Originally aired on ESPN on Thursday evening, July 22, 1999. Roy Firestone hosts a special Up Close interview with Nolan Ryan in advance of Ryan's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
My parents divorced when I was little over a year old. Though only 2 hours away, my father made almost no attempt at spending time with me and when there was time there was always violence. I was a California Angels Batboy for three years during Nolan's heyday with the team, Nolan and Ruth Ryan (w/ Reid & Reese) were neighbors, and I babysat for them several times. They set an amazing example of what a loving, dedicated young family could look like and though he was as big a superstar as was in the game, man to man, or boy to man, you never would have known it. The day he signed with the Houston Astros is still among the worst I can remember. I'm 57 years old and he has been one of the guiding lights and mentors of my life. An example steering me toward right and away from wrong. The influence our relationship had on me in a positive way has been lifelong and immeasurable. Thank you Nolan & Ruth, and Thank you, God for the opportunity!
@@kennethbrady - Thank you very much, Kenneth, it certainly is as meaningful to me. But just so you know I also yelled, "Whose F-ing mound is it, Nolan?", in person and at the television for 40 years when I wanted him to throw high, hard, inside heat! My wife would say I write nice...lol God bless.
No one will compile the records that Nolan Ryan owns. In today's era of specialty pitching, the day's of grueling out a game as a pitcher, over and over, are over.
I grew up loving baseball and although Nolan wasn’t on my favorite team, he was definitely one of my favorite players. What a great representative to the sport and I’m glad to have had him a part of my childhood!
@@Tampa370 and half his career against DH’s and he completed 1/3 of his games, so he pitched so many innings tired, and hurt, and he STILL has the lowest avg against
@@JustMe-gn6yf This, he pitches for the yankees he has 400 wins. But no pitcher will have more than 5k strikeouts, and the no hitter record is untouchable.
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Last high lite i saw of nolan was he was pitching batting practice for his 3 boys i think if i am correct....so he still was trying to stay im shape...as long as its been....he still can throw 90mph onlytjatsptetty good afyer all these years i barely could just throw 90mph at my best....hey it was enuff for little league i enjoyed playing 3rd..no one ever taught how to throw a curve ball..so i just scare em with side arm....that wirked fine
this was the dude in "jerry maguire". i was always trying to figure out who he was. i just know he was involved in sports broadcasting somehow. after all these years lol
Mr Ryan was my college roommate neighbor... we were scantily dressed coeds... he took us to meet his obviously adored wife " for snacks for these little girls"... nicest fella ever and the way he looked and spoke to his wife? Raised my personal expectations
If I didn't know Nolan (& Ruth) personally, I probably wouldn't completely grasp the significance of your comment and think that Nolan missed out on a couple more hot coeds to boot. But because I do know them, have witnessed that interaction myself so many times, and know the effect it made on my life and interaction with girlfriends and now wife (23+ years), it makes me almost cry.
@@showtime951 lol - he also "stole " a sweet and her eyebrow? Was "the" look . He smiled like a kid at her and she gave in and smiled back . Also- she was just lovely . It reminds me of when they asked Paul Newman about infidelity and he said " why go out for McDonalds when you have steak at home?" lol Mr . Ryan? Obviously preferred steak! Its so wonderful to see that commitment , love and connection in any long term marriage . Its also nice to see someone who prefers his family to his fame. *** one not so positive note ? I think he used us "little girls " ( 18) to get that sweet!!!!!!!!!!! lol
I remember the first time I saw him pitch in the Astrodome , he was warming up and when that ball hit that catchers mitt then you heard this loud pop , and our seats were in the mezzanine not that close to home plate, awesome power
I really miss in-depth interview shows like this on ESPN. Now most of their programming aside from live sports is people arguing with and yelling at each other. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
One afternoon I was driving to my parents house. On the way, I am passing by the Astrodome. I turn on the radio and Nolan Ryan is pitching. I had thought about going to that game earlier but due to previous commitment, I had to pass. As I am driving and listening, I realized I had missed an historic moment...Nolan Ryan's 5th no-hitter. DAMN!!! I did see him pitch a few other times. Once against the SF Giants....he was taken out I think in the 7th or maybe 8th. He didn't finish the game but had some 13 or 14 strike outs. The man could throw some heat.
