Frank Thomas, making his Hall of Fame induction speech.
Frank Thomas, making his Hall of Fame induction speech. (USATSI)

Frank Thomas retired after the 2008 season with one of the better hitting lines in recent memory. He owned a career .301/.419/.555 slash line with 2,468 hits, 495 doubles, 521 homers, 1,704 RBI, 1,494 runs and 1,667 walks. The five-time All-Star won two MVPs and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, getting 83.7 percent of the vote. Last July he was enshrined in Cooperstown with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Bobby Cox, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa.

Thomas, 47, is now a baseball analyst for Fox Sports and is participating in All-Star Weekend with Gillette -- the official sponsor of the Home Run Derby. Thomas works specifically with Gillette Shave Club, a subscription razor service that delivers Gillette blades directly to members' doors and actually has a rewards program that includes prizes from Major League Baseball, including tickets. Check it out. 

CBSSports.com was able to catch up with Thomas on Friday. Below are the answers to a quick series of questions with "The Big Hurt."

On his best All-Star Game memory:

"It would be 1995 winning the Home Run Derby and homering in the game. I was leading the league at that point and had back-to-back MVPs, but I became a national celebrity after that."

Does the Home Run Derby actually mess up a player's swing heading back to the regular season?

"It'll screw you up a couple days, but that's because you try to hit 'em too far. My advice going into the Derby is to put yourself in the frame of mind that it's a 3-1 or 2-0 count and you're trying to hit a home run the proper way. If you take that [approach] into the Derby, then it won't throw you outta whack. It's not about how far you hit 'em, it's just as long as they go over the wall. I think guys lose focus and try to hit them so far. Just hit a home run that's over the wall."

Has he ever spoken to anyone else who screwed up their swing?

"A lot of guys, because the first thing you wanna do is to turn and jerk. Like I said, if you go in with the proper approach, it can be very beneficial to your game. One year in the Home Run Derby, I hit like seven home runs in five games* right after the break, so it hadn't messed with my swing."

*The Big Hurt was a little off here, but it has been a long time so please forgive him. For the totals and more on the Home Run Derby, read more here.

What he's most looking forward to in the Derby this year:

"I'm not looking forward to the extended time (the bonuses for length). I wish it was just the five minutes per player. That's the best thing they've ever done, but adding time for distance is not good."

What he's most looking forward to in the All-Star Game itself:

Looking forward to "a well-played ballgame. I still don't believe in 'this game counts' because I still think you should reward players for being on the All-Star team. They should have a three-day -- not vacation, they should play in the ballgame -- but not take it so seriously."

His feelings on returning to the Hall of Fame in his first year after induction:

"I will have a good time just taking the family and relaxing and watching some others go in."

His advice for the four new inductees:

"Have your speeches ready and enjoy the festivities because this is the most special day in your life. You're talking about a very special club and it won't hit you until six or seven months later."

Is it fair for Hall of Fame voters to draw assumptions without any substantive evidence regarding possible PED use?

"You could look at certain guys and look at stats and numbers, you could just look at certain numbers on baseball cards and realize [at the time] we're going crazy here. One thing about the baseball-card stats, they are very consistent over the course of your career and with your talent level. Yeah, you can bloom every now and then, jump 10 home runs. Those things happen. But you don't bloom into 25 more. It just doesn't happen. The Hall of Fame is exclusive and, trust me, meeting all these older guys, this is their legacy and they don't want their legacy tainted by players who didn't do things the proper way."

Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?

"I love Pete Rose. I've been working with him at FOX. He has a record that will never be broken, I really believe that because no one is going to play 25 years again. What he did on the field was worthy of the Hall of Fame. Yes, he made a huge mistake and he's been living his life trying to repair that. Based upon what he did on the field, I believe he should be in the Hall of Fame."