I think it will be the most unique Hall of Fame induction.
Countdown to Cooperstown
Just eight days remain until Hall of Fame Weekend begins in Cooperstown, and the excitement is building across the baseball world – most of all with the members of the Class of 2015.
“I’m excited to go in with this class,” said Class of 2015 electee Pedro Martínez. “I think it will be the most unique Hall of Fame induction.”
Martínez, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and eight-time All-Star pitcher with the Dodgers, Expos, Red Sox, Mets and Phillies, will join Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson and John Smoltz as the four newest players to be inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum July 24-27. The four electees participated in media conference calls on Thursday as their warm-up for the big weekend.
Fans from across the globe will soon converge on the village of Cooperstown – including a large contingent from Martínez’s home country, the Dominican Republic.
“I’m especially excited about the response of the Dominican people,” Martínez said. “I know a lot of people will be coming. We’ve waited (33 years) for our next player to go in after the first one (Juan Marichal), so it’s a special moment.”
Pedro Martinez
There will be plenty for visitors to see and do before Martínez and his fellow electees take center stage Sunday afternoon. Festivities begin on the morning of Friday, July 24, with the Museum’s annual PLAY Ball fundraiser, an event that offers baseball fans a chance to take the field with some absolute legends of the game.
Ozzie Smith, who has hosted PLAY Ball every year since his induction to the Hall in 2002, will be joined by fellow Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Greg Maddux. The event begins at 8 a.m. with a quick breakfast with the Hall of Famers in the Plaque Gallery. Then, the fun really begins when action moves over to a local baseball diamond at the Clark Sports Center. Participants will receive more than two hours of non-stop interaction, including personalized instruction and the chance to turn double plays with the baseball legends.
Now in its 14th year, proceeds from PLAY (Players, Legends and You) Ball support initiatives of the Museum’s education department. Click here for more information on the PLAY Ball event, or call 607-547-0397 to reserve your spot.
On Saturday, fans in Cooperstown will have the chance to applaud those who have brought them the game of baseball – whether it be on the field or in the press box. Action begins with the annual Hall of Fame Awards Presentation at 4:30 p.m. at historic Doubleday Field. Tom Gage, who covered the game for 36 years with the Detroit News, will receive the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for his meritorious contributions to baseball writing, while San Diego Padres broadcaster Dick Enberg, whose famous “Oh my!” call has accompanied some of the biggest sporting events for decades, will receive the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting.
Additionally, the Hall will recognize the legacies of former All-Star Curt Flood, whose challenge to baseball’s reserve clause laid the foundation for free agency in the major leagues, and all the ballplayers who defended their country in World War II. United States Navy Secretary Ray Mabus will speak on behalf of all military branches as America marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Then immediately following the conclusion of the Awards Presentation, more than four dozen living Hall of Famers will take to the streets in a baseball celebration that simply cannot be found in any other town. The Parade of Legends, now in its sixth year, features the baseball heroes riding in trucks provided by Ford Motor Company. The route begins on Chestnut Street and continues down Cooperstown’s idyllic Main Street before it deposits the Hall of Famers right at the front steps of the Hall of Fame. Fans are encouraged to gather near Pioneer Park at Main and Pioneer streets for the best glimpse of their favorite players.
Of course, the weekend’s main event takes place at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, when the returning members of the Hall of Fame family gather to welcome their newest brethren.
After competing for many years against the world’s best ballplayers on the game’s biggest stages, new inductees will still often label their inductions speeches as one of the hardest things they have to do.
“That’s an understatement,” Biggio said. “It’s hard to do because there’s so many people you’re grateful for. My kids know the speech better than I do at this point. We’re getting there, but I’m going to keep practicing it. The biggest thing is to make sure I don’t leave anyone out.”
Johnson said his speech is mostly done and written down on paper, but that doesn’t make him any less nervous.
“I’m very excited, and I’m as prepared as I can be,” Johnson said. “I’ll probably be more nervous than any game that I’ve pitched. But I’m humbled and honored to be elected.”
However, Johnson, who has resumed his passion for photography since putting away his glove, still plans to have fun on the stage.
I’ll probably be more nervous than any game that I’ve pitched.
Randy Johnson
Matt Kelly is the communications specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
