Michigan Athletics Director Bill Martin announced yesterday plans to retire former Wolverine baseball player Jim Abbott's number 31. The actual ceremony will take place before the April 18th game against Michigan State. Abbott will join Don Lund (1943-45), Moby Benedict (1954-56), Bill Freehan (1961) and coach Ray Fisher (1921-58) as the only retired numbers in Michigan baseball history.This is an appropriate tribute to a truly exceptional person. If you don't know Jim Abbott's story, take a look at the video. Jim was a friend during my time in Ann Arbor. We had several classes together and lived in the same area of campus, frequently walking against the cold wind up State street towards the Diag. I remember the first time I met him during his freshman year. I actually thought he was a student trainer because he wore official gear (black nike turf shoes) almost every day. There was no way this shy dude with one hand was a player. Boy... was I wrong.
Two years and 26 wins later he won the Golden Spikes Award, the baseball equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He was also the 1987 Big Ten athlete of the year. He also pitched Team USA to an Olympic Gold Medal. He was a 1st round draft pick of the Angels and pitched 10 years in the majors for several teams, including a no-hitter in Yankee Stadium. Today Jim is a motivational speaker. I wish the ceremony was the weekend of April 11th because I would love to be there to give him a standing ovation.
Congrats Jim !! Go Blue !
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10 comments:
Remarkable player and person. Truely one of the good guys.
If kids do need a sports idol, THIS IS THE GUY! He is an inspiration to anyone who knows his story. I'll never forget his NO HITTER as a Yankee.
I'm impressed with the stories I've heard about this kid's determination to play baseball when he was growing up. Many swore that he wanted it so bad that he'd give his right arm to play the game he loves so much.
(sorry, had to)
Yea way to no hit the Indians. That guy is a hell of an athlete and a person. I don't know him or would ever claim to but what he's been able to accomplish has been amazing. Proves that talent and drive will get you everything. I did not know he was from M until now either I just remember him as the one armed pitcher who no hit the Indians.
sru, you are soooooo going to hell ;-)
title ix - i know :(
my sense of humor is warped
for example, this is one of my favorite jokes
Mr. Jones gets a call from the hospital. They tell him his wife's been in a terrible car accident. He rushes to the hospital, runs into the ER and says his wife's been in an accident. They tell him Dr. Smith is handling the case. They page the doctor. He comes out to the waiting room to see a terribly upset Mr. Jones.
"Mr. Jones?" the doctor asks. "Yes sir, what's happened? How is my wife?" The doctor sits next to him and says, "Not good news. Your wife's accident resulted in two fractures of her spine."
"Oh my God" says Mr. Jones, "what will be her prognosis?" Dr. Smith says "Well, Mr. Jones, her vital signs are stable. However, her spine is inoperable. She'll have no motor skills or capability. This means you will have to feed her." Mr. Jones begins to sob. "And you'll have to turn her in her bed every two hours to prevent pneumonia."
Mr. Jones begins to wail and cry loudly. "Then, of course," the doctor continued, "you'll have to diaper her as she'll have no control over her bladder and of course these diapers must be changed at least five times a day." Mr. Jones begins to shake as he cries, sobs, wails.
The doctor continues: "And you'll have to clean up her feces on a regular basis as she'll have no control over her sphincters. Her bowel will engorge quite often I'm afraid. Of course you must clean her immediately to avoid accumulation of the putrid effluent she'll be emitting regularly."
Now Mr. Jones is convulsing sobbing uncontrollably and beginning to wither off the bench into a sobbing pitiful mass. Just then Dr. Smith reaches out his hand and pats Mr. Jones on the shoulder. "Hey, I'm just fucking with you, she's dead."
see???
Sru, that...was...awesome. I damn near spit Coke all over my monitor. The right arm one definitely gets you a one way trip to hell but the car wreck was a thing of beauty.
Sru...
Your "give his right arm" comment is not only sick but inaccurate. He still has his right arm but is missing his right hand.
Regarding your joke... It sounds like you and Mrs. Jones got a thing goin on. (soundtrack courtesy of Tom Jones)
Andy,
Jim Abbott was also a High School QB. My senior year of high school we would have played his team in the second round of the playoffs if we didn't lose to Ann Arbor Pioneer in the first round, turned out THS lost only 2 games that year and that was to Pioneer and Dearborn Fordson, who faced each other in the Class A finals.
A good friend of mine who is now a lawyer in FL was also friends with Jim Abbott when they both attended UM.
Methinks we know some common people.
616- as a 1976 graduate of A2 Huron maybe you'll join me in a rousing chant of F*** Pioneer?!?
I didn't know Freehan was a Michigan Man. My uncle worked for the Ford Motor Co. subcontractor that made all of their factory race cars in the 50's and 60's. After the '68 World Series Ford provided cars to drive the players around. My uncle got to drive Bill, he said he was a classy guy.
Good to see Michigan is honoring another classy one!
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