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On Monday, the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball hosted the Cincinnati Reds, and a familiar face was at hand to deliver the ceremonial first pitch at Kauffman Stadium.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce threw it to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., as seen in the video below:
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And while teammate (and Royals part-owner) Patrick Mahomes raved at the pitch, former Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt thought differently of it:
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"That slip had potential to be disastrous. What a recovery."
What did J.J. Watt say about his impending honor ceremony?
While Kelce is preparing to help the Chiefs defend their title, J.J. Watt is just happy to enjoy his retirement from the NFL. And soon, he will receive a great gift.
As one of the greatest players in Texans history (and arguably the single best one outright), Watt is expected to have his services repaid in kind when the franchise inducts him and his number 99 into its Ring of Honor on October 1, during Houston's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Below is the official statement from the McNair family, which owns the Texans:
"We are so excited to have J.J. Watt join the Ring of Honor as our third member. Everybody knows how much J.J. means to our family, the Texans organization and the entire City of Houston.
"He is one of the most dominant players in NFL history and he created a unique and irreplaceable bond with our fans. J.J. has always kept a special place in Houston's heart and we're thrilled to welcome him back. On behalf of the entire organization, we can't wait to give J.J. and his family the celebration he deserves on October 1st."
J.J. Watt also spoke about the upcoming induction:
"Houston, where do I start? Twelve years ago, I was just a little kid. I was coming to a city that I knew not a whole lot about. I knew there was good barbecue and pickup trucks. That was about the extent of my knowledge.
"What I didn't know was how incredibly special the people, the community, the family was. And I'm so grateful and so thankful that you accepted me into that family.
"D*mn, am I proud to be a Texan... Some of the memories we made, some of the moments we've shared together, on the field off the field, some of the adversity we've been through... and we did that.
"I'm unbelievably excited to be coming home and we got a whole lot of new memories to make if you'll have me as part of your family again moving forward. Let's get back together H-Town. I love ya."
