HELLO, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO TALK
ABOUT THE BASEBALL PITCHER JIM ABBOTT.
- CHEERS, MATT JONES. - CHEERS.
[bleep].
SO JIM ABBOTT WAS BORN IN 1967,
BUT HE DIDN'T HAVE A RIGHT HAND.
AND SO WHEN HE WAS, LIKE, FIVE OR SIX,
JIM WAS LIKE, I WANT TO PLAY SPORTS.
JIM'S DAD, MIKE, IS LIKE,
YOU SHOULD MAYBE THINK ABOUT SOCCER.
SOCCER IS A EUROPEAN SPORT WITH FEET.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE YOUR HANDS.
ACTUALLY THE ONLY RULE IN SOCCER IS DON'T USE YOUR HANDS.
AND JIM'S LIKE, NO, I'M NOT A [bleep] EUROPEAN.
I'M AN AMERICAN. I WANT TO PLAY BASEBALL.
HIS PARENTS LOVED HIM.
THEY WERE LIKE, EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN'T DO ANY--EVERYTHING,
DREAM ANYTHING.
THERE--HE HAD TO DEVELOP HIS OWN METHOD TO PLAY BASEBALL.
HE USED TO PRACTICE AGAINST THE WALL IN HIS BACKYARD,
AND THEN HE WOULD GO CLOSER AND CLOSER AND CLOSER
AS HE GOT OLDER
UNTIL HE WAS RIGHT UP AGAINST THE WALL
AND CATCHING IT LIKE THAT.
IN HIS FIRST LITTLE LEAGUE GAME EVER,
HE PITCHED A NO-HITTER.
HE PITCHED A NINE INNING GAME, AND NO ONE GETS A HIT.
SO THEN AFTER HE HAD THE NO-HITTER, YEARS LATER,
WORD GOT OUT TO THE HIGH SCHOOL COACHES,
AND THEY WERE LIKE, HE CAN THROW A BALL, SURE,
BUT WHAT IF SOMEONE HITS A BALL TO HIM?
AND AS SOON AS HE SAID THAT, JIM WAS LIKE,
YOU WANT TO SEE THIS [bleep]?
PITCH!
SOMEONE HIT A HARD GROUNDER STRAIGHT AT JIM ABBOTT.
CATCH!
HAND OUT OF GLOVE, THROW, OUT AT FIRST BASE,
ALL WITHIN, LIKE, A HALF A SECOND.
SO FAST.
AND THE HIGH SCHOOL COACH WAS LIKE,
OH, NEVER MIND.
YOU JUST ANSWERED MY QUESTION. PUT HIM ON MY TEAM.
I'M AN ASSHOLE. OH, JESUS CHRIST.
WINE IS THE DEVIL!
[both laugh]
OKAY, WHERE ARE WE AT?
OH, I GOT IT. I GOT IT.
I GOT IT.
THROUGHOUT HIS HIGH SCHOOL CAREER,
HE PITCHED FOUR NO-HITTERS, INCLUDING A PERFECT GAME.
SO HE GETS HIS EDUCATION,
PLAYS FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN,
THE WOLVERINES.
WHEN HE GOT THERE,
THERE WAS SO MUCH PRESS THERE.
AFTER THE TWO BAD GAMES, PEOPLE WERE LIKE,
AH, HE SUCKS. THIS IS A PUBLICITY STUNT.
THIS GUY IS NOT A REAL PITCHER.
THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO BE NICE TO A KID WITH A HANDICAP.
AND ALL OF THE PRESS LEFT.
[stammering]
HANK, COME ON.
COME IN HERE AND LAY DOWN.
ONCE THEY LEFT, HE STARTED PITCHING AMAZING.
LAY DOWN. LAY DOWN, FAT [bleep] BANANA.
HE WAS NOT ONLY A GOOD PITCHER,
BUT HE WAS A GOOD BATTER WHO WOULD HIT HOME RUNS.
THEY WIN OVER AND OVER.
HE'S LIKE, I THROW THIS [bleep] 90 MILES AN HOUR.
IN THE '80s, THE YEAR 1980s,
NOT IN THE 80s OF SPEEDBALL.
OH, JESUS, I GOT TO START THAT AGAIN.
- NO, YOU'RE FINE.
- SO I'M GONNA THROW THE BALL IN THE 80s MILES PER HOUR
IN THE 1990s, WHICH IS VERY IMPRESSIVE.
- YOU SWITCHED 'EM UP.
- SO I'M JIM ABBOTT. - RIGHT.
- I'M THROWING THE BALL IN THE 90s IN THE 1980s.
VERY IMPRESSIVE. COME ON.
- JIM ABBOTT AND COSTELLO. - YEAH, JIM ABBOTT.
HE WAS PLAYING BASEBALL LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD, AND...
[laughing]
THEY WERE, LIKE, PUTTING TOGETHER THE NATIONAL TEAM,
AND THEY WERE LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF HE CAN DO IT,
BUT IT'S GOOD P.R.
LET'S DO IT.
THEY PUT HIM ON THE NATIONAL TEAM.
HE GETS PUT ON THE NATIONAL TEAM,
AND THE NATIONAL TEAM TAKE HIM DOWN
TO THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES,
AND THE BIGGEST SUPERPOWER
IN THE PAN AMERICAN GAMES IS CUBA,
FIDEL CASTRO'S CUBA,
BECAUSE FIDEL LOVES COMMUNISM
AND HE LOVES BASEBALL.
THOSE ARE A COUPLE THINGS HE LOVES.
THERE IS A HUGE SEPARATION
BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AND CUBAN REGIME.
JIM ABBOTT WALKS OUT AND STARTS FOR AMERICA,
AND EVERYBODY IN THE PLACE IS LIKE, BOO!
WE ARE CUBAN,
THE GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD.
HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY THINK YOU CAN BEAT US?
AMERICANS WITH TWO HANDS CAN'T BEAT US.
[inspirational music]
♪ ♪
HE WAS LIKE, OH, THAT'S NICE THAT YOU'RE CUBAN.
I DON'T GIVE A [bleep].
♪ ♪
HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE PAN AMERICAN CUBA GAMES
WAS SO REMARKABLE
THAT BY THE END OF THE GAME,
50,000 CUBANS--
THEY GAVE HIM A STANDING OVATION WHEN HE LEFT THE FIELD.
THERE WERE NO AMERICANS IN THE STAND,
BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED IN CUBA.
AND, LIKE, FIDEL CASTRO CAME DOWN,
SHOOK HIS HAND AND WAS LIKE, NICE.
THAT WAS A BIG DEAL,
TELLING AN AMERICAN PLAYER "NICE."
AND HE WENT ON TO PLAY FOR, LIKE, TEN YEARS
IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES.
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY,
HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, THE MAJORS,
PEOPLE SAID, CAN YOU DO IT?
HE WAS SUCH A POSITIVE PERSON.
HE WOULD SAY STUFF LIKE, EVERYONE HAS DISABILITIES.
MINE ARE JUST MORE VISIBLE.
IT MAKES EVERYBODY FEEL
THAT THEY'RE IN HIS CAMP.
IT'S INCREDIBLE. I RESPECT THAT [bleep].
LOOK AT YOUR LIMITATIONS AND SAY,
[bleep] YOU, LIMITATIONS.
I'M GONNA DO WHATEVER I WANT. AND THAT'S THE AMERICAN DREAM.
- [whispers] WOW.
- UM, WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT?