By D. TOM PATTERSON, Pacific Digest Editor
To understand the power of Jim Abbott’s message to 320 people at Brookside Country Club, one only had to watch the intensity on the faces of Dallas Braden and Justin Baum.
And a lot of young kids.
Some introductions are in order: Jim Abbott is not only the biggest inspiration in baseball, but perhaps in all sports. Now retired as an active player and working for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he was born with one hand, yet took adversity, shook it a few times and then became a great Major League Baseball player, who pitched a no-hitter as a member of the New York Yankees.
To relive the moment is magic.
Dallas Braden, a Stockton native, is a pitcher for the Oakland A’s. He’s an up-and-comer.
And Baum is a former Pacific baseball slugger, who was drafted last year as a junior and now plays in the minor leagues for the San Diego Padres.
Three different baseball players, all with the same dream. Some reached, some waiting.
That was the scenario at Brookside Country Club as hundreds gathered for the first-ever Pacific Baseball Community Night, sponsored by the Paulsen Family.
Put simply, it was a glorious night of celebration, of Abbott reliving his magical ride through baseball, his legendary rise, and everyone taking in every word, eyes wide open.
None more than Braden and Baum.
They each sat on the edge of their chairs, this after both of them had been honored as the Fitness 360 Professional Player of the Year (Braden) and the Port of Stockton Amateur Player of the Year (Baum).
But this night belonged to the 40-year-old Abbott, who for nearly 90 minutes before speaking—and about as long afterward—patiently talked to fans, posed for photos, and signed autographs.
Never has an athlete been so gracious.
But that’s just Jim Abbott.
Abbott is an icon in American sports. And to the many, many kids and teenagers who attended the event with their families, he became an instant hero. Many stood back and watched in amazement as he patiently worked his way around the festive conference room which was adorned with 15-foot tall posters of Pacific’s senior baseball players as well as Abbott, Braden and Baum.
You should know these things about Abbott.
He was one of the greatest college players ever in the late 1980s;
He pitched a complete game in the 1988 Olympics Gold Medal game;
He won the 1987 Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete in the U.S.;
He was the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil;
He went directly from college to the Major Leagues in 1989, winning 12 games in his first season, and in 1991, he won 18 games for the California Angels, and finshed third in the Cy Young voting;
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He pitched the no-hitter on Sept. 4, 1993 for the New York Yankees, and finished third in Cy Young voting.
We could go on and on.
“I was the human interest story of the week for awhile,” said Abbott. “All the great columnists were coming to my hometown of Flint, Michigan. All the big TV shows. People Magazine. Time Magazine.”
And then came Wide World of Sports.
Once one of the most famous television shows in America, it was a show that sports fans couldn’t miss.
“They came down my street with big TV trucks and satellite dishes, and interviewed everyone in town. And then two weeks later, I was on Wide World of Sports and the voice-over was done by the most famous of all broadcasters—Howard Cosell. I was famous.”
A few months later, Abbott was in Atlanta to receive an award and Cosell was there, too.
“We were walking down the hallway before the event and here comes Cosell. I walked up to him, and said, ‘Mr. Cosell, I’m Jim Abbott.’ He had this big cigar that he took out of his mouth, and in typical Cosell fashion, he said, ‘I know who you are.’ And then he slapped me in the face, pointed at me and said, ‘Never let ‘em forget who discovered you kid.’”
By far, Abbott’s reliving his no-hitter captivated the audience the most. And as he spoke, the crowd never missed a word. He told of how he had lost to the Cleveland Indians (the team he no-hit) five days before, and got “rocked.”
“They had a great hitting team, but I resigned myself to trust in what I do best. So what did I do? I walked the first batter. We got a double play and somehow I got out of the first inning. And as the game progressed, little by little that trust came back.”
Finally, it was the ninth inning.
“Three outs away. I’m thinking, ‘How did this happen?’ My knees were knocking.”
A ground out. A fly ball. “One out away,” said Abbott, almost whispering.
“That final pitch was like everything stopped. A ground out and a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium.”
Here, the Brookside crowd roared with excitement.
“For me it came back to knowing what you do best,” said Abbott. “That last little bit of effort, that last little bit of trust is the difference between good and great. Know what you do best and call upon it.”
Sometime this summer, on a Little League field, at Klein Family Field or even in a big league ballpark, a little boy with dreams will recall Jim Abbott’s words.
And something great will happen.
It might even be Braden or Baum—starting their careers after Abbott put the exclamation point on his—and wouldn’t that be fitting.
It’s the stuff of which legends are made.
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