There were no organized little leagues when Tommy was a child. He grew up playing sandlot football in the streets and fields around Bessemer, Alabama. Even at an early age it was apparent he was a gifted athlete. So much so that he was often invited to play ball with older teenagers when he was still in elementary school.
That’s where Tommy learned to run and he would often show up his older opponents with his speed and elusiveness. A fact that would cause the older boys to chase him home. I know it sounds like a line from a movie but Tommy would often hear his pursuers yell, “Run Tommy, run!