In high school an little league amazing i still had one of the best arms..right at 90mph...but folks dont reallize 95 to 100 mph that basebal dances around an does some weird stuff..so hitting it isnt as easy as it looks...if u look at nolan his arm is the normal position 3 quarter but he has his arm kinda hidden an then it comes from behind a hiding place like a rocket so u dont get to see a whole lot of arm movement followed by the ball in a rytyhm...so the ball delivery is concealed then its comes like lightning...one thing to u see in these clips he really works the strike zone moving the ball around..their were few batters who could go with a pitch...it took me till later in life to hit the opposite field an stop trying ti rip everything to left field that is still a habit kids need to break...
6:45 if you love baseball, Gary Sheffield v Nolan Ryan is as good as it gets; both players knew they were better than the fella they were competing against... fax!!!
The one thing that stood out to me was when he threw he let out a yell and I could hear it out in center field! I haven't heard anyone mention that. And when he played with the Astros and was in the batters box he would swing the bat with just his left hand and I imagine the pitcher was probably mad.
8:34 This is the first time I have seen the Bo Jackson liner off the lip. It has been impossible for me to find that footage. Thank you very much for this upload.
Look for the interview where he talks about his father. Intense. A tough old Texas man. He asked him to come see him pitch. Finally he said ok. He kept looking at the seat he got for his dad. He’s not there. Finally he showed. Meant the world to him. Only time his dad went to see him play.
How can you say that? Now days they'd go, " he's thrown 65 pitches, pull him.." That is one of many reasons I have become a fairweather fan used to be fanatical
Dedicated Tiger fan but Nolan is by far the greatest pitcher i have ever seen. Saw him in relief for 69 Mets in series ,never saw Sandy , Ryan is a very solid guy , have nothing but the utmost respect for him. People talk about his record, but he played for alot of bad teams. Was 7 and 16 one year for Houston and won era title and led league in strikeouts
I don't call many people heroes, including Nolan himself, but he was a strong role model both on and off the field. I tried to emulate his windup as a kid, and I got pretty close to it I thought, but I never even remotely got close to his velo. His work ethic, conditioning, and old school pitcher's philosophy kept him at the top of the game for so long. The records were a natural byproduct of that discipline and longevity. Pitch counts and closers are things Nolan surely hates about today's baseball. So even though he may have been ahead of his time, his unrivalled ability was right for the era in which he played. The many records owned by Nolan will all stand as long as there is baseball to be played because his kind of pitching (200-plus pitch games, complete games, non-combined no-hitters etc.) is stymied by today's arbitrary policies enacted to protect teams' financial investments. It's really a shame he didn't win at least one Cy Young, but run support was severely lacking in his career. That translated to fewer wins, which is almost as important as ERA. Had the teams he played for scored more runs, he probably would have been the last pitcher to win 400 games. So much of a pitcher's record depends on external forces, so for him to amass the strikeouts, no-hitters and low-hitters that he did is a testament to his excellence. There will never be another like him. By the way, his wife Ruth is a beautiful woman, which is befitting, as the best deserves nothing less than the best.
My two favorite pitches of all time is Nolan Ryan and Pedro Martinez to me these two guys controlled the game. I greatly enjoyed watching them and there is none better in my opinion. But in perspective baseball's only kids game and not real life, what's it really matter in the end it's all vanity. What's important? One thing trusting in Christ as your Saviour !!! That one thing will change all eternity for that individual who makes that decision.
Many shitty teams except for the Mets at the very beginning, and the Rangers at the end. He had 25 seasons with an era under 4. He had seasons with era under 3.00, but with a losing record because his teams didn’t score runs. Had he played on the Yankees all that time, he would’ve won closer to 500 games.
Sad thing is, Nolan could still pitch just as good.maybe not as fast as the young player's today. At 74 years young he could do it. I think when he retired in late 1993. Ryan still had at least two to three good years. Ryan was extremely good if not one of the best pitcher's. Have Johnny Bench in the back of the plate or Carlton "Pudge" Fisk. Those Catchers, would have been great for Nolan.
