Firefighter Michael Thomas Weinberg (b. 1967) was a native of Maspeth, Queens. A gifted athlete, he excelled in baseball, golf, basketball, swimming, skiing, and running. He attended St. John's University on a baseball scholarship; in 1988, he was named MVP of the Big East Championship after his home runs helped secure the team’s place in the NCAA Tournament. He went on to play minor league baseball, signing with Detroit Tigers farm teams in Niagara Falls and Fayetteville, N.C. He reached the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate before shoulder and leg injuries forced him to give up his Major League aspirations. Beyond the diamond, he was a lifeguard, a personal trainer, and a talented golfer who considered one day joining the senior pro tour. Weinberg lived to help others, whether he was working as a lifeguard, training clients, volunteering to feed the homeless, or visiting children in hospitals. He also worked as a model and was featured in the first FDNY calendar, which has grown significantly in popularity since its inception. Despite his various talents, he loved the action and camaraderie of the FDNY—a path he shared with many of the young men he grew up with in his neighborhood. On September 11, 2001, Michael was relaxing on a golf vacation, just a few minutes from his tee time, when he received news that the World Trade Center - where his sister worked - had been hit by an airliner. Worried for his sister on the 72nd floor and called by a sense of duty, Weinberg raced from the clubhouse to the firehouse of Ladder 24/Engine 1. From there, he drove Chaplain Mychal Judge and Captain Dan Brethel to the site. They arrived shortly before the collapse of the South Tower (Two World Trade Center), and all three men were killed in the line of duty. His sister, Patricia Gambino, successfully escaped the building before its collapse.