets: Jack, Alexis and Chloe.''Angel in the Infield''

Weber practiced at Health Star Chiropractic before taking over a practice in Selma, Alabama.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, Ben 1969 births American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Anaheim Angels players Living people Houston Cougars baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Texas San Francisco Giants players Cincinnati Reds players Dunedin Blue Jays players Knoxville Smokies players Syracuse Chiefs players Fresno Grizzlies players Erie SeaWolves players Arizona League Angels players Salt Lake Stingers players Dayton Dragons players Chattanooga Lookouts players Louisville Bats players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Atlantic City Surf players Salinas Peppers players American expatriate baseball players in Australia Myrtle Beach Hurricanes players