Not sure if he still had two years left. Injuries were creeping up. He may have been able to transition into a setup man or reliever, but his starting days were over.
@@maxcarey6414 You could be right Max. Nolan is a great pitcher. I seen Jim Abbott Pitch against David Wells two left handers in June of 1993 at Yankee stadium. Jim Abbott got a No hitter that year in September. That was the only MLB game I've ever been to. 40,000 Yankee fans Detroit lost all three games. That Mike Stanley Grandslam. I remember well enough. Mike the catcher was a Texas Ranger with Nolan so, he caught with Ryan. I was a eight year old kid in the Bronx Zoo. Donny Baseball ⚾.
Any pitcher who would walk out to 2nd base to tell off a batter for getting a double is a complete poor sport and should quit the game. What, Nolan wants every batter to not try to beat him? And if Nolan give up a walk, he shouldn't be telling the batter to swing at bad pitches. Geez, I like Nolan, but these stories are pathetic. If I had a son who acted like that in little league, I would not permit him to play anymore until he learned some sportsmanship.
Just a competitor...He could back it up. They were different times, he was mostly quiet, but a fierce competitor every day he took the mound. How could you knock someone for being confident in their abilities, he was never a trash talker. He was a great family man, and sports man. Never in 20 years of watching him, and meeting him, did I ever hear one bad word about the man...Thanks for the memories Mr. RYAN. Baseball misses you...
Jay McNeil Amen Jay! He's the biggest badass of all time! He is my favorite baseball player of all time and so proud that he's a local boy (Alvin,TX) from my hometown of Houston!
It's to plant the little seed of doubt in the hitter's mind of what could possibly happen to them next time they come up to the plate. As he said later on, "It helps if the hitter thinks you're a little crazy." :)
Then you have never pitched. Being a power pitcher is all about intimidation. If you don't intimidate the hitter you will fail. Major league hitters are amazing and if you're not in their head there isn't a fastball they can't hit. You gotta have them thinking about something other than the pitch you're throwing.
As a kid growing up in Los Angeles Roy Firestone was my favorite sports interviewer, his wit and quality of guests was unmatched at the time.
I love this guy -
Big Tex. There’ll never be another one like him.
My parents divorced when I was little over a year old. Though only 2 hours away, my father made almost no attempt at spending time with me and when there was time there was always violence.
I was a California Angels Batboy for three years during Nolan's heyday with the team, Nolan and Ruth Ryan (w/ Reid & Reese) were neighbors, and I babysat for them several times. They set an amazing example of what a loving, dedicated young family could look like and though he was as big a superstar as was in the game, man to man, or boy to man, you never would have known it.
The day he signed with the Houston Astros is still among the worst I can remember.
I'm 57 years old and he has been one of the guiding lights and mentors of my life. An example steering me toward right and away from wrong. The influence our relationship had on me in a positive way has been lifelong and immeasurable.
Thank you Nolan & Ruth, and Thank you, God for the opportunity!
Damn the closest I’ve gotten with Nolan Ryan was the fact that my mother went to college with his kids
That's a really unique experience. The world needs more good examples now more than ever. Thanks for sharing that i really enjoyed reading it.
Thats incredible!
Beautiful tribute, maybe as meaningful as what's written
on his Hall of Fame plaque.
@@kennethbrady -
Thank you very much, Kenneth, it certainly is as meaningful to me.
But just so you know I also yelled, "Whose F-ing mound is it, Nolan?", in person and at the television for 40 years when I wanted him to throw high, hard, inside heat!
My wife would say I write nice...lol
God bless.
Nolan Ryan is a class act second to none. A superstar on and off the field.
I think this is one of Roy Firestone's best interviews. Does a very nice job.
Agreed. Hard to top Firestone or Nolan Ryan for that matter.
Up Close was a great show and Roy was a fantastic interviewer. Two class acts right here
No one will compile the records that Nolan Ryan owns. In today's era of specialty pitching, the day's of grueling out a game as a pitcher, over and over, are over.
I grew up loving baseball and although Nolan wasn’t on my favorite team, he was definitely one of my favorite players. What a great representative to the sport and I’m glad to have had him a part of my childhood!
