FS: Welcome back to Broad-Minded. We're the Broads and Take Five XM 155.
Go to our website BroadMindedOnline.com. Hang on.

FS: Okay, that's not just mind.

FS: My thing's not working right today. Anyway\...

FS: Oh, dear.

FS: I know. Sherry Sherry sitting in her with us. My thing's not working
right.

FS: Oh, dear.

FS: Anyway, we have a whole list of what we call unbelievable broads.
And in stereo with us right now is former Major League baseball\...he's
a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the California
Angels, the Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and the New York
Yankees from 1989 through 1998.

FS: Wow!

FS: But you're inspiring on top of that, Mr. Jim Abbott, welcome to
Broadminded.

MS: Thank you very much. Great to be here.

FS: So it's real exciting to have you on our show. So for people that
may be\...how do they not know who you are\...but just in case they
don't know who you are, you, despite being born without your right hand,
you played football in high school and are a Major League Baseball
player. I mean, that's incredible. And never\...my dad told me that
you\...life, not a disability, just something to work around.

MS: Absolutely. Well, you know, I had incredible parents, to tell you
the truth. I was born missing my right hand, you know, I never wanted to
make a big deal of it. And my parents never did, you know. They raised
me thinking about the possibilities, you know, sort of, almost giving me
the idea that it was a privilege, that it was something to be lived up
to, you know, and trying to make the most of what I had been given,
which was a very good left arm and left hand and I could throw things
and so I became pitcher and a quarterback and just sort of gravitated to
what were my strengths.

FS: Because you were an athlete. So, I mean, despite anything else you
just wanted to be an athlete, so who cares.

MS: Right.

FS: And it's one thing to, you know, be an athlete and you're born with
a disability and you play high school football but then to go on to the
Major Leagues is incredible.

FS: And for 10 years.

FS: That's incredible.

FS: And to stay for 10 years, that's really something.

FS: Anything's possible.

MS: Thank you, thank you.

FS: Yes. Let's talk about the Summer Olympics of 1988 too and not too
shabby, in case people don't know.

MS: Well, hey, you know, this is great, sort of reliving all the good
stuff.

FS: Yeah.

FS: Well, I just did a whole lot of research and talked to my father but
that's the only time ever won a Gold Metal, correct?

MS: Well, no. Actually, I think they won it in '92 also but we were the
first team to win a Gold Metal.

FS: The first team?

MS: Yeah, 1988, it was the Seoul Olympics. The team that year was made
up entirely of amateur players. We were all college players. Nobody had
played in the Major Leagues or the Minor Leagues yet so it was a great
experience because we traveled around the country with the one singular
goal of playing for the United States.

FS: Wow!

MS: And, you know, I was lucky enough to pitcher the Gold Metal game in
Seoul and I've never been, before or after, as nervous as I was for that
game. You know, when you're wearing the United States across your
jersey, it's something different.

FS: And the whole world is watching you.

MS: The whole world is watching. And you feel like United States, you
know, it's our sport, baseball and you're proud and you want to do the
nation proud so it was nerve wrecking.

FS: And you did, and you did.

MS: And we won and what a thrill, yeah.

FS: So tell us about this cause, this foundation you started to help
people.

MS: Well, I've been, as you mentioned, I grew up, you know, different
than other kids. I was born missing my right hand. So I'm very aware of
what it's like to be different, to be on the outside looking in. Some
people call what I have a disability. You know, I've looked at it a
little bit differently. But since my playing days have been over, I've
looked for ways to try to continue on the spirit of my parents and the
people in my hometown who encouraged me. Instead of seeing a disability,
they saw ability and what I could do.

FS: Where are you from?

MS: I grew up in Flint, Michigan, great hometown, yeah.

FS: Oh, great.

FS: Mid-west guy.

MS: Mid-west, yeah.

FS: You can tell.

FS: The Mid-west people are so nice.

FS: Uh-huh.

MS: You know, they were good people in that town and to a person, so
many people asked me, you know, were you discouraged or did they tell
you you couldn't do it? And then the truth was that there were so many
people who said you can and who believed in me many times when I didn't
always believe in myself. So and my playing days, you know, having wound
up a few years ago, I've done some motivational speaking but I'm really
excited. I'm involved with the U.S. Department of Labor. You know, for
all the things we hear about government and all the different things
that go on, they have a great office, called the Office of Disability
Employment Policy. They're working with people, they're working with
businesses to create opportunities and help people find work in the
United States who may have disabilities, people who can work, who want
to work. And the statistics are amazing. When they came to me and they
said, listen, you know, one out of three people with a disability works
in the United States.

FS: Yeah.

MS: Two out of three don't. And that's not the way it was in baseball.
You know, if you wanted to, you had the chance. And that was the way it
was. So I'm just trying to be a spokesman for, you know, this office,
through these great people who do this great work and hopefully, you
know, we can do some good.

FS: We're talking with Major League Baseball player Jim Abbott about
PITCH, Proving Individuals with Talent Can Help. Did you ever, were you
ever discouraged? I mean, was there ever a point you were just like, my
gosh, why, you know, this sucks? You know, this just really sucks. I
want to be a baseball player and, you know, I'm a pitcher and look.

