00:00He was 26 years old in 2019 when he won the batting title, and that was the first of four
00:06seasons.
00:06I know the COVID season doesn't always count, but four straight seasons he hit 300, above 300 in the major
00:15leagues.
00:16And then he fell off the map. I think it's a cautionary tale.
00:21He addressed this yesterday, alluded to it, but some of the decisions that he made got in the way of
00:28his focus
00:28and interrupted his path to stardom or kept him on top.
00:33And I remember, obviously, Tim Anderson on the field for the game in Iowa where he became the face of
00:40baseball for a day,
00:41according to Joe Buck, and the things that he did, just mobilizing a fan base on the south side.
00:48He loved those city jerseys. He looked great in them.
00:52They're going to wear them in his honor on the 17th.
00:54But way back when, early in his career, less than 10 years ago,
01:00Tim Anderson was on a panel that I was on at the Chicago Sports Summit,
01:04and he was with his wife at the time, and he was talking about how much he cared about the
01:13south side of Chicago
01:14and how important it was for him to invest and be visible in the community.
01:20And he had an initiative. He had a foundation, I believe.
01:25He was active, and he was visible, and he was present.
01:29And that's what I will remember about Tim Anderson,
01:32and that's why there was a tinge of sadness yesterday hearing him speak
01:35and the anxiety he felt talking about baseball and how it just smothered him,
01:41not being able to live up to expectations.
01:43But he always had, in my mind, what I'll remember is he had his heart in the right place,
01:48and he was a very proud member of the White Sox organization.
01:51And kudos to the White Sox, who do a terrific job of outreach
01:56and keeping their ex-players part of their organization.
01:59And it's very important, I think, moving forward to keep Tim Anderson part of this now
02:04because I do think he wants to turn the corner.
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