Early Life
Marquis was born in Manhasset, New York, and grew up in Staten Island, New York's Arden Heights neighborhood, where he attended Paulo Intermediate School 75. His mother works for the New York City Board of Education, and has a teaching degree, while his father owns a check cashing business in Brooklyn. He was a New York Yankees fan growing up, and Don Mattingly was his favorite player.
Marquis, who is Jewish, grew up in a Conservative Jewish home, attended Hebrew school, and observes the major Jewish holidays. "My mother was a bit more stricter with our Jewish upbringing", said Marquis, "given that her parents were Holocaust survivors." Marquis was featured in the 2008 Hank Greenberg 75th Anniversary edition of Jewish Major Leaguers Baseball Cards, published in affiliation with Fleer Trading Cards and the American Jewish Historical Society, commemorating the Jewish Major Leaguers from 1871 through 2008. He joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Brad Ausmus, Kevin Youkilis, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun, Gabe Kapler, Scott Feldman, John Grabow, Craig Breslow, Jason Hirsh, and Scott Schoeneweis. Through July 2011, he was fourth all-time in career wins and strikeouts (directly behind Steve Stone in both categories) among Jewish major league baseball players.
Read more about this topic: Jason Marquis
Famous quotes containing the words early life, early and/or life:
“Many a woman shudders ... at the terrible eclipse of those intellectual powers which in early life seemed prophetic of usefulness and happiness, hence the army of martyrs among our married and unmarried women who, not having cultivated a taste for science, art or literature, form a corps of nervous patients who make fortunes for agreeable physicians ...”
—Sarah M. Grimke (1792–1873)
“Probably more than youngsters at any age, early adolescents expect the adults they care about to demonstrate the virtues they want demonstrated. They also tend to expect adults they admire to be absolutely perfect. When adults disappoint them, they can be critical and intolerant.”
—The Lions Clubs International and the Quest Nation. The Surprising Years, I, ch.4 (1985)
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live...”
—Bible: Hebrew, Deuteronomy 30:19.