Steven William Sparks (born July 2, 1965) is a former

knuckleball A knuckleball or knuckler is a baseball pitch thrown to minimize the spin of the ball in flight, causing an erratic, unpredictable motion. The air flow over a seam of the ball causes the ball to change from laminar to turbulent flow. This cha ...

-throwing right-handed

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 (A ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the 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 dr ...

, who graduated from

Holland Hall School Holland Hall (or Holland Hall School), in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States, is affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma and the Episcopal Church. The school has an approximate student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, and approximately 1,000 stude ...

, then attended

Sam Houston State University Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

in 1987. In addition to the knuckler, Sparks threw an occasional

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

and low-80s

fastball The fastball is the most common type of pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. " Power pitchers," such as former American major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, rely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit, and have thr ...

Professional career

Milwaukee Brewers

Sparks was drafted in the 5th round by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. He learned to throw the knuckle ball in 1991. He bounced around in the Brewers minor league system until 1995, which was when the Brewers added him to the starting rotation to begin the season. Before the 1995 season, Sparks was infamously known for having ripped a phone book and dislocating his non throwing shoulder, having kept him from making the team in 1994. Sparks pitched in 33 games for the Brewers in 1995, also making 27 starts. He finished 9–11 with 3 complete games. The following season, Sparks split time between pitching with the Brewers and pitching in AAA. He pitched in 11 games at AAA, going 2–6 with a 4.99 ERA while with the Brewers he pitched in 20 games (13 starts) and recording a record of 4–7 with a 6.60 ERA. He was beset by control issues, striking out 21 and walking 52 in 88.2 innings. He also allowed 19 home runs. Sparks underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's ...

in 1997. After the 1997 season, Sparks was let go by the organization, ending his 10-year run with the Brewers organization.

Anaheim Angels

In 1998, Sparks signed with the Angels while he recovered from surgery. On June 16, Sparks made his return since the end of the 1996 season, pitching en route to his first win since July 1996. For the season, Sparks finished with a 9–4 record in 22 games (20 starts). In 1999, Sparks' control issues returned, prohibiting him from gaining his effectiveness from the previous year. In 26 starts, he finished with a record of 5-11 and a 5.42 ERA. He induced 82 walks while striking out 73 in 147.2 innings.

Detroit Tigers

In 2000, the Tigers signed Sparks to a minor league deal. He made four appearances with the team before getting demoted to AAA, he went 5–7 in 14 starts at the minor league level. He got called back up on July 22. He finished the season in the rotation, going 7–5. In 2001, Sparks enjoyed the best season of his career, setting career highs in wins (14), ERA (3.65), innings (232), complete games (8) and strikeouts (116). Sparks regressed the following year, going 8–16 in 30 starts for the Tigers and recording the highest ERA in the American League (5.52). Sparks was demoted to the bullpen in 2003 in favor of rookie pitcher

Jeremy Bonderman Jeremy Allen Bonderman (born October 28, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Bonderman batted and threw right-handed. High school Bonderman attended Pasco High School in Pasco, Washington. In his last year of high school ...

. Sparks was let go after 42 games and signed with the Oakland A's 4 days later.

Oakland Athletics

Sparks latched on with the A's and pitched in 9 games. His record between the A's and Tigers was 0–6 in 51 games.

Arizona Diamondbacks

In 2004, the Diamondbacks signed Sparks to a 1-year deal. Sparks finished 3–7 in 29 games (18 starts).

San Diego Padres

On January 25, 2005, Sparks was signed to a minor league deal with the Padres. He was injured for most of the season, only appearing in 3 starts in AAA. He was let go at mid season.

Oakland Athletics (second stint)

Sparks signed a minor league deal with the A's, making 11 starts for the AAA level.

Houston Astros

After the 2005 season, he was signed by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

to a minor league contract, but after being cut, he retired at age 40.

Personal life

Sparks lives in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

and works as a

color analyst A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and the ...

for

radio broadcasts.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks, Steve 1965 births Living people Anaheim Angels players Arizona Diamondbacks players Baseball players from Oklahoma Detroit Tigers players Houston Astros announcers Knuckleball pitchers Major League Baseball broadcasters Major League Baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players New Orleans Zephyrs players Oakland Athletics players Petroleros de Cabimas players Portland Beavers players Sacramento River Cats players Sam Houston State Bearkats baseball players Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma Toledo Mud Hens players Beloit Brewers players El Paso Diablos players Helena Brewers players Midland Angels players Stockton Ports players Vancouver Canadians players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico