Alex Gordon Induction to Kansas City Royals HOF Press Conference
all right Hey Alex How’s it going good How are you um what does this night mean to you i mean the buildup to it and then now we’re finally here A little overwhelming to be honest with you Um you know very humbled by the the honor and everything but um I don’t know just in my eyes am I the same as like a Bo Jackson or George Red or something like that so overwhelming but at the same time excited and uh the overwhelming support has been great as far as like players coming in Um today’s going to be great but we’ve been hanging out the last two days and having a good time sharing memories and everything like that So um you know day and Ned uh Frank Coro I could go on and on but it’s been it’s been a lot of fun the last couple days but we’re going to me and my family are definitely going to enjoy today and can’t wait for the the celebration here in a couple hours Has it set in that you are part of that group that includes George oh really i mean I look at those guys differently Like I grew up um admiring those guys wanting to play like them I I still you know till this day don’t think I’m at third level but um I keep telling everybody I tricked a lot of people over my years and that’s how I got in So um proud to be Kansas City Royal as long as I’ve been You know this is my team growing up and um now that this is kind of unfolding um It’s a dream come true So um blessed and honored Yes for sure What does it mean the the legacy you know on the field is going to be honored in the Hall of Fame but also just the work that you put in like still lives on inside that clubhouse with the way you guys talk about you know the way that you know Royals are taught coming up through this Yeah that’s what I think I’m most proud about Um you know I kind of talk about how I don’t think I’m as good as you know George or Bo but one thing I am proud of is how I went about my business every day And I you know I kind of learned that from you know obviously my parents but you know coming up in the system uh having George around having Mike Sweeney Reggie Sanders who taught me the ways from the get-go Um I I I talk about you know that 2007 season when I felt like I was kind of rushed to the big leagues you know after my first year in in Witchah and skipped Triple A but was so lucky that I had guys like Reggie Sanders Mike Sweeney that kind of you know I was kind of a deer in headlights in that year and they taught me a lot So um one thing I am proud about just is how I played this game whether it was good or bad I felt like the way I saw those guys did it I just wanted to be that Eden kill guy no matter what Like you didn’t know if I was four for four or 0 for four the day before you’re going to get the same me every time I came in that clubhouse whether it was how I acted or how I worked So that’s what I think back on what I’m most proud of Alex you look back at how you played left field and the whole journey started third base and then came back as a left fielder and dominated that position for so long You know how much appreciation do you have for just being able to man that position for so long and the play way you played and how others appreciate how he played too long well I I appreciate the help I got from others You know Rusty Coun um you know the Mitch Meers the David De Jesus when I moved out there the guys that kind of taught me uh how to play the outfield you know cuz I went down to TripleA and you guys probably didn’t see it but those players down there in TripleA the pitchers saw me mess up over and over again Um but you know like I was talking about earlier I just kept putting in the work day after day day after day and kept getting better And you know it just it just never stopped Uh it was every day I was looking for a reason to get better out there and um you know during the 2009 2010 season when I got hurt with the hip and then the hand I felt like a defensive liability over there at third and I never wanted to go back to that So when I went out to left field um and started doing well I never wanted to give it up So it just it was about just keeping better and keeping keep helping this team out as much as I could Alex do you have a favorite memory looking back on your long tenure um you know there’s the obviously the World Series the 2014 American League Championship but I just I I look at the memories I have with my teammates and everything It’s not even about you know what I did on the field It’s it’s what we did in the clubhouse what we did on the plane flights you know the dinners we had on the road and stuff like that So um obviously all those things are great The championships are great but the memories and the friendships I’ve made over the years is what kind of means the most to me And you know having these guys back I think there’s eight or nine 10 guys back and you know sharing the memories and stories with them the past two days have been just fulfilled uh fulfilling So um it’s been great Yeah Alex there’s been a lot of reminiscing over the course of the season 10 year anniversary 15 the gala Moose’s official retirement as a royal Have those events helped kind of focus uh your memories from your time as a Royal and maybe what the what the heights of your time here were i think I just keep apologizing to the players and the coaches in there like we’re doing this again so they got to deal