Seamus Deaghlan Corcoran
From Usgovsimulation
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| Democratic Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Congressman | ||||
| Began Present Office: 2012 | ||||
| Electoral District | 8th Congressional district | |||
| State | Massachusetts | |||
| Region and Superregion | New England, Northeast | |||
| Previous Offices | Massachusetts State House | |||
| Born | October 17, 1968 Boston, Massachusetts | |||
| Spouse | Angela O'Shea Corcoran | |||
| Religion | Roman Catholic | |||
| Residence | Boston, Massachusetts | |||
| Occupation | Athlete / Politician | |||
| Education | Boston University, BA in Latin | |||
Seamus 'Jimmy' Deaghlan Corcoran (born October 17, 1968) is a former United States Representative for the U.S. state of Massachusetts 8th District congressional seat. He previously served in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives, but he is most famous for his highly-celebrated professional baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. He currently works in the Red Sox front office.
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Background
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| Jimmy Corcoran with the Red Sox, 1999 | |
Corcoran was born in Boston in 1968, the youngest of Michael and Eileen Corcoran's five children. His parents owned their own bakery ("Corcoran's Bakery" in South Boston), and enjoyed modest success over the years. The Corcoran family was and is devoutly Catholic and all five children attended the local Catholic elementary and high schools. One sister, Mary, became a religious sister while his brother Patrick became a priest. Patrick was named Bishop of Burlington in 2012. His brother Thomas became a lawyer, got married, and had a daughter. His sister Catherine followed her parents into the bakery business and had three children with John Young, an Oklahoma-native who became a professor at Boston College.
During his early childhood, Corcoran missed his entire second grade year due to a strange stomach-related infection that baffled doctors for months. Although the lost year made him the oldest child in his grade for the remainder of his academic career, it did not cause any long-term health problems.
Career in Baseball
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| Jimmy Corcoran with the Red Sox, 2004 | |
Corcoran was very successful academically during high school, finishing among the top five percent in his class, but he attracted far more attention for his athletic exploits. An ace pitcher for his high school team, he boasted a hopping 90 mile-an-hour fastball, a nasty, late-breaking slider, and a devastating palmball, and caused a tremendous stir in the baseball community. The Red Sox would select him in the 1988 Amateur Draft with the second overall selection.
Corcoran spent several years in the minor leagues before making his Major League debut with the Red Sox during 1991. He and fellow pitcher Roger Clemens combined for 33 wins and more than 500 strikeouts as Clemens claimed the American League Cy Young Award as the year's best pitcher and Corcoran snagged Rookie of the Year honors. Unfortunately for Red Sox fans, Clemens soon experienced a significant decline in performance and Corcoran was forced to take up the role of staff ace immediately. Although the Red Sox organization downplayed it during his career, Corcoran has in recent years indicated that the two pitchers were unfriendly rivals. Over the next five years, Corcoran won an impressive 92 games to Clemens' 58, which prompted the organization to allow the aging Texan to leave Boston for the Toronto Blue Jays following the 1996 season.
Although Clemens experienced a career renaissance in Canada and turned in two consecutive high-quality seasons, Corcoran out-shone him and established himself as the best pitcher in the Major Leagues during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He won the American League Cy Young Award in both 1997 and 1998, winning the pitching triple-crown (most wins, most strikeouts, and lowest earned run average) each year. Another Red Sox pitcher, Pedro Martinez, took center stage shortly thereafter - without any notable conflicts arising between the two players - but Corcoran continued to pitch well for the next several years. He threw a no-hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on April 4th, 2001.
Citing simple fatigue and a desire to take advantage of the opportunities life still afforded him, Corcoran retired after helping the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004. He finished with a record of 251-119, an ERA of 3.05, and 3,108 strikeouts. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010, his first year on the voting ballot.
Political Career
Corcoran resumed the education he had been forced to set aside and enrolled at Boston University. He graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor's Degree in Latin. During that time, he occasionally provided baseball analysis for Red Sox television broadcaster NESN and would sometimes assist Red Sox pitching coach Mickey O'Shea with the staff.
When a baseball radio announcer told Corcoran that he had such a fine voice that he should either become an announcer or a politician, the former Red Sox star decided to actually give the idea a chance. He won a seat in the Massachusetts state legislature in 2010, and served with distinction on a variety of committees. He was quickly tapped for federal office, and won a place in the United States House of Representatives in 2012. He considers himself a conservative Democrat, as he places the Catholic Church's teachings on social justice and personal ethics before the Party.
Corcoran resigned hi seat to accept a position with the Red Sox that would allow him to spend more time with his family, particularly his ailing father.
Family
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| Corcoran's wife, Angela O'Shea | |
Corcoran married Mickey O'Shea's daughter Angela, a New England gardening giant, in 1993. By the end of the decade they had four children: Thomas (b. 1994), Brian (b. 1995), Mary (b. 1997), and Steven (b. 1999). All four children are extremely successful athletes.
Thomas attended the University of Virginia and stars for the baseball team. He earned First Team All-Conference Honors during each of his first two seasons, and was named a Second-Team All-American pitcher as a sophomore. His highly successful sophomore season, unfortunately, ended tragically, as he accidentally struck the University of Hawaii's Bobby Higgins in the head with a fastball during the College World Series, ending Higgins' career. After reconciling with Higgins, Thomas rebounded and was named a First-Team All-American in both his Junior and Senior seasons, in addition to being a Golden Spikes Award finalist both years. He was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2015 Amateur Draft and astonished the scouts during 2016, his first full professional season, leading the AA Texas League in every major pitching statistical category. He followed that up with an equally successful season with the AAA Portland Beavers. He debuted for the Major League Padres in 2018 with 14-5 record and 220 strikeouts in 201 innings. He earned second place in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Thomas has been romantically linked to Maggie O'Connell, sister of Massachusetts U.S. Congresswoman Nessie O'Connell.
Brian attended Stanford University and played third base for the highly-ranked Cardinals. He won National Freshman of the Year honors, in addition to making Third-Team All-America. He earned First-Team All-America honors each of the next three years and capped one of the finest careers in NCAA history by claiming the Dick Howser Trophy as the nation's best player. He played in 237 games and set numerous NCAA Division I career records, including home runs (123), runs batted in (354), and batting average (.468). He was then drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 2016 Amateur Draft. After starring for the AAA Syracuse Chiefs in 2017, the Nationals called him up for the 2018 season. He promptly hit .327, belted 31 homers, and tied Mike Lowell's National League record for fewest errors by a full-time third baseman (7). He beat out his brother for the National League Rookie of the Year award.
The other two play different sports: Mary is an exceptionally talented golfer. She made her LPGA debut at the age on nineteen, finishing second in the 2016 U.S. Women's Open. She won both the 2018 LPGA Championship and U.S. Women's Open. Steven, a hockey defenseman with a surprising nose for the goal, attracted the attention of National Hockey League scouts at a very early age. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and, much to his parents' dismay, decided to bypass college and enter the league immediately. He scored 67 points during his rookie season and was a finalist for the Norris Trophy.
