 Hey, everyone. Thanks for joining us. Jack Curry here on Yes, We're Here. But more importantly, joining me today is a picture that I absolutely loved covering, loved interviewing. Jim Abbott from California. And Jim, first of all, thanks for joining us. And first and foremost, how is everyone in your family doing during this surreal and turbulent time? Oh, thanks, Jack. Great to join you. You know, we're doing all right. We're we're lucky we're out here in California. My two daughters came home from school. And you know, we're pretty fortunate that we're isolating. We're taking it seriously. We're watching the news like everybody else. And you know, sending prayers out to everybody back in New York and around the country who's fighting this thing. And crazy times, crazy. Absolutely. It's opening day. We should be watching baseball. And here we are just talking about it. That's a perfect segue because that's why I want to have you on here is to talk about baseball. We know all that is swirling around us and we know we want to be safe and smart, stay home, make smart decisions. But you mentioned those two words, Jim, and they're such beautiful words in the English language. Opening day. I have two questions for you about opening day. Currently, if this had been opening day, would you have been locked in on a specific game or games as a retired baseball player? What is your opening day like, your routine? You know, I love opening day like everybody else, all baseball fans. I turn the first game on in the morning, whatever it is, if it's the Reds or whoever starting off the season. And then I just kind of watch it throughout the day. And, you know, just kind of familiar myself with new rosters. Some of the new players watch some of the favorites. You know, out here in California, I'm a Joe Fan and Mike Traup fan. We're excited. You know, I'm anxious to see what Joe Madden's going to do. I would be definitely tuned in today. I'd have it on all day. I'd probably cook something fun barbecue outside and, you know, get the season started. I missed that quite a bit, actually. That day is coming. It's coming for all of us because I'm with you. I'd be sitting in the studio right now getting ready for a pregame or a post game. And I know those days are coming. But how about back to when you were a player? You experienced so many opening days. Is there an opening day that stands out for you as the most memorable? My favorite opening day was my first, it wasn't actually opening day, opening day, but it was the home opener for the New York Yankees 1993. I remember, you know, it was my first time with the Yankees. I've been traded over from the Angels, you know, trying to figure out my place in the rotation that spring, trying to figure out my place in the new environment and in the pinstripes. And Buck Showalter, our manager, told me I was going to have the opening, home opener start back in Yankee Stadium, which was just amazingly cool. You know, I came from the Angels, which was a really great place to play for four years, but the Yankee environment to come to Yankee Stadium, it wasn't long after the first World Trade Center bombing. So it was a very serious and sort of somber time at the ballpark. But yet there was this festive mood of baseball being back. And I remember so many things about that day. I remember all my teammates being out there taking batting practice, and we had some new guys on the team, Waybox, Jimmy Key, all O'Neill, you know, we'd all kind of come in that same class. So there was a sense of excitement and renewal. And to have that opening day start, the red, white and blue bunting of Yankee Stadium, you've always grown up seeing it. And we went out and won the game. I pitched well that day, and we beat David Cohn. And I'm sorry to tell you that. It was just an amazing day. And it just felt like the whole city was watching, and it was a ton of fun. You pitched the complete game that day. Some of these games, I can't remember, I do remember that game in part because you talked about Cohn and you beat the Royals four to one that day. And as a guy trying to acclimate himself to new surroundings, that must have been a pretty sweet way to get things rolling for you. It was so sweet. I mean, that's one of my favorite highlights of my whole career, to be honest. Just because it had been such a tumultuous winter being traded, I didn't expect to be traded. I came to a new team. Nobody knew quite the direction the Yankees were going to take. I mean, this was the sort of the beginning of the ascent of the Yankees to turn into what they became in those few years. And you remember that well. And I pitched well that game, pitched a complete game opening day, which is kind of crazy to think about these days. And I remember at the game ended, I kind of threw my hands in the air and maybe a little bit more of a celebration than you would do in a normal regular season game, but it just felt so great. It just felt like I said, to be a part of the organization and in that stadium. And I will forever cherish Yankee Stadium and the fans there and the city. There's another moment where you threw your hands in the air and you were pretty excited on September 4th, 1993. I know in past years, I've made sure to text you on the anniversary of that no hitter. How often do people bring up that no hitter and how much do you cherish that moment, those memories that you built that day? You know, amazingly, people bring it up all the time, particularly if I go back to New York City. I love the game. I love that game because of the connection it has given me to the organization and to the city in ways that I never imagined when it happened. I mean, just the finish of that game and walking around Manhattan that night and, you know, the taxis stopping in the street and all the back, you know, the picture on the back of all the papers in the city, you know, it's in some ways it's not fair that one game is like that, but I love it a lot, Jack, because I always wanted to be good, you know. And I played differently. I grew up missing my right hand. I was along for a long time. I was a human interest story. And I think, and rightly so. And in the time since that game to this day, I see the power of being able to tell that story. And it gives some validation to having that moment of accomplishment, having that moment of success. And I don't mean to add some grand meaning to it, but I know a lot of people have latched on to that game and sent a message. So I'm proud of it for all those reasons. I think you're stealing my notes because that was actually going to be my next question. How did this happen? Because, as you mentioned, born without a right hand, I'm sure along the way there were many people who wanted to say to you, this, this can't happen for you. But conversely, I'm sure there were people like your parents and the people closest who said, no, chase your dreams. You can do whatever you want. And Jim, you're a humble guy. I know that. But you're one of the most inspirational stories in major league baseball history. And on anybody asked me, the most inspirational athletes I've ever covered, I point to you, because to make it to the major leagues and to succeed the way that you did, how did it happen? You know, that's a great question. It was an improbable journey. No question about it. I grew up in