Anthony Nomar Garciaparra...married to Mia Hamm, a two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner in women's soccer...the couple has twin daughters, Ava and Grace (3/27/07)...his younger brother, Michael, is a shortstop in the Philadelphia Phillies' organization...graduated from St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, CA in 1991...his teams won high school league championships in 1990-91 and he earned league MVP honors in 1991...also played high school football as a wide receiver and soccer for three years...was part of the Youth League World Series Championship team in 1989...came up with the idea for Carne Asada Sundays, in which he teamed up with the Dodgers Dream Foundation to invite Dodger fans to enjoy a traditional carne asada meal, mariachi music and more, with the proceeds benefiting the DDF...along with Mia, started the 9 to 5 initiative to benefit Childrens Hospital Los Angeles in the fight against cancer...at the inaugural event on Jan. 28, 2007 at Garciaparra's high school, the couple hosted a soccer clinic and helped expand the national registry of bone marrow donors...on Jan. 26, 2008, hosted their inaugural Celebrity Soccer Challenge...rode on the Dodgers' first-ever float in the 2008 Rose Parade to kick off the team's 50th Anniversary Celebration...in 2000, Garciaparra established the Nomar 5 Foundation, which supports community organizations that work for the well-being of children...on Aug. 29, 2006, visited White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles where he visited with youngsters in the pediatric ward...participated in the Dodger Caravan in February 2006, 2007, and 2008, including a visit to his former high school in '07...while the team was in Washington, D.C. in 2006, visited U.S. military veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center...rescued two women who had fallen into the Boston Harbor in Charlestown, MA on Oct. 7, 2005...was inducted into the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame in November 2002...also a member of the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame.

Began the year as the Dodgers' starting first baseman, but shifted to third base with the emergence of James Loney Led the Majors in batting average with runners in scoring position (.373) for most of the season before a late-season injury cost him enough at-bats to qualify for the lead in that category...appeared in 43 games at third base, batting .302 with six homers and 21 RBI...played in 68 games at first base, batting .274 with one homer and 37 RBI...hit .325 at Dodger Stadium, compared to just .243 on the road...registered 59 RBI on just seven homers...the only NL player with more RBI and seven or less round-trippers was Jacque Jones (5 HR/66 RBI)...batted .329 (27-for-82) when putting the first pitch in play...hit .323 with runners on base...was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Aug. 14 with a strained left calf...activated from the DL on Sept. 4 after missing 19 games...appeared in just 11 games after the injury, tallying 34 at-bats...tied his career high and a Dodger season high with eight at-bats on April 29 at San Diego...on May 11 vs. Cincinnati, did not record a single putout in a complete nine-inning game, becoming the 16th first baseman in Major League history and first player in Dodger franchise history to accomplish that feat...finished April hitting .307 (31-for-101) with a team-leading 19 RBI...was second in the Major Leagues during the month of April, hitting .550 (11-for-20) with runners in scoring position...also had four game-winning RBI in the month...was ejected from the game on Aug. 13 vs. Houston, his first career ejection in 1,303 career big league games.