Robin Evan Roberts – Induction Speech

The commissioner didn’t say anything about brains. I’ll tell you, I showed up a lot, which is one of the reasons I’m here, and I’m very grateful for it. Before I speak, I would like to introduce my wife Mary. Will you please stand up. My oldest son Robbie and his wife Debbie. My next boy Danny; then Richard, who’s 19 years old; and the one we still have at home, Jimmie. I’m like Freddie, I have so many people that took the time to come all this way to be in Cooperstown, not only to see the Hall of Fame, but here because I am being inducted today, and I thank them so very much. I would like to introduce two others, my sister Nora and my brother John. Will you please stand up.

I want to thank the Hall of Fame people - Paul Kerr, Kenny Smith. They’ve been awful nice and there’s a lot of work involved in this, and I appreciate the effort they did for me. Also, the commissioner’s office; all of the people who were involved in this great event. I kind of had a feeling when I heard about this, and as I sat around waiting for the Hall of Fame induction day, I felt like when I was a kid I read about Schoolboy Rowe who was a young pitcher for the Tigers and he came from El Dorado, Arkansas. He ended up, I think, in a World Series in 1934 and there was only radio at the time and he got on the air and he said, “How am I doing, Edna?” Edna was his wife back in El Dorado and I kind of had that same feeling about this whole thing. It’s kind of something you never think about. I never thought about it. I enjoyed baseball, and appreciate what it did for me. I am just very thrilled to be here this day. The Hall of Fame people I’d like to say were very nice. I only had one request for them that they turned down. I asked Kenny Smith if he didn’t think it would be appropriate if I would invite everyone that ever hit a home run off me to be here today. And Kenny said Cooperstown wasn’t big enough. But I am going to have little cards made up that say, “I hit a home run off Robbie” and mail it to all those gentlemen because I’m sure they’d like to have it in their wallet. There was a lot of them, by the way.

Thank you very much. I am very thrilled and I will be back every year. I’m very happy to be associated with these gentlemen. I wondered after the election whether I belonged or not, and I’m so glad I came because after looking at these beat-up guys I know I do.

Thank you very much.