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NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME WEEKENDJuly 29, 2018Jim ThomeCooperstown, New York JIM THOME: Wow, is this amazing. These last few months have been an absolute whirlwind for a kid that grew up in Peoria, Illinois, hitting rocks in our gravel driveway on South Crest Drive with an aluminum bat until my family and neighbors couldn't take it anymore. This is the ultimate dream come true. I was only in college for a short time before being drafted, but I can't imagine that any fraternity experience I could have had would have been better than this one. This is the ultimate fraternity. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for two very important groups of people. First of all, to the writers who wrote my name down on your ballots. I'm honored that you think I'm worthy, and I hope that I'll continue to prove you right. To the fans that have rooted for me throughout my whole career, many of whom have traveled here today to support, your support has meant everything. Thank you. It was the pleasure of my life to play hard for you for 22 years. People ask me all the time if it's sunk in yet that I'm a Hall of Famer. I think that moment came for me in late February when I sat in Jeff Idelson's office and the great Henry Aaron was on the other line, welcoming me into this brotherhood. I'm in awe of each and every one of these men gathered behind me, and I want to thank them for traveling all across the country to help support our Class of 2018. Thank you so much, guys. Chipper, Trevor, Vlad, Jack, and Alan, congratulations. What an absolute privilege it is to go into the Hall of Fame alongside each of you. Congratulations to Sheldon Ocker and Bob Costas, yesterday's deserving award winners. The Hall of Fame is an amazing place, the intersection of the game's past and present. Being here, the overwhelming feeling I have is one of respect, because those who came before me are the shoulders we humbly stand on today. The Hall is also a place where players and fans come together to celebrate the game that has no borders, no boundaries, and will forever be defined by its timeless nature. Because even though the cell phone might have replaced the transistor radio, and the iPads are more common now than the sports page, baseball is still played the same way, between the lines. Any place is only as good as the people who run it, people like Jane Forbes Clark, Jeff Idelson, Jon Shestakofsky and Whitney Selover and Eric Strohl. Thank you for what you do every day as caretakers of our sport and for making my family feel so welcome and taken care of. Thank you. When I was writing my speech, I was overwhelmed as I reflected on the number of people who have helped shape my career. The first person will come as no surprise. From the moment I met Charlie Manuel as a wide-eyed kid in the Gulf Coast League, I knew this was someone I could connect with instantly. Charlie took a scrappy young kid who was anxious to hit a million home runs and actually encourage those crazy dreams. He told me that I could hit as many home runs as I wanted to. From day one in that dugout in Kissimmee, he always believed in me. Chuck, I'll never forget the day you called me into your office in Scranton. You had this idea that I could benefit from what Roy Hobbs was doing. Little did I know that day in Pennsylvania would change everything for me. From that day on, all we did was work, work, and work some more. You know I wouldn't be standing here today without you. Thank you for everything. But most of all, thank you for your loyalty. When I was drafted in 1989 by the Cleveland Indians, I remember one man being almost as excited as I was. My scout, Tom Couston, thank you for taking a chance on me. I'm grateful that we've remained friends all these years. And to my agent for my entire career, Pat Rooney, I'm so glad we got to take this ride together. Thanks, Pat. What can I say about Cleveland? Both as a city and an organization, my time in northeast Ohio shaped the person that I am today in so many ways. Dick Jacobs had vision, and the teams he built alongside of John Hart, Dan O'Dowd, and Mark Shapiro in the '90s were majestic. The Dolan family is doing an incredible job of continuing that legacy today, and I'm forever grateful that they've been so generous to me and my family over the years. I had amazing teammates in those days, wow. The top of that order, Lofton, Vizquel, Baerga, Belle, and my first roomy in the Big Leagues, Sandy Alomar, and a rock-solid Charles Nagy on the hill, and two veteran leaders to guide us, Eddie Murray and Dave Winfield. To name one of them is to name all of them. They know how special they are to me. Those guys are my brothers. And to my manager, Mike Hargrove, thank you for continuing to write my name in the lineup, even when I struggled. Cleveland is where my career was born, but Philadelphia is where I had to grow up fast. I needed every single tool in my toolbox in Philly. The city welcomed me with open arms from the moment the electricians met us wearing our hard hats. The fans couldn't have been better. Larry Bowa was the manager, and he was tough as nails. He pushed me and our team to a whole new level. Thanks Bo and the front office of Philly, first class all the way. David Montgomery, Bill Giles, alongside Ed Wade and Reuben Amaro Jr., made my time there so meaningful. I was blessed to have so many amazing training staffs during my career. Jimmy Warfield, Herm Schneider, Dave Preumer, and a special thank you to Jeff Cooper who introduced me to that back program that would help me play so much longer. After Philly, it was time to head home to Illinois to become a member of the Chicago White Sox. When I was traded to the Sox, I was returning home to the Midwest after we lost Mom. I can't help but think that she was watching over us all and that maybe she helped bring us back to Illinois to be closer to Dad and the rest of our family. I'm still fortunate to continue to work now for the White Sox alongside of general manager Rick Hahn, President Kenny Williams, and working for the best boss in the world, my good friend and mentor, Jerry Reinsdorf. It's been a thrill to have the opportunity to see the game from the other side. After a brief stop playing for the great Joe Torre in Los Angeles, it was on to one of my favorite cities, Minneapolis. The Twins organization is great, and to this day my wife and I still talk about those amazing people while we met being a part of those fundamentally sound Twins teams led by Ron Gardenhire. Cuddy, Morneau, Mauer, and Shredder Punto, just to name a few. Those postgame celebrations were epic. I wasn't in Baltimore for long, but I was there long enough to know that managers like Buck Showalter don't come around every day. It was a true pleasure to