He hasn't changed a bit since he first showed up with a flat-top haircut and blue collar work ethic. Chris Sabo, who was named Tuesday for induction to the Reds Hall of Fame along with Pedro Borbon and the late Tony Mullane, is as disarmingly honest now as he was in 1988 when he was named National League Rookie of the Year.
"Well, I guess I should have worn a coat and tie. I didn't know this was such a formal occasion," he told spectators at the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. "It is a great honor. I had a great time here, the fans seemed to like the way I played the game and I can't wait for my kids and others peoples' kids to enjoy winning baseball in Cincinnati again."
Kids have a special place in Sabo's world. In fact, his most enduring sports memory happened when he was a kid. He was 8-years-old, standing along the sideboards at the Olympia, the downtown Detroit hockey rink that was home to his beloved Red Wings.
Chris told me in his typically self-effacing manner, "Look at me now. Think how goofy I looked when I was 8 and had a hat with flaps on it!" But there he was, flaps and all, face pressed up against the rinkside plexiglass as the Red Wings warmed up before a game.
And then it happened. The legendary Gordie Howe was taking his laps around the rink when Chris says he made eye contact with the Detroit icon. "My heart started beating uncontrollably. I couldn't breathe. His eyes were fixed on mine as he skated closer." Then with one deft move Howe scooped up a bladeful of shavings off the Olympia's ice and flipped it over the glass partition so precisely that it landed squarely on Chris' 8-year-old chest.
To hear a grizzled major league veteran tell you that he clutched that frosty fan tribute, praying it would never melt – gives you knew perspective on the depth of his character and grasp of whats important in life.
He told me, "I've been Rookie of the Year, I've played on a World Series Championship Team and that moment with Gordie Howe will always be my most cherished sports memory."
Who knows how many other "goofy little kids" Gordie Howe connected with like that over the years? Suffice to say though there was only one Chris Sabo on the receiving end.
