Topic: Sean Casey

Sean Thomas Casey (born July 2, 1974, in Willingboro Township, New Jersey), nicknamed "the Mayor," is a former Major League Baseball first baseman for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, and Boston Red Sox.

Casey attended Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Richmond, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. His .461 batting average in 1995 led all Division I players. He was drafted in 1995 in the 2nd round by the Cleveland Indians and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds before the 1998 season. Casey had his best year in 1999 hitting .332 with 25 HRs and 99 RBIs and 103 runs scored in 151 games. In 1999, he won the Hutch Award.

During his tenure in Cincinnati, and later in Pittsburgh and Detroit, Sean Casey was regarded as approachable and friendly, and his nickname, "the Mayor," comes from his reputation for chatting casually with every runner who makes it to first base, and from his very public charity work. It was frequently expanded to "the Mayor of Riverfront" when the Reds played at Riverfront Stadium. On May 16, 2007, Casey was voted in 2007 as "the friendliest player in baseball" by fellow players in a Sports Illustrated poll. He garnered 46% of the vote with the second place player Jim Thome getting only 7%. Casey is also regarded as among the slowest-running players in the game, grounding into 27 double plays in the 2005 season. This tied him with A.J. Pierzynski for the record of most Grounding in Double Plays by a National League Left Hander in a season.