César Izturis

He continues to walk seldomly, but his increased number of base-hits has begun to compensate for this. When Western people say 'the Ayatollah', they usually mean Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who brought the word into the international limelight during the 1979 Iranian Revolution; a possible secondary meaning would be the term's use to indicate the serving Supreme Leader of Iran. Iztúris has good speed but very little power. There are six living Grand Ayatollahs: Ali Khamenei, Ali al-Sistani, Sayyid Ali, Kazem al-Haeri, Muhammad Fazel Lankarani and Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi. A switch-hitter, he is better from the right side. There is usually only one Grand Ayatollah in Iraq and a few in Iran. Iztúris' greatest strengths are spectacular defense and solid contact hitting. A handful of the most important Ayatollahs are accorded the title Grand Ayatollah (ayat ullahi 'l-`udhma), or Marja al-taqlid ("object of emulation").

At the end of the season he earned his first Gold Glove. Others pass on this event by word of mouth, and if people generally agree, then the imam is known henceforth as Ayatollah; and if not, people continue to address him as Imam. After two years of barely adequate hitting (though compensated by his stellar glovework), he improved markedly in 2004, when he hit .288 with 62 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 159 games. The title is granted by consensus, rather than ceremonially: an esteemed imam who has earned the respect and admiration of a great following is approached by a congregant who addresses him as Ayatollah. But he showed no patience at plate, resulting in a decline in average and very few walks. The word means 'sign of God', and those who carry the title are experts in Islamic sciences such as jurisprudence, ethics, philosophy and mysticism, and usually teach in schools (hawza) of Islamic sciences. Iztúris was designated as the everyday starting shortstop from Opening Day of the 2002 season, and he quickly established himself in the Dodgers' infield. Ayatollah (Arabic: آية الله; Persian: آيت‌الله) is a high title given to major Shia clergymen.

After showing some hitting potential with a .269 average in his rookie season with Toronto, the Dodgers were enthusiastic to trade for him. List of Ayatollahs. Coming from a long tradition of Venezuelan shortstops, which includes Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepción, Ozzie Guillén, Omar Vizquel, Alex González and Carlos Guillén, Iztúris has the defensive skills to rank in such distinguished company. He made his debut with Toronto in 2001 and was traded to the Dodgers at the end of the season. Iztúris was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an amateur free agent in 1996.

He is the half brother of shortstop Maicer Izturis. César Iztúris [THAY-sar iz-TO-rees] (born February 10, 1980 in Barquisimeto, Lara State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball shortstop who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gold Glove Award (2004). All-Star (2005).