As Induction Weekend nears, Class of 2017 members ready for their moment
Nine days away from receiving the greatest honor the game of baseball affords, the anticipation is building for the Class of 2017.
Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines, Iván Rodríguez, John Schuerholz and Bud Selig comprise a group that has collectively left their mark on the sport for more than five decades. On Sunday, July 30, they will each give speeches and view for the first time bronze plaques signifying their induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bagwell, Raines and Rodríguez were elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Schuerholz and Selig were elected to the Hall of Fame via the Today’s Game Era (1988 through the present) Committee in December.
With their big day just around the corner, the five newest members of the sport’s greatest team each participated in individual conference calls throughout the afternoon of Friday, July 21. Appropriately, Raines, one of baseball’s greatest leadoff hitters, led off, sharing with the media his excitement.
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“It has hit me. I think I mentioned earlier, a couple of months ago, it hit me seriously when I flew into Albany (for his Hall of Fame Orientation Visit) and the guy that was picking me up from the airport had Hall of Fame on his shirt. I think at that moment it hit me,” Raines said. “When I first got the call I think I was dazed, I was happy, overwhelmed with happiness, not only for myself but also for my family, my parents the most. And it was just a great day getting the call. But since me going to Cooperstown for the orientation, going through all of that, I think it hit me wholeheartedly and I’ve been on a cloud ever since.”
As part of Hall of Fame Weekend, July 28-31, the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Clark Sports Center – located one mile south of the Hall of Fame – beginning at 1:30 p.m. The five honorees will be onstage addressing a crowd expected to be in the tens of thousands, while behind them more than 50 returning Hall of Famers will be on hand to celebrate their induction.
One of the Hall of Famers scheduled to return is Rickey Henderson, a Raines contemporary he was often compared to.
“I enjoy being compared to Rickey, to me the greatest leadoff guy that every played the game,” said Raines. “I was a fan of Rickey. I enjoyed watching him play.
“I would say I stole bases to score runs. I stole bases for my team. I didn’t really see it as an individual stat. I just felt like, every game that I played in, if I stole a base it was a situation where I felt like I did it to win games and we needed to score runs.”
Raines acknowledges his game has been elevated in recent years by others examining his on-field contributions though advance statistics.
“I think it propelled me to get into the Hall. I didn’t really think too much about it as a player. I didn’t really look at it that close,” Raines said. “As a fan and as a baseball person I was starting to see the way things are looked at in baseball right now. It’s very interesting.
“We didn’t have the stats the way they have them today but I think if we would have back them my chances of getting in might have been ever earlier. It helped me tremendously and I think it played a really big role in my induction.”
Bagwell was asked about his own Hall of Fame experience since he received the call informing him of his election.
“It’s been a lot in the last month,” he said. “It’s coming quick. It was three months, then two, then one, and now it’s next week. It’s sneaking up real quick. It’s been great and I know when I get there it’ll be special.”
Bagwell does have firsthand knowledge of a Hall of Fame induction, having attended the ceremony of his longtime Astros teammate Craig Biggio in 2015.
“For one, I’m very proud of Craig,” Bagwell said. “To get up there and watch him go in, I know it meant so much to him. It was a cool experience. For me, I can’t think of a better guy to be associated with than Craig Biggio. We played together for 15 years, through ups and downs and a little bit of everything. For us to end up in the Hall, by our individual accomplishments, it’s very, very special.”
Rodríguez is among the greatest catchers of all time, as his 14 All-Star Game selections and his 13 Gold Glove Awards are tops among players at his position. When “Pudge” ended his 21-year career, spent mostly with the Rangers and Tigers, in 2011, he led all catchers with 2,749 hits, 1,290 RBI and 2,427 games caught, while his 304 home runs ranked fifth.
“I’m really excited, but I am anxious,” Rodríguez said. “I’m nervous, I won’t lie, and the days are getting closer. It’s going to be a fun and fantastic week. I’ll be there with good friends and a lot of guys from the Rangers will be there. I’ll be with my family, and it’ll be a good time. I can’t wait to be there. I hope I can enjoy all the activities. I know there will be a lot going on, but at the same time it’s only one time. I’ll enjoy as much as I can.”
Schuerholz began his decades-long career in big league front offices with the Baltimore Orioles in 1966, then moved to the expansion Kansas City Royals in 1969. After being promoted from farm director to general manager in 1981, he put together the 1985 team that won the first World Series for the Royals. In 1990 he moved to the Atlanta Braves as general manager and one year later the team won the first of 14 consecutive full-season division titles, which included a World Series crown in 1995. In Schuerholz’s 26 years as GM of the Royals and Braves, from 1982 to 2007, his teams won 2,348 games, an average of more than 90 wins per season.
“We’re very proud of that accomplishment, Bobby Cox and I as a manager and general manager partnership working together,” said Schuerholz when asked for his thoughts on the Braves 14 consecutive division titles during his tenure. “It was a remarkable accomplishment. You keep your nose to the grindstone, you look on your goals of that particular year, and try to be sure the team for the next year is strong enough to compete and have a chance to get back into the playoffs. And when you look back after that’s all been accomplished, 14 consecutive division championships, it’s remarkable.
“And it’s made more remarkable by the comments and the observations from people all throughout the game, from ownership to high-ranking executives to managers, and coaches and players, even, saying you can’t do that. I think it’s so profoundly difficult for all of the reasons you know and I know that have to fall in place that it’s unlikely to be accomplished again. But you never say never. Somebody might be fortunate enough or good enough or both of those things to accomplish it. We’re really proud of it and it’s one of the shining lights of all of the greatness we enjoyed together here in Atlanta with our great fans.”
Selig, who will be inducted on his 83rd birthday, had a profound impact on big league baseball for a quarter-century. While owning his hometown Milwaukee Brewers, he was appointed acting MLB Commissioner in 1992 before the interim title was removed in 1998. Overall, he served 22 years as Commissioner, the second longest tenure in Major League history behind Kenesaw Mountain Landis.
During his time in the Commissioner’s office, Selig, among his many accomplishments, oversaw the 1993 and 1998 expansions, advent of the Wild Card and divisional playoffs, the creation of interleague play, the introduction of replay for umpires, and the start of the MLB Network.
With the induction of Bagwell, Raines, Rodríguez, Schuerholz and Selig, the total number of Hall of Fame members increases to 317.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be shown live on MLB Network, and will via webcast at www.baseballhall.org.
The Hall of Fame Weekend festivities will also feature the Awards Presentation on Saturday, July 29, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Doubleday Field. Featured will be presentation of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for writers to Claire Smith, the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence to the late Bill King, and the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award to Rachel Robinson.
Bill Francis is a Library Associate at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
