Family and perseverance were recurring themes of Jim Thome’s induction speech Sunday at the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y.
In a heartfelt speech on a career in which he rose from 13th-round draft pick to Hall of Fame first baseman/designated hitter, Thome said he grew up in Peoria with a dream that “did not live in my head, it lived in my heart.”
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“I still can't believe this has happened to me, a 13th-round draft pick out of central Illinois,” he said.