Sweeny: John Glenn -- A Real American Hero

By Sweeny Murti
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Covering baseball is fun. And sometimes you get to talk to some really interesting people around the game. Few things, however, can top the experience of Sunday in Cleveland.

The Indians were honoring John Glenn, celebrating the 50^th anniversary of his orbiting the Earth.

A real American hero from the Cold War era, a key figure in the Space Race. And before he threw out the ceremonial first pitch, the media corps that usually talks about lineups and roster moves got to chat with him about far more interesting matters.

By pure coincidence, Glenn's visit came the day after Neil Armstrong's passing. Here is Glenn speaking about his fellow astronaut:

Glenn was asked where he was and what he remembered about the 1969 moon landing:

Glenn got a little chuckle when he was asked if he was at all jealous of Armstrong, given that he will forever be known as the first man to set foot on the moon:

The reason Glenn was being honored Sunday—the 50^th anniversary of becoming the first American to orbit the earth—gave him a chance to reflect on that remarkable achievement:

To bring it back around to baseball, it is well known that Glenn flew with the one and only Ted Williams during the Korean War. Hearing Glenn talk about it himself is fascinating:

Yes, covering baseball is fun. But it's pretty darn amazing getting to speak to and shake hands with a real American hero. Thank you, John Glenn.

Sweeny Murti

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