Grady Sizemore III was born on August 2, 1982, in Seattle, Washington to Donna and Grady Sizemore II. (Click here for today's sports birthdays.) Grady’s mom worked as an accountant. His father was an insurance adjuster.The Sizemores lived in Everett, an easy drive north of Seattle. Like Derek Jeter, Grady was the product of a mixed-race marriage. Donna is white, while Grady II is African-American.
Grady II was a pretty fair baseball player in his day and enjoyed a good career in college. By contrast, he encouraged his sons (Grady and his younger brother, Corey) to play whatever sport was in season.
Grady’s baseball career started at 18 months, when his parents bought him a Fat Albert baseball bat. The first time he gripped it, his stance was so perfect that the Sizemores felt compelled to snap a picture. The family still has it today. By age four, Grady was hitting overhand pitching with an aluminum bat.
