HALL OF FAME RAINES THANKS DAWSON FOR HELP
In an era in which analytics are increasingly supplanting, rather than supplementing, gut instincts, baseball celebrated the old school game Sunday at the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Jeff Bagwell reminded the crowd of the importance of a clubhouse culture, hanging out with your teammates, clubhouse attendants and trainers late into the night, talking life as much as baseball.
Tim Raines reminisced about his early years with the Montreal Expos, where teammate Andre Dawson not only helped him overcome his cocaine addiction but was so instrumental in his life that he named his second son after him.
Ivan Rodriguez spoke about growing up in poverty in Puerto Rico and, though he’s in the Hall of Fame, vows never to forget his roots. He talked about the impact great Puerto Rican catchers such as Benito Santiago and Sandy Alomar Jr. made on him.
John Schuerholz, architect of two World Series champions ( one in each league) and 14 consecutive division titles with the Atlanta Braves, discussed the importance of scouting and development, with Hall of Fame manager Bobby Cox becoming his most treasured resource, not a puppet writing out a lineup card handed down by the front office.
Former commissioner Bud Selig talked about the days in which the sport was divided between small and big markets and a time when the players union and owners were feuding. He changed the game using old- fashioned people skills, helping everyone get along; he thanked former union chief Michael Weiner for helping him along the way.
The quintet spent nearly four hours Sunday subtly reminding everyone that numbers and statistics are fine but it’s still a game played and run by men and women, emphasizing no one should ever forget the value of the human element.
“What I was trying to convey,” Bagwell said in his impassioned speech, “was that a
lot of things are done in baseball that you see a bottom line. You see stats. It’s all about stats.
“But there’s so much more about baseball than goes in, whether it’s talking to the media, the clubhouse guys, umpires. … There’s so many different things that go around a stat line that people don’t see.”
Bagwell thanked everyone from longtime teammates Craig Biggio and Moises Alou to the late Ken Caminiti and Darryl Kile, to his former managers, coaches, trainers, to Milwaukee Brewers clubhouse attendant Phil Rozewicz.
“Baseball is about relationships,” Bagwell said. “Those are the things that are passionate to me, just because I think those people are so important in all of our lives as players.”
Sure, maybe the speeches were too long. Then again, maybe it was OK to hear grown men ramble on, talking about their paths to the Hall of Fame and not trying to fit their speeches to accommodate any TV time slots.
The players showed their emotions all day, with Rodriguez tearing up when he looked at his parents in the crowd and thanking them in Spanish. Raines choked up when he discussed those who meant the most to him throughout his career, everyone from Dawson to Joe Morgan to Frank Thomas.
And, yes, the day was sprinkled with humor. Rodriguez talked about the time he blamed Nolan Ryan missing his eighth no- hitter on his English skills.
“Hall of Famer Dave Winfield singled to lead off the eighth inning,” Rodriguez recalled. “After the game, the reporter asked me, ‘ What was the pitch he threw?’ I said to the reporter, ‘ Nolan shook me off.’ Sorry, Nolan. The kid learned English quickly.”
Raines, overwhelmed by the legions of fans who came from Montreal to honor him, tried to open his speech by thanking them in French. He spoke a few words, stopped and apologized.
“I tried for 25 years to speak your language,” Raines said, “and I still don’t have it. I screwed that one up. Again.”
It made no difference. The fans that made the five- hour drive showered Raines with adoration.
On this day, the newest Hall of Fame class wanted to simply celebrate the game they knew growing up. Their ways might seem almost archaic to those running the game today, but, honestly, they’ll tell you, it was a thing of beauty.
Sunday provided a wonderful reminder.
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