Sure, there’s no crying in baseball, but you can get teary for the baseball hall

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA.— Jack Morris always prided himself on being a tough guy when he pitched, a biggame winner who wouldn’t break down.

So guess what happened when the newly elected hall-of-famer spoke in front of George Brett, Robin Yount and a couple of his Cooperstown pals? He lost it.

Morris choked up several times Monday, often pausing to catch himself as he and former Detroit Tigers teammate Alan Trammell were formally introduced a day after they were elevated forever. “I was a wreck,” he said. A hall of a moment it was, during a news conference at the baseball winter meetings.

“I’m overwhelmed. I’m grateful. I’m honoured and very humbled,” Morris said. “I want to share it.”

Morris and Trammell were elected by the 16-man Modern Era Committee, which considered candidates whose biggest contributions came from 1970-87. Brett and Yount were on the panel, along with fellow hallof-famers Rod Carew, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Winfield, Don Sutton, Bobby Cox and John Schuerholz.

The former Detroit stars made their major league debuts in 1977, played with the Tigers for 13 years and now will be enshrined together on July 29.

Morris, who pitched for Toronto in 1992 and 1993, earned 254 wins and was best known for throwing a 10inning shutout in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, pitching Minnesota past Atlanta.

Trammell was a six-time all-star and four-time Gold Glover at shortstop.