By John Tomlinson
SALT LAKE CITY -- Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer stopped by Franklin Covey Field in Salt Lake City on Friday, August 1, to raise community awareness about acid reflux disease.
Although Palmer is best known for his achievements on the baseball field, he has been traveling to Minor League Baseball ballparks across the nation this season as a spokesman for Pitching in for Community Health.
'For me, it was a perfect marriage between Minor League Baseball, which is how I started my professional career, and public awareness,' Palmer said.
Palmer is one of 21 million Americans suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease. GERD occurs when a little ring like muscle at the bottom of the esophagus works improperly and loses its elasticity.
The muscle is then unable to close and stomach acid can come up and damage the vocal cords.
'It was probably more injurious in my broadcasting career because I would lose my voice,' Palmer said. 'That can be one of the many symptoms of GERD.'
Palmer said he wants to raise awareness to everyone about the importance of visiting the doctor for a check up.
'The message is if you have heartburn more than two days a week, talk to your doctor because you may have GERD and not even know it,' Palmer said. 'I did that for years and I just tried to self-medicate myself.'
Doctors told Palmer to take a proton pump inhibitor pill, which attaches to the cells responsible for secreting acid to help digest food.
'Doctors say about 85 to 90 percent of the time the proton pump inhibitor pill will be able to control the acid,' Palmer said. 'It can change your life!'
Palmer has been a spokesperson for many non-profit organizations, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and has raised awareness for many chronic illnesses.
On the field, Palmer was a very successful pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles for 19 years. In that time, he won an unprecedented 268 games and three World Series Championships.
'When you are 20 and you go to the first World Series and six days later you walk out of Memorial Stadium saying we''re World Champs, you think you are going to do that every year,' Palmer said.
In 1966 at age 20, Palmer became the youngest pitcher ever to throw a World Series shutout, and in 1983 he became the only pitcher to have won a World Series game in each of three decades.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Palmer has had some connections to the state of Utah and BYU during his lifetime.
'You know what, I almost went to BYU,' Palmer said. 'When I got out of high school I had scholarships to all the schools in Utah because I was a good basketball player.'
He chose to pursue baseball and started right out of high school.
He also traveled to Tooele for a tournament when he played in a Babe Ruth League. He said he doesn''t want to remember it though, because he walked the first seven guys he faced.
'A big guy from Southern California had a big smile on his face,' Palmer said. 'By the time I figured out why he was smiling I had walked everybody.'
Palmer also talked about how the game of baseball has changed now that guys move around in the league so much. He said pitchers don''t get the responsibility of winning and losing games anymore.
'You may get the win, but you''re not out there when the game ends,' Palmer said. 'You don''t get all 27 outs.'
Palmer said when he looks back at pitching a complete game, pitching through the lineup four or five times, it took a lot of physical and mental stamina. But he added it was a lot of fun.
'Even when you lost it was fun because it brought out the best in you,' Palmer said. 'That is what sports can do.'
His best advice for children with the dream of one day making it to the big leagues is to have fun and decide to enjoy it. He also said sports are a great way to stay off the streets.
'I used to get into a juvenile delinquency before I got into sports, and when you start playing sports you don''t have any time to do that kind of stuff,' Palmer said.
Palmer said he has always had a passion for baseball.
'I love the game, even as a broadcaster,' Palmer said. 'I would like the Orioles to win more games, but I enjoy it. There is not a day I don''t go to the ballpark and not learn something, and I still enjoy what I do.'