Hall of Famers arrive in Cooperstown to start baseball’s best weekend

“It’s a fun time of the year and certainly a relaxing time of the year and it will be fun watching another teammate of mine going in.”

The past few years have seen Glavine’s Braves teammates Greg Maddux and John Smoltz elected. This year, Mets teammate Piazza will be honored.

“Mike Piazza’s certainly the best offensive catcher of our era,” Glavine said. “The kind of guy that could certainly change the complexion of the game in a heartbeat with his bat. And he was the kind of guy that whenever you faced him was always the guy you identified in the lineup that you were pitching against that you didn’t want to let beat you. He had the ability to do that. It was a lot more fun having him as a teammate than trying to get him out.”

As an opposing pitcher, how did Glavine approach the right-handed slugging catcher?

“Obviously with what I did, somewhere in the mix was trying to keep the ball away from him, trying to keep the ball down, but there were times where when he was swinging it real good you were reluctant to throw anything near the strike zone,” Glavine said. “Certainly every once in a while maybe he wasn’t swinging it so good so you could be a little more aggressive. But for the most part just try and keep the ball down and away and try to make him hit it to the big part of the ballpark as much as possible.”

As for being a batterymate, Glavine had only praise for Piazza.

“He did a real nice job,” Glavine said. “I think sometimes his defense gets knocked a little bit, probably because he was such a good offensive catcher that there had to be something to be picked apart I guess. He was always very prepared, had a good idea of what we were trying to do as pitchers, but also had a good idea of what we were trying to do as a team against the opposing hitters. And he did a good job of taking what the scouting report was on a hitter and trying to craft that a little bit to whoever was on the mound.”

Regarding Griffey, the multitalented centerfielder, Glavine faced the sweet swinger when Junior was in the National League with the Reds.

“He was a guy that had the ability to change the complexion of a game with his at-bats,” Glavine said, “the kind of guy that as an opposing pitcher you had to plan your game around him because he was the guy that you would identify as not wanting to let beat you. But again, when he was going good, you could try all you wanted to not let him beat you but he was going to try and find a way to do it. Just the kind of guy that when you weren’t having to pitch against him, even if you were in the opposing dugout, he was fun to watch.

“And it was interesting for me, too, because when I first came up I played with Griffey Sr. with the Braves and Junior was running around the clubhouse all the time, getting stuffed in the trash barrels by players, so to see him go from that and come to the big leagues and play was really fun to watch.”

But baseball wasn’t all Glavine wanted to talk about. When asked if he brought his golf clubs with him to Cooperstown, he smiled and said, “I did. Always. It’s the first thing I pack. Yes.

“I’m sure I’ll play a few times, I’ve got to find my boy Smoltzie and seek out what he’s got going on. I’ve been playing a lot. My standard answer is, ‘Not as much as a want; more than my wife thinks I should.’”

As every Hall of Famers can attest, it’s a joy to return to Cooperstown when an Induction Weekend is approaching. Ferguson Jenkins, the legendary Cubs hurler, agrees with the sentiment.

“I look forward to coming back for the three days, play golf once, and this year is the 25th anniversary of Gaylord (Perry), Rod (Carew) and myself getting inducted. And I’ve got all my kids coming back, at least they promised they would be here, so let’s hope everybody shows up.

“I always try and get together with Gaylord and Rod and Jim Bunning, who I was a teammate of with the Phillies for a while, and Billy Williams, who I was also a teammate of with the Cubs. There’s always 45 to 55 guys returning and I think that’s the fun part of it. You come back and just reflect on careers.”

Asked about the Cubs’ success in 2016, the longtime Wrigley Field denizen smiled broadly and sighed with relief.

“The Cubs are playing outstanding,” Jenkins said. “I was in Chicago just a couple days ago. They’ve got a good, young team and a great manager. Let’s hope it works.”

For famed Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson, elected to the Hall in 1983, the return to Cooperstown has become a regular occurrence.

“I’ve been back for every one except for a couple,” the 79-year-old Robinson said. “I’ve got my oldest son with me who, back in 1961, when we were playing in the Hall of Fame Game, was born in Detroit while we were playing. He came for my Induction and he’s back this year with his son.”

Growing up in Arkansas, Robinson had an early connection to the Hall of Fame.

“I was a paperboy and Bill Dickey, the great Yankees catcher, grew up in Little Rock,” Robinson recalled. “I used to throw his paper, not when he was living there, but I knew where he lived, and I’d give that baby a little extra zip to get up there.”

Robinson’s Hall of Fame induction also included George Kell, a fellow Arkansas native.

“George Kell finished his career in Baltimore and he kind of took me by the arm and showed me the ropes on and off the field,” Robinson said. “And he went in by the Veterans Committee and I went in by the Baseball Writers and that was just unbelievable that we could be up there on the stage together.”

Asked for his thoughts on Piazza and Griffey, Robinson said he followed their careers.

“They’re certainly deserving to be in the Hall of Fame,” Robinson said. “Griffey could just do everything the game demands – a great center fielder who could hit and run. As for Piazza, he is probably the best power-hitting catcher in the history of the game.”

This year, 51 Hall of Famers are scheduled to be in Cooperstown to honor the Class of 2016 at the Induction Ceremony, to be held Sunday, July 24, at 1:30 p.m. at the Clark Sports Center – located one mile south of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. The Induction Ceremony will be shown live on MLB Network, as well as being shown via webcast at www.baseballhall.org.

Induction Weekend officially starts on Friday morning when, for the 15th straight year, Ozzie Smith, the Education Ambassador for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, will host PLAY Ball. Smith will welcome fellow Hall of Famers Goose Gossage, Craig Biggio and John Smoltz as his guests as fans get a unique chance to experience on-field moments and stories with Hall of Famers.

PLAY Ball is a Museum fundraiser that supports the Hall of Fame’s educational programs and internship scholarships.

On Saturday, July 23, the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Doubleday Field and will feature the posthumously presentation of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasters to Graham McNamee and the presentation of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for writers to Dan Shaughnessy. The Awards Presentation will also feature an appearance by New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief Vin Mavaro, who will share his thoughts and memories about baseball’s role in helping both New York City and the nation to recover from the 9/11 attacks. The Awards Presentation is free and open to the public.

Also on Saturday, the Hall of Fame Parade of Legends returns for a seventh year to provide fans with more thrills. Hall of Famers will ride down Main Street in trucks provided by Ford Motor Company en route to a private reception at the Museum during the 6 p.m. parade, immediately following the Awards Presentation .

The Sunday, July 26 Induction Ceremony will take place on the grounds outside of the Clark Sports Center, which is located on lower Susquehanna Avenue, unless severe weather cancels the event. Follow the @baseballhall on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat for the latest updates.