This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Adam Greenberg Signs One-Day Contract with Marlins

For former Guilford Indians' baseball player Adam Greenberg, his first trip to the major leagues went as quickly as it came. On July 9, 2005, he was struck in the back of the head by a 92-mph fastball from Florida Marlins' left-hander Valerio De Los Santos, forcing the then-Chicago Cub to fall to the ground. He was later taken to the hospital following what could have been the last at-bat of his Major League Baseball career.

Yet seven years later, after playing around the country in the minors and recently for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, Adam Greenberg is getting another chance to swing big in the majors. According to the Associated Press, the Miami Marlins have received approval from Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig to sign Adam, 31, to a one-day contract, which would give Greenberg a plate appearance on Tuesday, Oct. 2, when Miami hosts the New York Mets, who are scheduled to start NL CY Young Award hopeful R.A. Dickey.

After dealing with post-concussion syndrome, which included nausea and double vision, following his lone plate appearance in 2005, Greenberg refused to give in and he played for several minor league teams, including the independent Bridgeport Bluefish right here in Connecticut. In a game last year against the Long Island Ducks, he singled against De Los Santos, the pitcher who had hit him. In further exploration of the baseball globe, Greenberg played recently for Israel in the World Baseball Classic earlier this month. In one plate appearance, he drew a free pass on a walk and later scored.

The signing with the Marlins came after filmmaker and Cubs? fan Matt Liston tried through petitioning via an online drive, though unsuccessfully, to get Cubs? management to grant the Guilford native and Branford resident another shot at the plate. With the season winding down, the Marlins saw the opportunity as a win-win for Greenberg and the same club that inadvertently caused an abrupt halt to his MLB career.

As an even greater sign of his appreciation for the second chance at the bigs, Greenberg, who currently resides in Branford, has agreed to donate his one-day salary to the Marlins Foundation, which will then make a donation to the Sports Legacy Institute, an organization that advances the study and effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk groups.