It’s February and that means baseball is right around the corner. Spring training baseball in sunny Florida, it doesn't get any better than that…

Born and raised in Cranston, Rhode Island, Thomas Pannone is a southpaw (a left-handed pitcher) for the Toronto Blue Jays. Aa a fellow Cranstonian, I have always loved the game of baseball and have been an avid Blue Jays fan since 1979 (it’s a long story). Needless to say, it’s a very big deal when a local kid from your hometown goes on to play professional baseball, forget about playing for your favorite team.

Pannone attended Bishop Hendricken HS where he was an outfielder and a pitcher. In 2013, Pannone was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 9th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Then, in July 2017, to my delight, Pannone was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays!

In January 2019, Thomas had his #3 jersey retired by Hendricken, only the third Hawk to be honored as such.  Then, on April 14th, he pitched a perfect inning against the Tampa Bay Rays, striking out the side (translation: 3 players on 9 pitches). Only 2 other pitchers in Blue Jays history have accomplished this feat. He is obviously a very talented kid with a bright future in Major League Baseball (hopefully with the Toronto Blue Jays!).

Epilogue: Thanks to my brother-in-law Doug, I was able to meet Thomas last year at a party in Providence and we, of course, discussed baseball.