July 21st 2024.
On a sunny afternoon in Cooperstown, New York, Todd Helton stood tall as he delivered his acceptance speech at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Rockies legend may have made playing baseball look effortless, but speaking in front of thousands of people and millions more on TV? That was a whole different ballgame.
But with the help of his wife, Christy, who assisted him in writing his speech, Helton hit it out of the park. Dressed in a sharp gray suit and a purple tie, he had the crowd laughing with his jokes about his superstitious ways and his ranch back in Colorado, which he jokingly referred to as a "Redneck Disneyland." But he also got emotional when talking about his two daughters, Tierney Faith and Gentry Grace, who he described as having "tenderness in their hearts that constantly blew him away."
Helton was inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Joe Mauer, Adrian Beltre, and Jim Leyland. As the first to speak, Helton admitted that he was thankful to go first, saying, "Those who know me know that I would rather do anything else than talk about myself. I'm just a ballplayer."
But he was more than just a ballplayer. He was now a part of an elite group of only 273 players enshrined in Cooperstown. In a video tribute before his speech, his former teammate and the Rockies' first Hall of Famer, Larry Walker, called Helton "the greatest player to ever play for the Rockies." He also praised Helton for being the greatest player to ever wear the Rockies uniform, a title that he will likely hold onto for a long time.
For fans like Rob Rosen, who proudly wore his purple Rockies jersey to the ceremony, Helton's speech was "awesome." He did, however, expect it to be shorter, as Helton was known for being a man of few words during his playing career. But Rosen loved the heartfelt moments, and the way Helton thanked the important people in his life, including his late father, Jerry, and his mother, Martha, who was in the audience.
Helton also thanked his former owners, the late Jerry McMorris and current owner Dick Monfort, who he jokingly said he broke an unwritten rule with by becoming friends with. He also gave a special shout-out to his longtime friend and team trainer, Keith Dugger, who he said he had trusted for almost 30 years.
During his playing career, Helton was notorious for his routines and superstitions, and he didn't shy away from poking fun at himself during his speech. He even shared a story about getting three speeding tickets on his way to a Triple-A game, and how he believed it brought him luck since he got three hits that day.
As he accepted his Hall of Fame plaque from National Baseball Hall of Fame president Josh Rawitch, Helton said that the moment he truly felt like a Hall of Famer was when he was standing backstage, waiting to go on. His fellow Hall of Famers offered him words of encouragement, which made him feel like he belonged among them.
But for Helton, the ultimate feeling of belonging will come when he sits down for the players-only dinner later that night. In the end, he thanked Rockies fans for their unwavering support and expressed how much he loved competing on the baseball field, calling it his church and the place where he felt most at home.
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