Thome dedicates season to his Mother?

[williesd]

I heard that he was dedicating this season to his Mother that recently died of lung cancer. Can anyone confirm this?

[AcidRock23]

Wow, that's an interesting story. I would rate him up a whiff for that. I'd want some confirmation though...

[williesd]

I could have sworn I heard it on this interview..

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/radio ... rchive.jsp
Scroll down till you see...
Reporter Ken Mandel with the latest from Phillies camp

It's at the end of the inerview, forward to 11:50

[SHOCKandAWE]

How cool! I hope he accomplishes what he sets out to do. I wont draft him but I hope he does well

[Kingctb27]

Classy move from a very Classy Guy.

[williesd]

Bump

[CubsFan7724]

Why would you bump him up because of this? I think his mothers death could just as likely have an adverse effect as a positive effect. You can't really justify moving him up statistically, so I guess it would just me a sentiment thing.

[bd3521]

All I can think of in moments like this is Brett Favre's performance when his dad passed away.

[AcidRock23]

Focus seemed a bit lacking last year. I think that if you come out and say something like that, particularly from a sort of 'old-school' dude like Thome, it may have some resonance that I might not quite feel the same way about if it were someone a bit flightier. That is, of course, a completely wild guess, but sometimes I like to consider intangible stuff that could make a difference. Every little bit counts!!

Then again, it seems like the top of the draft is pretty crowded and that it should be obvious who to pick for the first couple of rounds. We'll see though...