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In the soon-to-be posted biographies on our Roster page, I let it be known that my favourite all-time Blue Jay is Tom Henke. This morning, I found an article in the Star that reminds me why that is. Henke was in town for the Sports Celebrity Dinner (and as an aside, that event consistently draws some huge names) to benefit Easter Seals, and I didn't know till now that this event has extra meaning for Tom: his youngest daughter Amanda was born with Down's Syndrome in 1986. This is a nice little story of how the family managed, and about a visit with one of the steadiest, sturdiest and most accomplished players ever to wear a Blue Jays uniform.
Terminator 2 | 12 comments | Create New Account
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_Stan - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 04:55 PM EST (#79346) #
Tom Henke personifies 1st class all the way. His nickname "terminator" said it all when he came into a game.
_EddieZosky - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 05:02 PM EST (#79347) #
He is the sole reason for why I am to this day an Aqua Velva man.
Craig B - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 07:56 PM EST (#79348) #
To echo something said about a very different man:

100% ballplayer, 0% bullshit.

It's hard to find a Jays fan from that era who doesn't idolize Tom Henke. The guy did it the right way.
_Stan - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 09:28 PM EST (#79349) #
I remember a game between the Yankees and the Jays. I was watching the game on American TV. Henke came into the game and threw one of his pitches fron down under and Phil Rizzuto was stunned. He had never seen him before.
Dave Till - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 10:04 PM EST (#79350) #
I remember nearly jumping out of my chair when I first saw Henke throw sidearm against a righthanded hitter. Tom Cheek, who was calling the game, was as startled as I was, and came as close as he ever will to shouting "Holy [s-word]!" on the air.

I don't recall Henke pitching sidearm after about 1989 or so.

What was most impressive about the Terminator was that he reinvented himself in mid-career. When he first came up, he threw high hard gas, mixed in with an occasional two-strike sidearm thingy against righties. By the end of his career, his out pitch was a fork ball, and he only threw the fastball to give the hitter a different look.

What a classy, classy guy.
_Niles - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 10:29 PM EST (#79351) #
Why don't the Jays have a fan fest?
_Rob - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 10:53 PM EST (#79352) #
"Ground control to Major Tom"

Sorry, just felt like singing that.
_MatO - Saturday, February 07 2004 @ 11:43 PM EST (#79353) #
Henke was a very mild-mannered guy but my fondest memory of him is a game at Fenway Park. The Jays had a one run lead and Henke was coming in to close it in the ninth. As he's coming in I notice a big stain on his uniform. It turns out a fan had dumped a beer on him and Henke is MAD. Strikes out the side on ten pitches.

On a side note. Henke had been a fringe major leaguer with Texas. Basically just a fastball pitcher. OAfter thew 1984 season, henke pitched in the winter leagues and learned a new pitch, the split-finger. The Jays saw him there and chose him as compensation for the loss of Cliff Johnson to free-agency.
Gitz - Sunday, February 08 2004 @ 12:07 AM EST (#79354) #
My main memories of Henke come from the Duane Ward/Henke years, when Henke would seem to be hit harder after Ward set him up, probably because Ward was such a nasty pitcher that Henke looked like a 12-year-old comparitively. That splitter was wicked, though. I mean, the hitter knew it was coming, but he still swung at it 94 percent of the time. I miss the days of the big split-fingered fastball pitchers: when he was on, Mike Scott, for example, was about the nastiest pitcher I recall seeing in the 1980s. There are still a few around, of course -- and it's probably better they are few in number, because of the reputed damage it causes to your shoulder. Then again, it seems that, in general, the act of throwing a pitch, especially when it's shown in slow motion, is about the most unhealthy thing a person could do to their body.

Why don't the Jays have a fan fest?

The A's held their fanfest Saturday, and Scott Hatteberg was asked, by a real reporter, not some crazed female fan, the usual variety of penetrating questions: "What did you do in the off-season?", "Are you ready for the season to start," etc. But seldom has a more innane question come up than "Boxers or briefs?" Hatteberg's response? "I gave them both up." How will I ever sleep tonight?
Joe - Sunday, February 08 2004 @ 12:58 AM EST (#79355) #
http://me.woot.net
Then again, it seems that, in general, the act of throwing a pitch, especially when it's shown in slow motion, is about the most unhealthy thing a person could do to their body.

I've always had respect for pitchers for this very reason. My gas runs out at about 60 mph, and my arm's about ready to fall off when I do hit the magical 6-0. Pain is part of the pitcher's life; it's for this reason that so often, a pitcher who is injured will say "I thought I could play through the pain." They play through pain every single day—it just so happens that their shoulders and arms are freakishly tolerant of the horrific things that are done to them.

To put what pitchers do in perspective, I have some pain in my left shoulder right now. I got it doing the backstroke, and I find it repeat the motion more than 30 or 40 times before it starts hurting quite a bit. Pitchers do much worse much more often and bounce back at least every fifth day.
Craig B - Sunday, February 08 2004 @ 12:07 PM EST (#79356) #
But seldom has a more innane question come up than "Boxers or briefs?" Hatteberg's response? "I gave them both up." How will I ever sleep tonight?

I have an indelible image of Gitz rocking back and forth, eyes closed and hands over his ears, repeating the mantra "BELOW REPLACEMENT LEVEL! BELOW REPLACEMENT LEVEL!" over and over again.
_coliver - Monday, February 09 2004 @ 07:45 AM EST (#79357) #
I had the opportunity to meet Tom Henke during Alumni Week of 2002 (we shared an elevator at the SkyDome Hotel). We were able able to visit for about 4 floors. Such a nice guy!
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