Jeff(rey) Maier
AL, 1996: BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Regular season record: 88-74
Result: The O's beat the Indians in four games in the ALDS. But after the infamous fan grab by Jeffrey Maier in Game 1 of the ALCS, it was all downhill for the Orioles. They went on to lose to the Yankees in five games in the American League Championship Series.
Credit: AP, 1996
Now it can be revealed: Jeffrey Maier has never gone by his full first name. He has always been “Jeff” to those who know him.
The story of why the public knows him as “Jeffrey” is as understandable as the impulse of a 12-year-old boy to reach out for a potential home-run ball hit his way.
“Probably the reason I said ‘Jeffrey’ is I was 12 years old and had a pretty large contingent of media asking me questions,” Maier said. “I gave out my home address, my phone number, everything.
“I wasn’t well-prepared for a line of questioning from the national media. So when I was asked my name, I probably just told them ‘Jeffrey.’ I’ve been going by ‘Jeff’ for as long as I can remember. ‘Jeffrey’ is usually reserved for when I was being disciplined by my mother.”
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