Everything Todd Helton said in his baseball hall of fame speech

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. − Todd Helton was officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.

The Tennessee baseball product and MLB superstar with the Colorado Rockies was one of four members immortalized in the hall of fame in the class of 2024.

Here is everything Helton said in his speech:

“I would first like to thank Larry Walker for those kind words. Thank you. I would like to start by thanking everyone with the National Baseball Hall of Fame from Jamie Forbes Clark to Josh Rawitch to John and Whitney. You have been beyond gracious to me and my family.

“Those of you who know me know I would be more comfortable doing anything other than standing up here talking about myself. I am just a ballplayer and anyone in the media can attest to that fact. So with that in mind, thank you to the media for making the most of what little I gave you. Thank you to the baseball writers who voted me in.

“To say I am humbled by this honor does not begin to cover how I feel standing here today. I would first like to congratulate my fellow 2024 hall of fame inductees. Adrian and Joe, it is great to be sharing this podium with you. I admire the way you both played the game hard every day. Jim Leyland, in 1999, you said to me, ‘Kid, if you keep playing like this, you are going to make it to the hall of fame.’ Being inducted alongside you is such an honor. Congratulations, Skip. Also to Larry Walker for taking care of me early in my career and for paving the way for me to be here.

“I owe this incredible honor to many. You don’t get to play Major League Baseball or dream of getting into the hall of fame without people who support you, sacrifice for you and push you to be the best version of yourself.

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“First to my wife, Christy. We did this together. This is our honor. You were there on Day 1 when i got my first call from Major League Baseball telling me I had been drafted by the Colorado Rockies and you were right there by my side when I got the last call, telling me I had been elected to the hall of fame. I am so grateful you were there alongside me for all those years inbetween those two calls. To my daughters, Tierney Faith and Gentry Grace, the pure tenderness of your heart in each of you, blows me away at every turn. I have actually seen and learned so much about myself in raising you as your dad. You both mean the world to me.

“Mom, thank you for all the time you put into helping me get here. Now as a parent, I have an appreciation for how much work it was for you. I now see how much you sacrificed for me to live out my dream. You have watched more baseball than most big-league scouts and you did it with my baby sister in tow. Thank you so much.

“My dad passed in 2015. This would have meant as much if not more to him than it does me. When I was young, my dad taught me how to swing a bat and how to pitch a ball. Most importantly, beyond the relentless coaching, my dad made me believe I could stand up here today. My dad had a brief history in the minor leagues with the Minnesota Twins. After that, he poured that passion for baseball into me. I will never forget being in the backyard pretending I was Jim Kaat, the first baseball player I ever knew of. Now my family, we purchased a VCR for the sole purpose of me watching this 15-minute video of Rod Carew on The Baseball Bunch. He was talking about hitting the ball the other way. It was literally the only video we owned and I must have watched it a million times.

“Before I go any further, I would like to recognize those who have sacrificed and fought for our freedom. They are my heroes.

“I thank God for giving me the ability to play baseball. I also thank God for sending those He knew I needed in my life.

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“Rodney, thank you for being a protective big brother when I was young and a true friend to me as I grew up. There aren’t many older brothers who got invited to a friend’s house growing up and before responding asked if it was okay for his little brother to come, too. Pretty cool.

“Coach Bales was my Central High baseball coach. Thank you, coach, for teaching me how to conduct myself at a young age. I carried the lessons you taught me throughout my career.

“Coach David Cutcliffe was my quarterback coach at the University of Tennessee. Coach Cut always added some baseball wisdom for me on our weekly quarterback test. One simple one-liner that stuck with me through the years was don’t be a dirt-kicker. Thank you, Cut. Even though I wanted to — at times — I made sure I kept my frustrations off the field and out of sight. I will say, being the quarterback sandwiched between Heath Shuler and Peyton made my decision to pursue baseball easier. I knew I wasn’t big-time quarterback material when I was called into the game at the Rose Bowl against UCLA. Before running onto the field, I first had to ditch the half-eaten ham sandwich and the bag of M&M’s out of my helmet. That is a pretty good sign.

