Nolan Ryan 1999 Hall of Fame Induction Speech

thank you thinking this is truly a special day and I am privileged to be here. I want to thank the sportswriters for this honor and I'm humbled by it and I'd like to thank the guys that I went up against. my career, some of them are here and sitting on this stage today and I can honestly say that I'm enjoying seeing them now more than ever and I really didn't particularly care for him when they had his uniforms on. I appreciate that he enjoyed the competition and it was indeed an honor to face you. Today I will take my time to thank the people who played a role in my career because I truly believe that I was blessed by many people that my paths crossed. mine as I progressed in my career my ability to throw a baseball was a gift, it was a gift given by God and I am truly grateful for that gift.

It took me a while to realize that and realize what a gift I had been given and when I finally did I dedicated myself to being the best pitcher I could be for as long as possible. I had the pleasure, as Robin said, of living a childhood dream like many young American and Puerto Rican children. I lived and played youth baseball and I feel honored and very grateful for that opportunity. My parents played a very important role in my life and growing up as the last of six children, I did not realize the influence my parents had on me and if they were here today, they would be very proud of not only this honor but also of the fact that my four sisters and my brother are here today sharing this honor with me and they would be so proud to look at their children and see what they have accomplished. in their life and to see that they are dead and that their work ethic had paid off and that they had instilled that in all their children and I really feel that they have passed it on to their children and hopefully it will continue to be passed down. to the generations to come and to play as long as I have and to have a family, you have to be very blessed and I was with my wife Ruth Ruth.

I appreciate the work you did and my three great children reading Rhys and Wendy. Life in baseball is a hard life for your family and to be able to play as long as I did and have the support I had from my family. I can't express how much that means to me. That was the reason I was able to play like while I played because they gave you the support for my children they spent 15 to 20 years of their life in baseball and Ruth and I spent so many years of our married life that that was We didn't know anything else about our life and when I retired I trusted.

Not only Nolan Ryan, but the entire Ryan family retired from baseball and it was difficult. I always thought there would be life after baseball, so I designed that my life would have other interests after baseball that I could take a step into. and I didn't realize the control that baseball had on me and my family. I can honestly say that it took me between 2 and 4 years to get over the fact that I was no longer a baseball player. I would also like to honor or recognize him. Excuse me, 3 people who are here today in the audience who were involved in my youth Glenn York Aubrey Horner and Jim Watson, they were coaches I had in high school and I appreciate you making the effort to be here today, read Scout without sadness. to sign me to the Mets is here with us today and I'm proud to say that Read is a friend and that Read became more interested in me at a young age, he thought when he saw me at 62 and one hundred and forty.

He wasn't discouraged by my belt or the way I threw the ball like many other Scouts and I appreciate the fact that Read spent so much time with me and worked to help me become a better thrower. Thank you red when I went. to the New York Mets I got there on my first stop in '19 and I was overwhelmed to be there and really intimidated and then when I went to stay in '68 I can honestly say I wasn't focused on my career and what it cost. being a major league pitcher and being a starting pitcher, but I had the opportunity to be a teammate of Tom Seavers for four years and have the opportunity to see how Tom carried himself, his professional attitude, his dedication to his job as a pitcher and that .

He saw baseball as a career, but not as an opportunity for a short period of time, so I really paid attention to Tom and I feel like Tom affected my career and I appreciate the influence that you had on my career. Jerry Grote in the hearing today and Jerry was my roommate for four years or I was his roommate for four years and I appreciate Jerry and the job he did as my catcher when I got that, when I got traded to the Angels of California, it really wasn't that I was excited to go to the Angels because it meant moving to Leeds and also a new group of teammates, but shortly after getting there I realized it was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. .

I like to refer to my years with the Angels. Los Angeles as the foundation of my career and while I was there I had the opportunity to develop friendships with three unique people. I still think Gene Archery is the best owner I have ever played for and I was proud to say that Gene and I was friends with Gene. Gene loved the game of baseball and all the players that played for Gene really looked up to Gene. He would come into the clubhouse and sit down and visit you if you could get him to tell you stories about banking movies and his trips to At the rodeos and the things he did for a long time, you would turn around and the whole team would gather around him because that It was how they felt about him also when I went to the Angels.

