Swanson: Jim Abbott’s legacy explored in ESPN documentary

I like the idea, in this Instagram age of carefully curated self-promotion, of sports documentaries like Southpaw the Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott.Its refreshing to see a film thats come about without its subject asking for it; not that Abbott was exactly reluctant to participate in the project, he said.

Its just that, well, when he heard the idea, he figured his whole story had already been told.But stories about his story? About Abbotts lasting legacy, living on 26 years after he retired from Major League Baseball? Objectively, there was more there, things for even him to learn.I didnt really realize how many people were watching and connecting to my play, Abbott said by phone Tuesday, on his way to Yankee Stadium to deliver the ceremonial first pitch.

So to see that sort of play itself out, to have [the filmmakers] go and track some of these folks down and see their accounts was really touching.

Really, really touching.You just dont know whos watching, you know?And no matter how well you think you know the story of this one-handed pitcher who starred for the Angels for several seasons, I hope youll be watching Southpaw the Life and Legacy of Jim Abbott as it premieres on ESPN at 6 p.m.

Sunday.Even Angels fans who were there for the Abbott years, who remember the Michigan kid skipping the minor leagues and finishing third in Cy Young voting in 1991, should glean some new perspective from this retrospective about the nimble left-hander.Wont tip too much of the good stuff, but theres a depth of feeling here thats bigger even than the one-handed no-no that enticed producer-director Mike Farrell to pursue the project in the first place.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Yankees History | Nostalgia, Moments & Merch (@nyyhistory)He frames the pitchers story around that no-hitter at the old Yankee Stadium on Sept.

4, 1993.

Abbott, whom the Angels traded to New York, and his defense held a stacked Cleveland Indians lineup Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton and Carlos Baerga without a hit in a 4-0 victory.But what really makes the moment, as former Yankees manager Buck Showalter said in the film, was that it felt like a day when baseball and life repaid Jim for everything he had meant and the impact he had made on so many human beings.Thats the heart of Abbotts story, and why his time in Anaheim was so important.

Probably part of the reason he said he still feels most like an Angel.Through the years, theyve been so kind to me even though they traded me, said Abbott, a longtime Newport Beach resident.

I still have such a connection and I think that shows through in the film.

They were the first team that took a chance on me, and took a leap of faith to draft me and bring me up so early.Angels pitcher Jim Abbott readies to throw a pitch against the Cleveland Indians on May 31, 1992, at what was then known as Anaheim Stadium.

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)It was also with the Angels that he learned to both bear and appreciate the burden of being Jim Abbott.At the beginning, Abbott was, at times, reluctant to be a role model.

In the documentary, Abbott explained: I think of it as growing up, wanting to fit in, looking to success, playing sports as a way to get there, and then getting there and being set apart again.He thought peoples perception of him would change once he reached the big leagues, but of course the attention only increased.

He was inundated with media requests, and often insulted by the medias insinuations that he was, in some way, a gimmick.

It could be a drag and a drain, and I imagine, a lot of pressure to perform not only on the mound but as that capital-I Inspiration.Id be up in the clubhouse where I always wanted to be with my teammates, playing cards or listening to music, and inevitably Id get a pat on the back, Abbott said in the documentary.

A team official would say, Jim theres somebody down by the clubhouse whod like to meet you.To his credit, the pitcher kept stepping up to the plate.

A real angel, this guy, as limb-different children and their families came from all over, taking what were essentially pilgrimages to meet this big leaguer who was more than that, who was a real-life symbol of what was possible for them.In sports, theres a lot of false hero worship, Farrell said.

We automatically assign morality: Hes a great person because he can shoot a basketball or put a hockey puck in the net.

But Jim is who you hope he is; hes actually that way an incredible person.

And I think Im a better person for having gotten to know him.We hear how Abbott who remains, Farrell learned, a central icon in that [limb-different] community came to cherish those often-heavy meetings, how he reached the realization that there was no avoiding the fact that his major-league experience was just going to be different.

And how that meant he could make impressions that transcended his sport.That transcend the sport still, we learn in this documentary thats so moved Abbott despite those initial reservations.The fortune cookie message here might be, what? Embrace what youre reluctant to?To see what was so personal to me at the time, what it meant to other people, that is so gratifying and Im so thankful for that, Abbott said.

I hope people like it.Related ArticlesJorge Soler, Mike Trout hit key homers as Angels win slugfestAngels Hunter Strickland will be out until at least SeptemberInconsistency strikes Angels Jose Soriano again in nightmare inningYoan Moncada returns to Angels lineup after more than a monthAngels beat Rangers on Nolan Schanuels walk-off walk.

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