“I do not get recognized in Knoxville like I do in Denver. Every so often, I will get, ‘Are you Todd Helton? Weren’t you a quarterback for the Vols. I just want to throw up my hands and say, ‘Yes, but I played a little baseball since then.’

“Coach Bill Mosiello was my hitting coach at UT when I played there. We have been friends for 32 years. I can honestly that Coach Mo was the best hitting coach I had next to my dad.

“I would also like to recognize the best head college coach today, coach Tony Vitello, and the national champion Tennessee Volunteers.

“The Rockies organization gave me so many friends on the field, in the clubhouse, in the front office and even at the top. Jerry McMorris was a mentor to me off the field. He poured into my family’s life beyond baseball. Dick Monfort, I guess you and I broke an unwritten rule. Owners and players aren’t supposed to be friends off the field. Dick, thank you for your friendship. You have been beyond gracious to me and my girls. Clint Hurdle, those of you who know Clint know he has never been at a loss for words. Over nearly 30 years since we met, I have learned to pay attention to your hard-fought wisdom on and off the field. One day in Milwaukee, you told me to make it personal between me and the pitcher. It changed my perspective. It became my battle at the plate. But more importantly, thank you for helping me become a better husband and father.

“Keith Dugger, Doogie, my longtime trainer and friend. People who know me know it takes me a while to trust people. I have known you for 30 years and I have trusted you for 29-and-a-half of those years. Of course, I have 411 teammates on the Rockies and each of you had a part of me being here today. If you were invited my wife or us to be here with us today, you have played a role in me standing here today. Thank you for being part of this journey with us. It has been a wild ride.

“Now, some people have told me that my superstitions early in my career were a bit excessive. Same food. Same route to the field. Same routine. It made sense to no one but me.  I remember getting a speeding ticket on the way to the field one day in Colorado Springs. i got three hits that day. So I took the same route and went the same speed and the next day the same officer gave me another ticket. I didn’t care. I got three hits that day as well. I asked the officer to meet me the third day and he indulged me.

“Vin Scully pointed out another superstitious moment during a game at Dodger Stadium. I started that game with a full beard, but after at-bat that I didn’t get a hit I went back to the locker room and shaved just a little bit. After four at-bats, I was down to a mustache but I got a hit in my last at-bat so to me it was all worth it.

“Looking back on my career, I was really fortunate to have a solid and stable home base personally and professionally. Christy and my girls were in my corner at home and for 17 years, Denver, Colorado, and the Rockies were a perfect fit for me. The people, the lifestyle, the natural beauty of the state. I was happy to call it home. We still have a ranch in Colorado that my girls call their redneck Disneyland. Thank you, Dave McCants.

“To all the incredible Rockies fans, thank you for my 17 years. I know you spent your hard-earned money to come to the ballpark to cheer me on. I did my best to give it my all every day. Competing on the baseball field was where I felt like I belonged. It was my church, a place where I felt most comfortable. I liked putting in the long hours and doing the extra work. The early Saturday mornings with Milo throwing to me in the cage, that is the kind of stuff I miss about baseball — working hard to compete and the relentless drive to win.

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“But when you live to compete and baseball has become your life and you have loved, it is difficult to know when to retire. But this was a daggum pretty good sign. One day I was waiting on my 3-year-old daughter, Gentry, to put on her shoes. She was making these grunting noises when she bent over to put on her shoes. Worried but not wanting to embarrass Gentry, I asked my wife what was wrong. She smiled and me and whispered, ‘She is trying to be like you, putting on your shoes.’ There is a saying in baseball. You are either humble or you are about to be humbled. At 40 years old in the shadows of Coors Field, I was a 102 mile per hour fastball from Aroldis Chapman coming at my head. After bailing out, bat up, helmet flying, I got up and the ump asked if it hit me. I said, ‘Nope, but I am going to first anyway.’ He replied, ‘I don’t blame you.’ I ran down to first.

“The rewards that have to come to me are beyond the wildest dreams of a young rookie coming out of the University of Tennessee. I know I’m a lucky man. All I can say is thank you to everyone whose support helped me get here and thank you for this tremendous honor.”

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ ByMikeWilson . If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Everything Todd Helton said in his baseball hall of fame speech