A is for All in the Family
Texas fans, young and old, know that the last name Street is no stranger to athletic success on the Forty Acres. While father James was a two-sport star, an All-American pitcher and the last quarterback before Vince Young to lead the football team to an undefeated season, older brother Huston was the 2002 College World Series Most Outstanding Player as a freshman and an All-American closer for three years, prior to becoming the Oakland A's closer. In fact, Jordon's current jersey number is also the same number his father wore when the elder Street pitched. After Huston and Jordon's twin brother Juston, also a pitcher on the Texas team, comes their youngest brother, Hanson, who is currently a senior at local Westlake High School, starring at third base and, surprise surprise, on the mound. Success, and baseball obviously runs in the family. So how exactly did Jordon get started playing baseball? He can't quite pinpoint the exact day and time, but Jordon claims that he was born into the sport. In fact, the first picture that Jordon ever saw of himself as a baby had him wearing a baseball hat.
B is for a Basic, Boring Burger
What condiments does Jordon like to adorn his hamburger with? Simply - the basic ketchup and mustard combination and nothing else. Only when he feels like being exciting and wants to spice things up a little does Jordon go crazy and throw on lettuce and tomatoes.
C is for the Cayman Islands
Though he has only spent half a day on this little island of paradise located south of Cuba, Jordon fell head-over-heels in love with the place after visiting a beach where the waters were so clear he didn't have to be afraid of sharks when snorkeling. Ever since that vacation, Jordon dreams of the day when he can go back to the Cayman Islands and spend more time seeing its sights.
D is for Doomsday Rhetoric (RHE309K)
Don't let the course title throw you off! This writing class that "looks at apocalyptic thought in American culture" was actually Jordon's favorite class during the spring semester. The literature covered includes MacBeth and the book of Revelation, and films about the apocalypse. Even though the course includes three extensive papers and an assigned reading every night, Jordon doesn't mind all the work because he gets to read the Bible, and finally make sense of its most complex and his favorite book, Revelation, which speaks of the end of the world in a myriad of symbols.
E is for Easter Egg Hunts
Come springtime, nothing hypes up Jordon and his brothers for Easter Day like the traditional Street Easter Egg Hunt. Organized by his parents, the eggs are usually filled with candy, but every now and then, one might stumble across an egg filled with money. In this age-old tradition, Huston usually found the most eggs, but he was unable to join in on the festivities this Easter, so a new champion of the Street Easter Egg Hunt was crowned in April.
F is for Family Dinners at Matt's El Rancho
Another tradition that Jordon loves sharing with his family is their dinners at Matt's El Rancho. Though time has presented its challenges in preserving this tradition, the Street family tries to make a trip to this family-run restaurant whenever the group is reunited and to celebrate most major occasions - such as birthdays.
G is for Mel Gibson
Move over Terminator, if Jordon could vote any celebrity into office, it would definitely be the man who played a kilt-wearing Scottish rebel on the big screen in Jordon's favorite movie, Braveheart. While Gibson isn't running for office anytime soon, you can be sure he gets Jordon's vote for best actor with the coolest life story in Hollywood.
H is for Huston Street
What kind of brother would Jordon be if his favorite professional baseball player was not the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year? Jordon admits that he never had a real favorite baseball team growing up, but he now proudly roots for the Oakland A's, especially when number 20 comes in to close a game. Nonetheless, in the midst of Huston's success, Jordon will always see him as the older brother whom he admired and aspired to be like when he was younger.
I is for Ice Chewing
Even though Jordon's worst habit may be bad for teeth, according to him, there is nothing better than sinking his teeth into a cold ice cube and crunching away to keep himself occupied.
J is for Jesus and Jacob
Jordon's favorite character in the Bible is Jesus because the entire Bible is, in some way or another, about Him and His life. After Jesus, Jordon really likes the story of Jacob in the Old Testament. Retrospectively looking at the time when Jacob asked God to bless him and the Lord broke his hip, Jordon is reminded that sometimes things don't always work out the way we want them to, and to be patient, especially since he is currently recovering from knee surgery.
K is for Kellogg's Pop-Tarts
It's no wonder Jordon loves his mom's cooking so much--he can't cook himself. Sadly, all this food-lover can really cook is Kellogg's Cinnamon Pop-Tarts. However, does heating up a breakfast pastry really count as cooking or just sheer toaster skills?
L is for "Little Street"
If you stand Jordon side-by-side to Juston, you'll immediately notice a height difference in these fraternal twins. Standing at 5 feet 10 inches, Jordon is shorter than Juston, who stands at 6 feet 2 inches, a distinguishable trait that garnered Jordon the nickname "Little Street" during high school. Jordon and Juston's high school football positions were also representative of their size as Jordon earned All-District honors as a free safety, while Juston played outside linebacker. What are some other nicknames that Jordon has had in his life? There was a time when friends called him "George" because it sounded so similar to his real name, and younger brother Hanson calls Jordon "Labado", a name that stemmed from a character in a video game.
M is for Mother's Biggest Fan
For any ladies wanting to win over Jordon's heart, they face stiff competition against the most important woman currently in Jordon's life--his mom, Janie. One can't help but admire the person responsible for Jordon's upbringing who also managed to keep her sanity as the only female in the Street household. While there may have been chaotic moments in their lives, Jordon believes that his mom had fun raising four boys in the midst of feeding and cleaning a family of six and mediating the arguments between the four brothers. On top of her household chores, Mrs. Street also serves as the curator of every trophy, national championship ring--which I'm sure the family has a lot of--and every other award that comes knocking on the Street's doorstep. Jordon makes sure to tell his mother how appreciative he is for all her efforts by giving her a hug, which is the first thing he does whenever he goes home. Mrs. Street, major props to you for raising such fine sons!
