Curtis Granderson's Chicago roots

Curtis Granderson is my favorite baseball player. He's a brilliant center fielder, (close to) .300 hitter, and a menace on the bases. And he's everything people assume a rich, professional athlete is not - a responsible citizen.

Last year, while doing a rehab stint in Grand Rapids playing for the West Michigan Whitecaps, he took time to go to schools in the Grand Rapids area to talk to the kids. This in itself isn't saying much - athletes do that all the time. What made it different was that Curt initiated contact directly with the schools. Basically he said "don't call me, I'll call you". But then he called.

Then there's this, more recent story about his community service.

His awesomeness is increased exponentially when you consider another important fact - he's from Chicago. And now he's a homeowner in Chicago, near UIC (roughly 14th and Halsted).

Here's the listing sheet for his house.  It's modest when you consider the guy makes $6mil/year over 5 years.

Welcome to Chicago Curtis - let's hang out sometime.