with us one more time at least But uh it’s been a it’s been a fun month Um you know we had the reunion we had we had Savannah Bananas here So guy flying in left and right and you know that’s what you kind of you know cherish the most is when they come back you kind of like never miss a beat with these guys and it’s always fun to see them I know you know Musakus goes back to California or Hos goes back to Florida all these guys go different directions but we always try we all try to stay in touch as much as we can So when we get together it’s it’s a lot of fun So this past month has been awarding but at the same time still apologizing to those guys in the clubhouse So just one more time Hey Alex Uh your career can’t get much more story than than growing up rooting for the team that you ended up draft by playing for winning a World Series Is that kind of what do you think about just like from that day growing for rooting for the Royals to today uh it means a lot Um you know kind of sharing it with my family I know my mom gave me you know a present today just it was a poster with all the pictures of you know me and my brothers playing baseball growing up together and there’s you know six or seven pictures of us as little kids coming to Royals games and everything So um you know it was always my dream to be a Major League Baseball player when I was a little kid Never would I thought it would I would have been with Kansas City you know my entire career And we’re now sitting here today about ready to get inducted into the Hall of Fame I mean I can’t I can’t thank that enough and just like I said earlier just blessed and honored to be in this kind of situation But um you kind of look back on you know when you’re sitting up here and thinking about you know this um achievement and you just think about all the people that helped you along the way and you know definitely my family and my brothers and you know everybody So it’s it’s it’s good to reminisce and um think about those people You talked about George and Bo and how you looked up to those guys We talked to Salvi and he just talked about the impact that you had on his career Do you realize the impact of on the careers of some of the young guys even young Noah Cameron who grew up in St Joe as a pitcher now and he grew up watching you and idolizing you Just the impact you’ve had on some of these guys from I hope so You know I talked about it earlier just learning from the best guys that that did it The Reggie Sanders Mike Sweenies the George Bretson just how they went about their business and you know really looking up to those guys and then at the same time saying “How do I do I pass this on to the next generation?” And you know you talk about Salvi and Hosmer and Moose and all those guys And I know they were younger than me but at times I was looking up to them too I mean they they were great players They went about the business the right way And I think during those those championship runs that’s what was so great We didn’t have just one leader It was like every guy in that clubhouse was a leader Salv was a leader in in their own kind of ways Hos was a leader I was a leader So it was just a great mix that we had in that clubhouse So um you know it was it was just fun time What does it mean to you for you guys to slash Oh I just I just I just saw it just now I mean it’s it’s it’s pretty cool I mean I I can’t tell you I can’t speak on you know how much it means to me Um you know they didn’t have to do that I think I I heard someone one of the players kind of had the idea to do that So that’s what even means more um you know trying to play this game the right way and hope hopefully people looked up to me and um you know everything like that But um they did it when I retired in 2020 Um you know Hos was in San Diego I think Moose was in San Cincinnati Couple other guys when I retired and they they went out with the Pine Tar strip So I know the clubies hated me every time I did it But it’s kind of cool to see the guys do that How do they get that off you got ask the clubies that they didn’t like Especially the guys in here I think found a system uh how to get it off pretty quick But every time I went on the road those clubies actually hated me Like like in a funny joking way but they’d be like “Oh we got to clean Gordon’s jersey again.” You know it wasn’t like a little bit of pine tar It was a lot of pine tar So um it was just one of those habits I kind of started to do and kind of stuck with it What did you frustrate more was it the clubies with that or the grounds keeper with the the holes two feet Yeah Yeah I mean I had a lot of annoying and maybe disgusting habits over the years and I was pretty regiment about my routine I think people talk about that but you know I found things that worked for me and I kind of stuck with it So uh the holes in the grasp was one of them but um I I made sure I took care of those grass group guys too So and the clubies so it was worth it When you were drafted the hope maybe expectation from some was to end up as a Royals Hall of Famer Uh a lot of pressure When if ever did that pressure fade away um it it was hard and I I talked about it just a little bit a little bit I think I got pushed a little bit too quick maybe Um I got up here after one year in the minor leagues and you know everyone was looked at as the next door is Brett and you know I kind of let those expectations