Tom Morgan was a pitching coach in Tom Morgan took on Nolan Ryan. as a special project and I really appreciated the effort that Tom gave me in the fact that he wasn't going to let me stumble and fall and Tom, if Tom were here today, I would go up to him and tell him that it was one of the best things that have happened to me and then we had Jimmy Reese, a very close friend of mine who I'm proud to say we named our second son Reese because that's how much he meant to us and we spent a lot of time. on those days on the road and I really feel like he helped me in my conditioning program because of the hours and hours I spent with him chasing mushrooms and he hadn't even hit ground balls, I can't honestly say. that he made me better as a fielder but I was in better shape too Jeff tall boards here today and caught my first no-hitter Jeff I appreciate him our years with the angels were great and I really enjoy the other friend when I went to Houston as a free agent I really felt that those years in Houston were a statement that had a very stabilizing effect on my career and my family because it gave us the opportunity to live in Texas for nine years at home where the children did not have to be uprooted from one. school to the that I went to an organization that had a program with a weight room and designed specifically for pitchers and I feel like through Jean Coleman I learned more about conditioning and it helped me learn about the aging process and how I could slow it down and I feel like that's because that I was able to pitch as long as I did and I also have a very special friend who is involved in that property, but the name of Don Sanders and Don.

I appreciate your friendship, you played a role not only with myself but with many of the Astros and Astro families in making it enjoyable and fun to be a Houston Astro and many of us took our children on road trips and Don would always be there with their kids and we would find fun things to do. and make difficult situations much better for us and our family and Don. I appreciate that when I went to the Texas Rangers as a free agent I went with the intention of staying one year, you can finish my career there with the Rangers and I stayed five and The reason I stayed five is because of the Texas Rangers.

I have never enjoyed an organization so much and the staff and owners appreciate everything they have done for me. I appreciate Eddie Child giving Mike Stone, Tom Green and Bobby Valentine the chance to sign. I was in Atlanta that day and I remember getting off the plane in Houston coming home from Atlanta and it would probably be the lowest day of my career and I think you take an alien even turned into something positive and like it turned out it was one of the best things that have happened to me and so I appreciate the Rangers staff and the Rangers organization for giving me that opportunity and while I was there I was very fortunate to have a pitching coach named Tom. house and Tom and I are the same age and Tom is a trainer who is always ahead of the curve and I really enjoyed our partnership together and he was always coming up with new training techniques that we would try and see how they worked in my routine.

And because of our friendship and Tom pushing me, I think I was in the best shape of my life during the years I was with the Rangers and Tom. I really miss those days we spent in the weight room and on the field working together. and that last year you weren't there, I can really see that buddy, I miss you, thank you for being here today and there are other people that I came into contact with in my life and my baseball career that weren't necessarily on the playing field or in uniform dick Moss my agent dick became my agent in 1980 1979 when I signed my contract with the Houston Astros and dick I appreciate the work you have done for me and looking out for my best interests and I truly felt that I was represented by Thank you very much and then there was Matt Merola who has handled all of my commercial sponsorships since 1972 and Matt has always been very protective of me and made sure that during my playing career what we had to do off the field did not interfere with what I had to do on the field and I appreciate it and I think the people we worked with did.

Thanks Matt. I would also like to thank someone who has definitely had an impact on me and my family and a lot of players sitting in this audience today and that was Marvin Miller. I got into the game when I broke out in the major leagues, the minimum salary was $7,000 and I had to come home in the winter and get a job the first year I was in the major leagues. The job he had was he worked at a gas station pumping gas from 3 to 9 o'clock and he certainly closed the gas station so Ruth and I could live during the winter until baseball season started.

She worked in the university bookstore. and thanks to the efforts of Marvin and the people of baseball we took that level to a point where the players were not in that situation and Marvin, I appreciate the work you have done and the impact it has had on the family. Thank you. There is a lot of help. My teammates are here today and I appreciate them being here making the effort to be here and when I see each and every one of them I always remember something that happened during our careers together and I appreciate everyone being there and the support she provided.

I during those years and last but not least the fans feel very lucky to have played for the four organizations I played for. I played on both coasts and had the opportunity to stay in Texas for 14 years and I can say I was truly blessed by the fans and the support they gave me and I appreciate it and that's what makes this a great game is the support and the commitment that the fans give to the game and I may be gone, but I won't forget them and I appreciate them all. Those times you supported me during the 27 years I played in my family, thank you.