N is for Normal College Student
If Jordon were not playing baseball, he would probably still find himself on the Forty Acres as an ordinary college student lost in a sea of tests, papers, and textbooks. Future plans remain unknown for this hard-working student, but one thing Jordon knows for sure, he would love to have a job that allows plenty of time for traveling. For this corporate communication major, playing baseball at Texas has been a great part of his college experience.
O is for Omelets
In order to make his favorite breakfast meal perfect, Jordon only requires two main ingredients in order to build the perfect omelet--a lot of meat and a TON of jalapenos. While a little bit of onions may find its way inside the egg blanket, the rest of Jordon's omelet is filled with bacon, ham, sausage and a generous amount of jalapenos. Adamant about the hot pepper, the only place to find an omelet without jalapenos that satisfies this spicy-food lover's taste buds is a restaurant called The Pines, tucked away in Upper Peninsula Michigan in the small town of Copper Harbor.
P is for People Enthusiast
Being stranded alone on a deserted island would probably be this social butterfly's biggest nightmare because of the absence of fellowship. If Jordon only had one week to live, he would spend it largely in the company of others, and if this socialite could fluently speak another language, it would have to be Spanish because he could then really talk to and get to know others whose main language in Spanish.
Q is for Quite the Scholar
When looking at Jordon's profile, some might be surprised to see that no only did Jordon tear up opponents on the football field and make some crazy hits on defense, but he also hit the books--hard. A member of the National Honor Society, Jordon was also named a National Merit Commended Scholar, which is awarded to the top 34,000 PSAT scores in the nation, graduated in the top five percent of his senior class, and had a perfect 4.0 GPA this past fall semester.
R is for Rice and Meatballs
For this big eater, nothing gets those salivary glands alive and working like his mother's rice and meatballs. The key to this dish's great taste is the sauce that no one except for Mrs. Street, chef extraordinaire, knows how to make. While Jordon has watched her make it before, the sauce's contents remain a mystery. If anyone did find out the list of ingredients, they would still be unable to make a sauce as phenomenal as the original because Jordon's mom never tells anyone how much of everything she uses, making it her little culinary secret.
S is for Sensible Shopper
If the fact that Jordon can barely name any of the stores found in a mall doesn't tell you anything about his spending skills, then let it be the fact that he rarely buys things. Practically speaking, Jordon likes to shop for shirts because it's a piece of clothing everyone cannot go without, but in all honesty, he has never had a propensity to spend. While he may be a picky shopper, Jordon is flexible enough to wear most things given to him.
T is for "To be or not to be: that is the question"
Like Shakespeare's philosophical and contemplative Hamlet, Jordon likes to thoroughly think things through before giving an answer. For example, when asked whether he liked scrambled or fried eggs, Jordon disclosed that he'd thought about that question before and reasoned that while scrambled eggs are safer, there is nothing better than a fried egg and toast, or a fried egg sandwich. After much thought and consideration, Jordon could not decide on an answer but managed to define his preferences: If there were bacon, he'd prefer scrambled, but without bacon, Jordon would go for the fried egg.
U is for Unknown Pitching Song
Because they usually choose their own pitching/batting songs, the story behind a player's intro music choice often reveals bits and pieces of themselves. However, for Jordon, the story is different. Sadly, Jordon will confess, he doesn't even know what song it is, how he got it, and who chose it for him. By the way Jordon, the powers that be selected "Heavy" by Collective Soul as your pitching song.
V is for Very Simple Lifestyle
Unlike those two rich heiresses who have everything at their fingertips, "The Simple Life" could really describe Jordon's living style. Not a big spender or one for interior decorating, Jordon's bare bedroom walls reflect his simplistic tendencies. While he did originally have a poster that he was going to hang on the wall, it sadly never made it there - keeping his walls empty. If you gave him a million dollars to buy all the posters in the world to hang on his walls, this money saver would instead deposit all of it into a bank for future savings.
W is for Wind Chimes
If Jordon ever needs to kick back and relax, one thing that will calm him down is listening to the sound of wind chimes drifting in the air. Also known as Aeolian Chimes, these tubes played by the wind can be made from bamboo, metal, stained glass and wood. With no preference for material or size (though shorter chimes' sound waves have a higher frequency and therefore emit higher sounds), Jordon likes having wind chimes subtlety playing in the background, especially if it's a nice windy day with the sun shining.
X is for Xbox
After undergoing surgery on his right knee in early April, this marks the second time that Jordon's baseball season has been cut short due to injury. During high school when Jordon was unable to join his teammates on the field, he would find comfort in the form of his Xbox and his favorite video game, Halo. However, this proud owner of Halo and Halo 2 knows that time can be easily wasted while trying to help Master Chief save the world and wisely decided to leave the gaming console at home in order to focus on other things. This time around, Jordon has other things to concentrate on while recovering from surgery--like rehab and getting another 4.0.
Y is for Yard Baseball
While Jordon doesn't quite know the birth date of his baseball career, he remembers how it all got started through playing yard baseball with his dad and brothers as a young boy. It is also through yard baseball that Jordon recalls perhaps one of his funniest, and most embarrassing, moments as a child. One time, young little Jordon threw his little metal bat as hard as he could into a net fence out of anger and frustration, only to have the bat come back, drill him square in the chest, and flip him over. Ouch.
Z is for Zoom-Zoom
When driving his 2004 4Runner, Jordon is all for having a great car ride by himself, setting his SUV on cruise control and having some downtime. Jordon prefers driving solo because he likes to make his own decisions. Either that or he doesn't want other people to hear him when he sings in the car. Never a person who understood music well, if Jordon finds a tune he likes, he will most likely make up his own words so that he can sing along.
