If it weren’t for baseball, kids wouldn’t know what a millionaire looked like." Phyllis Diller

His name is Kenneth Lofton, he was born May 31, 1967 in East Chicago, IN. His career is an amazing history in itself: Lofton played for the Houston Astros (1991), Cleveland Indians (1992-96), Atlanta Braves (1997), Indians for the second time (1998-2001), Chicago White Sox (2002), San Francisco Giants (2002), Pittsburgh Pirates (2003), Chicago Cubs (2003), New York Yankees (2004), Philadelphia Phillies (2005), Los Angeles Dodgers (2006), and Texas Rangers (2007)and acquired for the third time by the Indians (July 28). His lifetime average is .299; during that period, he stole 622 bases in 2103 games. Quite impressive.


Lofton attended Washington High School in East Chicago, Indiana, where he was a standout basketball and baseball player for the Senators. He was particularly noted for his skills on the basketball court, averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals per game in his senior year. He accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of Arizona.

In college, he was the backup point guard on an Arizona Wildcats team that made it to the Final Four of the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I tournament, and set season and school records for steals. He was the starting point guard the following year as Arizona made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Lofton is one of only two men to play in a college basketball Final Four (1988, the first for the Arizona Wildcats) and a Major League Baseball World Series.

Lofton decided to try out for the baseball team during his junior year. Although he did not see much playing time, his speed and potential were recognized by baseball scouts, and he was chosen by the Houston Astros in the 17th round of the 1988 major league baseball amateur draft. He played minor league baseball during the summer while completing his basketball eligibility at Arizona.

On July 27, 2007, Lofton was traded by the Texas Rangers back to Cleveland in exchange for catcher Max Ramírez, marking the beginning of his third tour of duty with the Indians. A surprised Jacobs Field crowd greeted Lofton with a standing ovation during his first at bat for this tour of duty with the Indians. Lofton noted, "I missed being in Cleveland. I enjoy Cleveland. It's the city that got me going." Welcome back Kenny and show them your stuff.

K.