Growing up in Irving Texas Nolan Ryan and Roger Staubach were my two sports heroes
The greatest pitcher in history, period.......
Pitcher with the lowest batting average against in the history of Major League Baseball: Nolan Ryan (.204)
And he did it pitching over 5000 innings !
@@Tampa370 and half his career against DH’s and he completed 1/3 of his games, so he pitched so many innings tired, and hurt, and he STILL has the lowest avg against
👍👍👍👍
Class act all the way and one of the best pitchers ever! The Ryan Express!
Thank u Nolan...u truly made a difference in my life
Nolan Ryan fierce competitor! He has records that will never be broken. That says it all.
Lots of losses though
Ryan C I’ll take a few losses over having historical, and borderline un breakable records.
@@zezumi1120 borderline? Keep it real there is NO ONE who will EVER pitch 7 no hitters. Period.
A lot of losses from lack of run support
@@JustMe-gn6yf This, he pitches for the yankees he has 400 wins. But no pitcher will have more than 5k strikeouts, and the no hitter record is untouchable.
5:51 Damn accurate.
Nolan Ryan is truly 1 of a kind! Absolutely old school pitcher! And REALLY miss Up Close with Roy Firestone!! He was an amazing interviewer.
Justin Verlander has 26 complete games in his career. How will anyone have 7 no hitters? Nobody finishes games anymore.
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Great post Thanks. Two no hitters in a year. Seven in a career. Records forever.
GOAT
Last high lite i saw of nolan was he was pitching batting practice for his 3 boys i think if i am correct....so he still was trying to stay im shape...as long as its been....he still can throw 90mph onlytjatsptetty good afyer all these years i barely could just throw 90mph at my best....hey it was enuff for little league i enjoyed playing 3rd..no one ever taught how to throw a curve ball..so i just scare em with side arm....that wirked fine
this was the dude in "jerry maguire". i was always trying to figure out who he was. i just know he was involved in sports broadcasting somehow. after all these years lol
Mr Ryan was my college roommate neighbor... we were scantily dressed coeds... he took us to meet his obviously adored wife " for snacks for these little girls"... nicest fella ever and the way he looked and spoke to his wife? Raised my personal expectations
If I didn't know Nolan (& Ruth) personally, I probably wouldn't completely grasp the significance of your comment and think that Nolan missed out on a couple more hot coeds to boot.
But because I do know them, have witnessed that interaction myself so many times, and know the effect it made on my life and interaction with girlfriends and now wife (23+ years), it makes me almost cry.
@@showtime951 lol - he also "stole " a sweet and her eyebrow? Was "the" look . He smiled like a kid at her and she gave in and smiled back . Also- she was just lovely . It reminds me of when they asked Paul Newman about infidelity and he said " why go out for McDonalds when you have steak at home?" lol Mr . Ryan? Obviously preferred steak! Its so wonderful to see that commitment , love and connection in any long term marriage . Its also nice to see someone who prefers his family to his fame. *** one not so positive note ? I think he used us "little girls " ( 18) to get that sweet!!!!!!!!!!! lol
@@EvanMurphyCapstone -
I always wished I had Nolan's self-discipline, but I like sweets!
@@showtime951 so does he ! I think Ruth may be some of his "discipline" lol.....beautiful, kind lady .....no coed could possibly compare!
I remember the first time I saw him pitch in the Astrodome , he was warming up and when that ball hit that catchers mitt then you heard this loud pop , and our seats were in the mezzanine not that close to home plate, awesome power
I really miss in-depth interview shows like this on ESPN. Now most of their programming aside from live sports is people arguing with and yelling at each other. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
61 shut outs, Walter Johnson had 110, 417 wins.
he needs a movie after him
BUMPY JOHNSON was just thinking that yesterday
One of a kind
One afternoon I was driving to my parents house. On the way, I am passing by the Astrodome. I turn on the radio and Nolan Ryan is pitching. I had thought about going to that game earlier but due to previous commitment, I had to pass. As I am driving and listening, I realized I had missed an historic moment...Nolan Ryan's 5th no-hitter. DAMN!!! I did see him pitch a few other times. Once against the SF Giants....he was taken out I think in the 7th or maybe 8th. He didn't finish the game but had some 13 or 14 strike outs. The man could throw some heat.
