Revered or reviled? Loved or hated? Steve Garvey generated a lot of different emotions in players and fans. Steven Patrick Garvey, born December 22, 1948, in Tampa, Florida. His parents, Joseph and Mildred, had recently relocated to Tampa from Long Island, NY.
Joe passed on his love of baseball, especially the Dodgers, to his son Steve. Steve used to hit old grapefruits with a broomstick because there were 11 of them in his backyard. His dad was a bus driver for Greyhound. In 1956 he was assigned to drive the Brooklyn Dodgers to spring training in Vero Beach.