MS: Right. You know, there's times, I think there were times, you know,
when I was in Little League there were other teams that, you know,
bunted the ball. And I always joked that I threw those girls out every
time but that might get me in trouble here in this room, so I need to be
quiet.

FS: No, you're fine.

FS: No, no, no. It's just a way for the girls to reach you. You know
it's always embarrassing because this is a three hour show and then you
come on, you know, towards the end of the show and you know, we're
talking about great things\...

FS: We've been bad all day.

FS: \...if you only knew what we were talking about before you came on.
I mean, that's always\...listen to it tonight. You'll get an idea.
Nothing can offend us.

FS: No, please don't, don't listen to it.

FS: You know, you're right, don't.

FS: Don't.

FS: Just know that you didn't offend us but I would prefer to keep you
thinking that we don't\...

FS: You know what, maybe you shouldn't listen to us. She's right. He
thinks we're nice girls, come on.

MS: Such sweet faces, I can't believe it.

FS: Oh, no.

FS: You have no idea.

FS: Listen to (unint.).

FS: I'm the mommy of the group. So can you explain to people how you did
pitch because I was watching some footage. I mean, it's unbelievable how
you did it.

MS: Well, thanks, you know, I grew up missing my right hand. And so the
place boards were a big deal to me. In Flint, Michigan, the Mid-west, as
you mentioned, I mean, that's what you do.

FS: Yeah.

MS: You play sports, right. And I think maybe because I was different, I
wanted to be on a team, you know, wanted to belong. And so I just, you
know, baseball was something that reached out to me. I started playing
catch with my dad in the front yard and we knew I had to throw and catch
with the same hand. So it was just the method of kind of switching the
glove off my left hand, pulling the ball out, cradling the glove on my
right hand, throwing and then putting it back on.

FS: All within a pitch, by the way.

MS: Yeah. Well, I mean, it was something, it was like tying your shoes.

FS: Hey, you're making it sound like\...you're making it sound like, oh,
and then you do this. No. I mean, you\...

FS: Incredible.

MS: Well, you know, I didn't look at it that way. It was something that
I loved to do, first of all. I mean, when you love something, you
practice it. And, you know, I just didn't look at it as work. It was fun
and if I had to play, I had to find a little way of doing it, you know,
that's what you do when you have to.

FS: Well, you've got a fan on Instant Message. Poppa says you pitched
for the Yankees, a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee
Stadium in 1993.

MS: Very good memory.

FS: Yeah.

MS: I'm feeling good about myself today.

FS: That's impressive.

MS: Yeah.

FS: I mean, you're just an amazing athlete.

FS: So if people want to know more about this cause, where do they go
to? Is there a website?

MS: Thank you. Yeah, there is. It's Ability.DOL.gov and it'll provide a
ton of resources and information for employers, for people who are in
the work place, for parents with kids with disabilities, you know, just
looking for what's possible out there. And I wish everybody could meet
the people in this office because they're a dynamic crew. They work
everyday at trying to get people to look past these barriers, past these
perceptions. You know, if you look at my right hand, you won't see a
baseball player. If you look at my left hand, you might. And that's the
same spirit we're trying to promote.

FS: Now you have two kids, correct?

MS: Uh-huh.

FS: And they've got to be proud of dad.

MS: Sometimes.

FS: No.

MS: I have two girls.

FS: You have two girls, oh, my, how old are they?

MS: I have 11 and 8 year olds.

FS: You are, oh gosh, I'm sorry, I'm just sorry\...

FS: Because now is going to come the biggest challenge you've faced your
entire life, teenage girls, teenage girls.

FS: When they're 15.

MS: I know, I know. I think this is the calm before the storm. I
actually have to say I'm very proud of my girls. They're terrific. And
so far, so good but I feel the breath of a storm.

FS: Are you friends with Cal Ripken?

MS: I've met him; I've met him many times and competed against him many
times.

FS: Yeah. He comes on the show and we love him but he has a teen\...well
he did have a teenager. She's getting ready to go off to college now.
But and he is just like, I mean, he, you should call him.

FS: If you were nervous in the '88 Olympics, what type of girls are
teenagers?

FS: Oh yeah. So why don't we give out the website one more time.

FS: Yeah. And we will also put this on our website,
BroadmindedOnline.com under our causes so that it'll be very easy for
people to get to but it is Ability.DOL, is that right\..., .DOL.

MS: DOL.

FS: .gov, okay. And, thank you so much for taking the time to come in
here, Jim, and talk with us. It was really nice to meet you.

MS: Are you kidding, I'm going to go listen to those tapes too and find
out what was being talked about before I got in here.

FS: Can you sign something for my dad?

MS: Absolutely.

FS: Please, do you have any idea what teenage girls would be like,
please don't listen.

FS: Let me just say one thing, I swear to God if you listen, I didn't
know what I was talking about.

FS: Why would you have to bring it up? Don't listen, please, please.

FS: Oh, Molly, you didn't know what you were talking about?

FS: Go to\...

FS: Jim Abbott, you're incredible.

FS: Jim, it's not one of the teams you played for so don't worry,
but\...

FS: Jim, I actually work with many charities myself. So we can talk
about my charities.

FS: Give it up, Molly.

FS: I'll share my causes with you after the show.

**(END OF TAPE)**