In high school an little league amazing i still had one of the best arms..right at 90mph...but folks dont reallize 95 to 100 mph that basebal dances around an does some weird stuff..so hitting it isnt as easy as it looks...if u look at nolan his arm is the normal position 3 quarter but he has his arm kinda hidden an then it comes from behind a hiding place like a rocket so u dont get to see a whole lot of arm movement followed by the ball in a rytyhm...so the ball delivery is concealed then its comes like lightning...one thing to u see in these clips he really works the strike zone moving the ball around..their were few batters who could go with a pitch...it took me till later in life to hit the opposite field an stop trying ti rip everything to left field that is still a habit kids need to break...
6:45 if you love baseball, Gary Sheffield v Nolan Ryan is as good as it gets; both players knew they were better than the fella they were competing against... fax!!!
Gary was great - but 100 yrs from now people will still talk about Nolan Ryan
One of my childhood heroes, along with Bobby Orr, Brooks Robinson and Johnny Unitas.
🐐 🐐 🐐
✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿
Great interview
awesome man
The Ryan grunt was fierce
Loved watching him pitch a all around good good guy...respect
So glad I got to watch his later years when he set all those records.
The one thing that stood out to me was when he threw he let out a yell and I could hear it out in center field! I haven't heard anyone mention that. And when he played with the Astros and was in the batters box he would swing the bat with just his left hand and I imagine the pitcher was probably mad.
Rob Deer
8:34
This is the first time I have seen the Bo Jackson liner off the lip. It has been impossible for me to find that footage. Thank you very much for this upload.
FREAK OF NATURE!!
GOD TRULY BLESSED HIM!!
Look for the interview where he talks about his father. Intense. A tough old Texas man. He asked him to come see him pitch. Finally he said ok. He kept looking at the seat he got for his dad. He’s not there. Finally he showed. Meant the world to him. Only time his dad went to see him play.
Baseball Baddass
Like Sandy Koufax he was ahead of his time!
How can you say that? Now days they'd go, " he's thrown 65 pitches, pull him.." That is one of many reasons I have become a fairweather fan used to be fanatical
Dedicated Tiger fan but Nolan is by far the greatest pitcher i have ever seen. Saw him in relief for 69 Mets in series ,never saw Sandy , Ryan is a very solid guy , have nothing but the utmost respect for him. People talk about his record, but he played for alot of bad teams. Was 7 and 16 one year for Houston and won era title and led league in strikeouts
I don't call many people heroes, including Nolan himself, but he was a strong role model both on and off the field. I tried to emulate his windup as a kid, and I got pretty close to it I thought, but I never even remotely got close to his velo. His work ethic, conditioning, and old school pitcher's philosophy kept him at the top of the game for so long. The records were a natural byproduct of that discipline and longevity. Pitch counts and closers are things Nolan surely hates about today's baseball. So even though he may have been ahead of his time, his unrivalled ability was right for the era in which he played. The many records owned by Nolan will all stand as long as there is baseball to be played because his kind of pitching (200-plus pitch games, complete games, non-combined no-hitters etc.) is stymied by today's arbitrary policies enacted to protect teams' financial investments. It's really a shame he didn't win at least one Cy Young, but run support was severely lacking in his career. That translated to fewer wins, which is almost as important as ERA. Had the teams he played for scored more runs, he probably would have been the last pitcher to win 400 games. So much of a pitcher's record depends on external forces, so for him to amass the strikeouts, no-hitters and low-hitters that he did is a testament to his excellence. There will never be another like him. By the way, his wife Ruth is a beautiful woman, which is befitting, as the best deserves nothing less than the best.
My two favorite pitches of all time is Nolan Ryan and Pedro Martinez to me these two guys controlled the game.
I greatly enjoyed watching them and there is none better in my opinion.
But in perspective baseball's only kids game and not real life, what's it really matter in the end it's all vanity.
What's important?
One thing trusting in Christ as your Saviour !!!
That one thing will change all eternity for that individual who makes that decision.
I got news for you it is real life
You picked 3 WINNERS!
My two favorites also..Ryan n Martinez.
