JIM THOME HALL OF FAME SPEECH
Commissioner John “Stray” Corrado’s Introduction Speech for Jim Thome:
Born James Howard Thome – Youngest son of Joyce and Chuck Thome Jr.
Played 19 seasons in the MWBL, a four-time All-Star, including a starter in 1997, won the 2003 AL MVP as a member of the Virginia Sluggers. One of the most feared hitters in league history, Thome ranks third all-time with 492 career home runs, fifth with 1,497 RBI, second in walks with 1,362 free passes, and sixth all time with a .560 slugging percentage.
Thome was drafted by the Virginia Sluggers and played there for his first 13 seasons before moving on to play for Owensboro, Chicago, and Iron City. He won back-to-back American League pennants with the Sluggers in 2002 and 2003. He hit nine postseason home runs and appeared in 52 playoff games.
Hall of Fame Manager Paul Roe was quoted as saying “A soft spoken man, Thome never complained & always gave credit to his teammates for allowing him the opportunity to play with players who enhanced his ability to accumulate his great stats. One of the saddest things I ever had to do as an owner was release Jim after the 2009 season. I am proud of his election to the MWBL Hall of Fame, a selection he rightly deserves, & I will always be thankful for the time he played with the Virginia Sluggers…a name he suggested for the team by the way”.
It is with great honor that Jim Thome seated here to my left “Welcome to the Mid-West Baseball League Hall of Fame Jim”.
Jim Thome Speech:
Thank you for that kind intro. Thank you to the Commissioner, for all your hard work. It truly is humbling to be standing on this stage with all of these incredible players that have come before me. Being considered a part of the same class as these players is the greatest honor of my career.
It is also amazing to be going into the Hall alongside a former teammate, sadly only for one season, and maybe the greatest catcher in Mid-West Baseball League history in Ivan Rodriguez.
I would like to thank Paul Roe, legendary , Hall of Famer & owner of the Virginia Sluggers for taking me with his first ever draft pick all the way back in the inaugural draft in 1997. I was lucky enough to spend my first 13 years playing for the Sluggers and we were able to win four division titles and two pennants. I hope I made you proud Paul.
After a short stint in Owensboro I went on to play the bulk of the rest of my career for the Mobsters in Chicago. For a kid from Peoria, that was truly special to get to play in front of my hometown crowd for the remainder of my career. Thanks to Stray Corrado for bringing me aboard and giving me an opportunity to pursue a World Series once again. Sorry we couldn’t get it done.
Of course a big thank you to my family, my wife Andrea, for putting up with me over those 19 seasons. To my parents, for raising me the right way and teaching the value of hard work and fair play. I like to think that I played the game the right way, and didn’t take shortcuts, I have my parents to thank for that.
And where would I be without my teammates? I played on some fantastic teams and we won a lot of games. But without my teammates, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. As someone who spent a lot of time as a designated hitter, I never took for granted the spectacular pitching and defense that my teammates provided while I was waiting on the bench to take my next swings. Hopefully I was able to do right by you when I got into the batter’s box.
I will likely be remembered for the long home runs, the runs batted in, the walks, and of course…the strikeouts. (Laughs) Sadly while most of the fans will remember my biggest homers, I will probably remember all the pitches I struck out on that I should have laid off. And while I did strike out more than a few times, my career felt like a home run. Playing in front of fans of those two great franchises in Virginia and Chicago, with all my great teammates, it was an honor and a pleasure every day to lace up those spikes and put on those uniforms.
Thank you again to everyone here, everyone that has supported me, cheered me, and pushed me. This is a tremendous honor that I can barely believe. Thank you all. (Waves to crowd)