Flint, Michigan. Everyone knows more about Flint now than they did probably back then and the difficulty, but Flint was always a tough place to grow up. And the truth of the matter is, I mean, and I'll say it, I was driven. I was ambitious. I wanted to do well. I wanted to succeed. I hated losing. And I loved sports. I loved being a part of something. I loved being on a team. Those things called to me as a kid. But the truth of the matter is, as you mentioned, there's so many people who open doors for me, coaches, parents, teachers. And had it been the opposite, had it been like some of the stories I hear now of kids who don't have the same opportunities that I had, or maybe are discouraged, I don't know that I could have made it through those doors. And that was the truth from little league to the major league. I mean, to have the support and the encouragement that I had, I really consider myself incredibly blessed in those ways. I'm proud of it now. I wasn't always... I didn't know where my career would fit in. And when I retired, during my early 30s, I wished I could have played a few more years. There was some disappointment and struggle at the end of my career. And as the years have gone by, I've grown more and more proud of where I came from, the places that I played, and the people that I played with, and the story that I can tell. Your ability to do what you did with your gloves and after you delivered the pitch, to be able to then have your glove on your left hand, how quickly were you able to develop that as a youngster, and just what kind of confidence did that give you to be able to know, okay, I can be a pitcher and a fielder out here. Because I recall one story, I think you're a freshman in high school, one team bunted against you, six straight batters, and you've got six straight abs. You've filled it all six. Yeah, you know, I realized pretty early that fielding my position was going to be something that people tried to exploit, especially as I started moving up the ladder, and I got to the University of Michigan and practiced a lot. I mean, I really practice my fielding a lot. And I meet a lot of kids, I still get a lot of letters, emails, tweets, you know, how do you switch the glove? I have an eight-year-old, I have a seven-year-old, I have a five-year-old. And there's no perfect way to describe it, and it evolves. You know, it just took time. And I remember even in high school fumbling with the mid and fumbling with that exchange and working to try to get the ball out and throw it to first base. So it took time, it took some effort, but I took a lot of, honestly, I felt like I fielded my position in the Major Leagues well. And you know, at that level, there's no quarter given, no one's going to take it easy on you. So you better know how to field your position, and I felt like I covered that area pretty well. Jim, I know you do speaking engagements now as well. And one of the questionnaires, I believe you did for one of those speaking engagements, someone asked you who your favorite teammate was, and you said Don Mattingly. And you spent a couple of years around Mattingly. What was the impact that he had on you for you to call them your favorite teammate? Well, I love Donny. You know, I mean, he, I had closer friends that I played with, and other pitchers that I, you know, but there was Donny had, and you'd probably remember, Donny had this little aura about him. You know, you can take the boy out of Evansville, but you've really never took Evansville out of the boy, no matter how big a star or how revered he was in New York City. I just remember the way he led that locker room. And, you know, it was an interesting locker room, you know, a lot of different languages, a lot of different music being played. You know, we had, you know, like I said, Jimmy Key, and Paul O'Neill, and Jim Larritz, and Malito Perez, and, you know, just a lot of different personalities. But Donny Locker, he had that sort of able coach day in and day out that you just couldn't help but respect. And he was so good, but you saw that it wasn't completely easy for him. You know, you work. His work ethic was amazing. My first time spring training, first time I ever met Donny, was in pitchers fielding practice on the backfields in Fort Lauderdale. You know, 10 days before the pitch position players even have to be there, Donny's out on the backfield with 10 pitchers working on ground rears to first base. And he's, you know, here at the AL MVP. And he's out there doing that. That was the dedication that Donny showed. And plus he was just a just a phenomenally down-to-earth guy. Jim, you decided to do a book a few years back with Tim Brown, called Imperfect. Tim Brown, a great friend of both of ours, writes for Yahoo. Why did you want to do this and how happy were you with the way it turned out? I was thrilled, first of all, Tim is a great friend. And I was thrilled that he would take the project on with me. We took it. We talked on the phone one day. I said, Hey, would you be interested in doing this? And we didn't ever know that it would be even be published or anybody had any interest in to see you holding your hand still kind of takes me back a little bit. But you know, Jack, honestly, like I said, a book kind of helped me come to terms with a lot of the experiences that I had. And I still get a lot of cards and letters, as I mentioned, from kids and families and doctors and moms and dads, grandparents of kids who grow up like me, you know, and I never honestly knew how many people were like me before I got to the major leagues and every ballpark that we went to. And so I try to reply to those. I mean, I'm sitting here at my desk. I've got a drawer full of pictures and cards and notes. And and yet that that half page paragraph that I can write to them never seemed quite adequate. And you know, I mean, and so a book was sort of my way of of laying it out like saying, Hey, you don't have to buy my book to figure out. But this is this is the story. These are the people. This is how things happened. And and it has been a useful tool. And and I've been so working with Tim was phenomenal. It was the great joy of doing the book. But to hear the feedback and to see people who it has resonated with in those ways has been incredibly gratifying. I absolutely loved the book. I covered your career. I know Tim well, but to see the story written this form as you said was was terrific. And I think a lot of people can learn from this and a lot of people can learn from you. And in these 15 minutes or so that we just spent together, there's a there's a lot of wisdom and there's a lot of inspiration and everything that you've done and continue to do, Jim. And I just want to thank you for giving us a few minutes here right now. Well, thanks, Jack. Always great to chat with you. Congratulations on your book with David Cohn. Love that just as much. And you know, wishing everybody well out there. I know these are challenging times and baseball is the great unifier. And I can't wait till we get back to rooting for our favorite teams and our favorite players and and seeing more of you on TV these days. I appreciate your kind words. And we may hit you up for a part two. So just keep your phone ready. You may get a text from me at some point for a part two anytime. I'm always around. You guys take care. Thanks, Jim. See you, Jack.