The best to strikeout batters. He was on top of the MLB, with his pitches.
One of the best their will ever be..thanks for the video..I Loved It!!
Back when ESPN promoted white people.
nolan knows how to kick ass.......just ask robin
Wow.. his first baseball glove..priceless
What the heck happened to frank Thomas's hair @11:15?!?!?
Baseball has changed. It’s all analytic bs. Now. Only baseball I am interested in these days is the old timers on you tube
Terrible question: "humility aside... How good were you"? Esp after mentioning the no cy young in the montage. At least explain how/ that was
I think Nolans best record is for having been the mlb player that put more lumps on robin venturas head VSs any other player!!
Cool video.
7 no hitters. He lost an 8 that would have been a perfect game in 1990 that Rafael Palmeiro miss judged a pop up.
When i was a kid and we played ball at the sandlot, I was ALWAYS Nolan Ryan if I was pitching!
Roy Firestone Where are you???
Deceased if I'm not mistaken.
@@jkb20109 He's still alive according to Wikipedia. 65 years old in 2018. Wikipedia doesn't say what he's doing now.
He is alive and well but not alot of info out there on him
What's hard for me is the fact that he never won a cye young. Think about that.
Many shitty teams except for the Mets at the very beginning, and the Rangers at the end. He had 25 seasons with an era under 4. He had seasons with era under 3.00, but with a losing record because his teams didn’t score runs. Had he played on the Yankees all that time, he would’ve won closer to 500 games.
I think Nolan hurt his arm from hitting Robin Ventura. Nobody talks about it
He looks like John Lithgow there
Robin Ventura says Hi
Sad thing is, Nolan could still pitch just as good.maybe not as fast as the young player's today. At 74 years young he could do it. I think when he retired in late 1993. Ryan still had at least two to three good years. Ryan was extremely good if not one of the best pitcher's. Have Johnny Bench in the back of the plate or Carlton "Pudge" Fisk. Those Catchers, would have been great for Nolan.
Not sure if he still had two years left. Injuries were creeping up. He may have been able to transition into a setup man or reliever, but his starting days were over.
@@maxcarey6414 You could be right Max. Nolan is a great pitcher. I seen Jim Abbott Pitch against David Wells two left handers in June of 1993 at Yankee stadium. Jim Abbott got a No hitter that year in September. That was the only MLB game I've ever been to. 40,000 Yankee fans Detroit lost all three games. That Mike Stanley Grandslam. I remember well enough. Mike the catcher was a Texas Ranger with Nolan so, he caught with Ryan. I was a eight year old kid in the Bronx Zoo. Donny Baseball ⚾.
Roy made me cry, but not Nolan.
11:09 that"s a legit fivehead
frank thomas has a large forehead
He reminds me of Damon waynes
Any pitcher who would walk out to 2nd base to tell off a batter for getting a double is a complete poor sport and should quit the game. What, Nolan wants every batter to not try to beat him? And if Nolan give up a walk, he shouldn't be telling the batter to swing at bad pitches. Geez, I like Nolan, but these stories are pathetic. If I had a son who acted like that in little league, I would not permit him to play anymore until he learned some sportsmanship.
Just a competitor...He could back it up. They were different times, he was mostly quiet, but a fierce competitor every day he took the mound. How could you knock someone for being confident in their abilities, he was never a trash talker. He was a great family man, and sports man. Never in 20 years of watching him, and meeting him, did I ever hear one bad word about the man...Thanks for the memories Mr. RYAN. Baseball misses you...
Jay McNeil Amen Jay! He's the biggest badass of all time! He is my favorite baseball player of all time and so proud that he's a local boy (Alvin,TX) from my hometown of Houston!
It's to plant the little seed of doubt in the hitter's mind of what could possibly happen to them next time they come up to the plate. As he said later on, "It helps if the hitter thinks you're a little crazy." :)
Then you have never pitched. Being a power pitcher is all about intimidation. If you don't intimidate the hitter you will fail. Major league hitters are amazing and if you're not in their head there isn't a fastball they can't hit. You gotta have them thinking about something other than the pitch you're throwing.
All you fake tough guys are the true pathetic women. ANYONE who barks at a competitor because the opponent had success against him is an asshole!