spend time with Buck. Each of my coaches brought something great to the table. Johnny Goryl, as a young player, you reined me in. Buddy Bell, when I was learning how to play third base, your words of encouragement and advice helped establish a rhythm so I could make adjustments and consistently bring my best effort to the field. Gelly and Walk, when I was a veteran, you gave me confidence and knowledge, building me up for those moments when the team needed my best. To everyone I played against, a few of whom are seated behind me, God bless you for making it hard to win games. You inspired hours of workouts, endless conversations of strategy, and challenged me to dig deep to pursue the truth that we all seek to discover but never quite master. We competed for the same thing and pushed one another to bring out the best in ourselves. I wore six uniforms in my career, and every time I pulled one on, I had the honor of representing a community each with its own identity. The faithfulness of the Cleveland loyalists, who sold out 455 consecutive games, the unparalleled intensity of the Philly sports fan, the immense pride of the Chicago South Side, the endless blue skies for day games in Minneapolis, the Southern California sunshine at Dodgers Stadium, and the cathedral that is Camden Yards in Babe Ruth's hometown of Baltimore. Characteristics that make each city so unique. But what I remember most are the common elements that those places share. The emotions that draw us all together, the love of the game, the family outings, the simple joy of talking baseball. Things that unite us. Things that connect generations. Even though Peoria is 900 miles away from Cooperstown, the history of baseball was never far from my childhood because it lived in my imagination. It was very much like the Field of Dreams where I had a Little League uniform on and I got to play alongside Musial, Mays, Ernie Banks and Ruth, and every game went into extra innings. It's the same dream that so many kids have of one day getting to the Big Leagues. I never forgot that dream, even after I became a Major League player, because I could always see that dream's reflection in the faces of the kids in the stands or whenever a child would just come up to say hello. The significance came full circle when I toured the Hall in late February for the first time as a member and saw the plaques of all those who have been inducted. Reading names like Hornsby, Foxx, Killebrew, Mantle, and Jackie Robinson gave me the chills. Because in that moment I recognized that the dream I had as a little boy growing up in Peoria did not live in my head, it lived in my heart. I still can't believe this has happened to me, a 13-round draft pick out of central Illinois. To every kid that is dreaming of standing here one day, take it one moment at a time. Don't sail too high or sink too low. Learn to be good at handling failure. Be the first one to the ballpark. Be the last one to leave. Work hard, don't complain, be a great teammate. Ask other people about themselves. You never know what you might learn. And above all, treat people with respect. The best compliment any baseball player can receive is that he is a good teammate. It's the reflection of all the things not listed on the back of the baseball card. It's the focus, the attitude, the openness, and the way an individual picks you up on Monday but will call you out on Tuesday. In short, it's about accountability, reliability, and commitment. Baseball is all about family, and I'm so glad to celebrate this great day with the closest to me. Dad, thank you for teaching me not just about the game of baseball, but how to be a man and to always put family first. When we came here ten years ago to deliver my 500th home run ball, it was an incredibly special moment. But I'm guessing that you think this is just a little bit better. How special we get to share this together. Mom, you've been gone for 13 years. I wish you could have been here today, but I know you're looking down on us with that beautiful smile of yours. Thank you for those homemade chicken noodles and those great cinnamon rolls and for sticking up for me when Randy and Chuck were crushing me in hoops in the driveway playing one-on-one. As you can see from the size of my brothers, I had my hands full. Mom, I can only hope you're proud of the man I've become. You can take a lot of credit for it. To Chuck and Randy, and my sisters Lori and Jenny, I love each of you so much, and I'm so grateful for your love and support. To my father-in-law, Jerry, thank you for all you do for us and for your friendship. You're such a great example, and it means so much. And to Andrea's mom, Sharon, I know you're up there with Mom in heaven, so proud of our family. Family is everything. There are no words to adequately describe the love I have for my children. Lila Grace, you took my breath away from the first moment you came into this world, and still do. Your gentle and curious nature are the things you express so beautifully in your love of the arts and everything else you do. Watching you grow and being able to witness the joy you bring into this world is as great a gift as I will ever have. It's not every day a dad gets a chance to share the stage with his kid on a day as special as this. You sang so beautifully. Landon James, I never thought I could feel the way I do about anyone as I do about your sister, but then you came along, and overnight my heart doubled in size. Getting to share our love of sports, life and laughter feels better than any home run I've ever hit. I've saved the best for last. My beautiful wife, Andrea. Obviously, this induction into the Hall of Fame is one of the greatest honors of my life. The best thing, though, that's ever happened to me was the day that you agreed to marry me. Not only do you effortlessly bridge baseball, family, and everything else, you do it with grace, you do it with dignity, creativity and beauty and intelligence. You are without a doubt the best teammate I could ever have, and with the world as my witness, I love you more today than ever. In closing, my experience has taught me, if you try to conduct yourself with authenticity and honesty, the end result is one of the most natural highs any human being can have. I'm so honored to be a part of something so special, something greater than the individual. It's been my great privilege to have played the game for as long as I did. And I can say this with certainty, the possibilities are just as important as the outcome. In living the dream that is Major League Baseball, the best part is not the result, but taking the journey with the people whose contributions make it all possible. Baseball is beautiful, and I am forever in its service. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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