Jim Abbott Fox Sports Retrospective: Set Apart
https://twitter.com/FOXSports/status/1051510444093919232
My favorite athlete of all time: 25 years ago this past Sept he threw a no-hitter for the Yankees at the stadium against the Indians.
A HS legend from Flint, college All-American at Michigan, who had a legendary performance against the Cuban national team (almost equivalent to the USSR teams of the 70s in international ice hockey) on their home soil.
An absolute GOAT player and person for Michigan.
October 15th, 2018 at 10:24 PM ^
Still have his #1 draft pick Topps baseball card where he's wearing a UM uniform. Thanks for the share.
October 16th, 2018 at 7:41 AM ^
Same here, I never traded that precious card to my greedy older brother and friends (who at the time took full advantage of my collection). I grew up admiring him for being both a Michigan Man, but more importantly, someone who overcame what seemed to me at the time, an impossible challenge. I recall asking my dad, "How could he field the ball"? Then watching in amazement as he did it.
October 16th, 2018 at 12:00 PM ^
My brother played against him in high school. Watching him throw a pitch and don his glove to be ready to field was something amazing to see up close. Not a single wasted motion, he was just a joy to watch, even though he was on the other team.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:01 PM ^
Jim Abbott was my hero as a young Michigan fan. Got to see him pitch late in his career when he was back with the Angels, IIRC, he came out of the pen in relief at Tiger Stadium. One of the absolute greats as a human being, beyond being great as an athlete.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:15 PM ^
Still remember his no-no for the Yanks. Love that guy. One of my favorite Yankee players of that era.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:18 PM ^
Great player. Great person.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:31 PM ^
Coach Harbaugh, please invite Jim Abbott to be an honorary captain. We haven't honored him nearly enough.
October 16th, 2018 at 8:49 AM ^
It’s almost certain they at at least passingly know each other, they overlapped at Michigan by a year or two. This is a GREAT idea.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:51 PM ^
And not just a baseball player. Quarterbacked Flint Central to the Class A semifinals. I remember a national TV feature on this during the Thanksgiving Day games that year.
October 16th, 2018 at 1:20 AM ^
Living in So Cal I enjoyed watching him pitch for the Angels. He was a fan favorite there also.
October 16th, 2018 at 7:29 AM ^
Could we maybe have someone on Jim’s level be a guest picker on our next game day?? Instead of the Chainsmokers...or Steve Spurrier...or Mark Harmon..
October 16th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^
Really enjoyed the inside look at Abbott's life. I was struck by what he said about sometimes getting tired of being called an "inspiration" when he was younger, and just wanting to be a ball player. It never occurred to me before, but I can understand his point.
And as a fellow Flint native, it was nice to see scenes of the old hometown back in the day, before it was a source of lead-in-the-water stories and depressing economic news. It really was a pretty good place to grow up.
October 16th, 2018 at 1:04 PM ^
Absolutely my favorite athlete ever. I was 12 during his senior season and went to every home game he pitched. I caught a foul ball during a game he was pitching and wanted to have him sign it but the stupid ushers made me give it back.