I have watched the following clip three times today! Nolan Ryan has always been my favorite pitcher to watch. I believe no other pitcher (past and present) compares to him when it comes to sheer talent and longevity. He was still throwing 94-95 miles an hour at 44 years old with the nastiest curveball, many MLB hitters would tell you, that just “dropped off the table“. Just look at the hitters knees buckle when they finally realized his curveball was coming.
I’ve always admired Nolan Ryan; not only for what he accomplished as a pitcher, but for the kind of person he is on and off the field.
Growing up, a few of my friends and I had the opportunity to have Tom House instruct us on our pitching mechanics. Tom would often speak of Nolan Ryan as a great friend; hardly as his pitching coach, and someone he really looked up to because of his astounding work ethic. Speaking of Nolan’s work ethic, I remember Tom telling us that Nolan would wake up several hours before everyone and do his pitching drills and workouts (the first pitcher to ever admit he lifted weights). I also remember reading about his work ethic when I about 12 years old in the first pitching book I ever read “Nolan Ryan’s Pitchers Bible.”
I finally met Nolan during the Baseball strike years ago. I was attending one of Tom Houses Baseball Camps in Mesquite, Nevada. Nolan spoke to us for about an hour. I remember being amazed at how much he truly cared for us kids, and since then he has really been a hero to me. That is why videos like this bring so much great emotionall energy. Amazingly, I still get nervous for Nolan watching the last three outs of this video even though I know what the outcome will be.
Enjoy!