get the the best of me But um you know I I think it was you know injuries and and everything like that in 2009 2010 and um making the position change and you know I kind of just you know was going through a lot of struggles It was a hard time for me during my career and you know had a lot of people that I leaned on and you know just kind of got to a point where um I just wanted to go about my business as as long as I gave 100% You know Ned was a big component of that He told me one of the first day I played for him he said “As long as you give me 100% in practice and during the games whatever happens on the field you’re my guy.” And I kind of played like that for the rest of my career with him So he’s he’s a big part Um you know he came into my career right right when I needed him And you know I kind of uh owe a lot to my career to him So um I just wanted to give everything I had every day whether it was practice around the field and whatever happened in the game didn’t matter Alex how was it shooting that promotion in the the commercial with Ned in the game yeah it was I’m not an actor I mean I think you can tell that but um it was it was a little nerve-wracking with you know Bo Jackson George Brett you know Mike Sweeney all those guys looking at me and you know I was kind of the uh the eye of the show and everything but um it was fun Um you know there’s some clips that they didn’t show that we had a good time with and everything So um the Royals did a great job on it I think I got you know 100 text messages just from people just saying how cool it was So um kudos to the Royals for putting that together and getting us all together during spring training to do that Um but acting is definitely not uh my forte Yeah What was your some of your favorite memories being a Husker um you know now that the College World Series started today um it kind of takes you back to to those years Um you know you’re not in school uh it’s in the summer you’re with your buddies just playing baseball and you know your whole goal is obviously to win it all but to get to the World Series especially as a Nebraska kid you grew up watching that and you know I was able to get there my junior year and u I’ll never forget taking a bus to to Omaha and when we got there the crowd was just banging on our bus We kind of felt like rock stars like in college So that was one of the coolest moments and obviously the the stadium was filled with filled with red and um we won the first game forever in Nebraska history and that was cool but u ended up losing to Arizona State but it was a fun run and just getting to Omaha was was something special What was it like for you going back to Rosen Black as a professional and playing not fun Yeah No one wants to go back from um the big leagues to AAA Um but I mean you know I was fortunate enough to go back home and have a lot of support and people that were um you know cheering me on and and everything and you know kudos to Dayton more for sticking with me and you know he could have gi given up on me you know pretty easily during that time but um he didn’t And you know I wanted to u not prove them wrong prove people wrong but um just get back to where I knew I belong So nobody wants to go backwards but sometimes that’s life and you just got to deal with it and uh keep working and work staying positive and that’s what I try to do Alex a couple more and then I’ll get them out of here Being a kid from Lincoln Nebraska and then just having so many Husker fans follow you here throughout your career Just what does that mean to you and then for them to be able to come to Royals games now and see that you’re in the Hall of Fame yeah I mean driving up today was it was pretty special Um usually when I come to games now which is the way it should be you see the Bobby Wits and the Cagleons and Pasantos I mean my kids got both Bobby Wit jerseys and Pasantos and you know today coming up I saw a bunch bunch of Gordon jerseys and I got a bunch of text messages from people either Nebraska or Kansas City that they’re coming to the games So uh today’s something special and it means a lot that all my friends are coming to the games and supporting me and everything And just driving in in here today I could notice it So it was it was it was special Other than your home run of the World Series maybe your iconic play is the catch that you made in Chicago diving into the stands Do you think that sort of uh crystallizes your career for one and do you think that you could make that catch today with the Nets in place yeah I could have made the catch I think I just I wouldn’t have been in the stands but um that was that that was a great catch And you know the best part about that was um there was a kid I don’t know if you guys have ever seen it there’s a kid that was sitting next to the guy and he took a picture on his phone and we actually had that picture and it’s me just like in the aisle second aisle of Chicago White Sox stadium Um just one of those plays that happens and you can’t you look back on it now and you can’t believe that he did it But um at least I ran over Chicago White Sox fans because they were they weren’t good at that So that was good All right we good Thanks guys All right cool left and
Alex Gordan speaks with the media before being inducted into the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame.
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