Hall of Famers rejoice in return to Cooperstown
As the final touches are completed in preparation for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Weekend, the sport’s most esteemed fraternity increases by six with the enshrinement of relief aces Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith, consistent and stellar starting pitchers Mike Mussina and Roy Halladay, and slugging designated hitters Edgar Martinez and Harold Baines.
In a related development, the eyes of the baseball world will soon focus on Cooperstown.
In a locale often credited as the place where your baseball cards come to life, Thursday, July 18, proved to be the unofficial start of one of the game’s most prestigious annual events. With the bronze plaque unveiling set for Sunday, the lobby of the Otesaga Resort Hotel, looking over picturesque Otsego Lake, was awash with early arrivals, both rookies and veterans, with festivities just around the corner.
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Across the wide expanse of the hotel lobby, with its high ceiling and ornate fixtures, was a good natured congeniality often seen between former teammates and onetime rivals that are now part of the exclusive 329 elected members of the Hall of Fame. Whether it be Gaylord Perry greeting a strikeout victim, Johnny Bench joking with Mariano Rivera, or Ryne Sandberg and Pat Gillick catching up, the goodwill exhibited was palpable.
“Every time the calendar rolls around and I’m fortunate enough to get on a plane and get here, it’s always a refreshing feeling,” said Hall of Fame Class of 2015 member John Smoltz. “To know it’s fun, no pressure, and you get to see everybody else go through what you once went through at a time there seemed like there wasn’t enough air.
“This is obviously one of my favorite places to come to – just the venue, the golf course, and the history. We’re going to try and make every one we can.”
Smoltz was a dominant starting pitcher for the Atlanta Braves when the franchise was a perennial postseason participant, but arm injuries led to a new role as a one of the game’s top closers.
The eight-time All-Star was the winner of 14-or-more games 10 times, highlighted by his 24-8 record in 1996 and subsequent NL Cy Young Award.
Converted into a reliever in 2001 as the best chance to maximize his health, he would ultimately save 154 games in 168 opportunities before transitioning back to a dominant starter. Finishing with a 213-155 career record, he’s the only big league pitcher to record both 200 wins and 150 saves.
But he’s almost 500 saves behind Rivera, the all-time leader among big league pitchers.
“The big thing about Mariano Rivera was when you were watching him as a visitor, you just knew the game was over. And it wasn’t a good feeling as a visitor,” Smoltz said. “And he had such class about him, such dignity in the way he goes about everything that he did. I’m an admirer of him because of that. I know the celebrations are a little different now, and I get it, but I was always a big fan of the businesslike, this is no big deal, this is what I’m supposed to do type role.
“And one of the most dominant pitches in all of baseball history. He threw the cutter better than anybody could have ever thrown it. To be able to be successful when the hitters knew what he was going to throw all those years is unbelievable.”
Smoltz also advocated for change that would enhance the Hall of Fame induction for those still playing the game.
“I have a wish that I’m going to try and fight for as long as I can. It’s to get at some point either a mandatory day off for every baseball team on Sunday when the Induction Ceremony so that the players can truly take in the ceremony,” he said. “I just think when there’s so many things going on in baseball – and I get that it’s a long season – but I’ve always said when I was an active player there was no chance to hear anyone’s speech. There’s an easy answer and that’s if we can’t move the induction to All-Star Week, then maybe baseball can have a Sunday off. We could even have a Sunday and a Monday off.”
Asked for his memories of his own induction, Smoltz paused before saying: “The sea of people is just amazing. It really is amazing to see how many people come out and fit in this little town. It’s phenomenal.”
Bench’s eyes lit up harkening back to his 1989 induction, remembering the humorous role his father played in the memorable day 30 years ago.
“We all arrived at the hotel at the same time and I said to my family I was going to unpack,” Bench recalled.
“So I unpacked and came down the hallway and I saw Enos Slaughter, who said, ‘Hey, I just met your dad.’ And then I got to the elevator and Pee Wee Reese got off and said, ‘Hey, I just met your dad.’ And then I got down to the lobby and Ted Williams said, ‘Hey, I just met your dad.’ And then I saw my dad, who had Roy Campanella in a headlock in his wheelchair.
“Then during the induction I said, ‘I would introduce you to my dad but I think most of you have met him already.’ I didn’t go in to the Hall of Fame; he did.”
As the leader of Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine team of the 1970s, in which he helped the franchise to four National League pennants and two World Series titles, Bench was a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner known for his handling of pitchers and impressive throwing arm. An offensive force as well, he clubbed 389 home runs while leading the league in RBI three times and homers twice. The 1968 NL Rookie of the Year, the highly decorated backstop was a two-time NL MVP (1970 and 1972) and 14-time All-Star.
“It’s always the best time of year for me,” Bench said with a smile. “It’s great to see all the guys and watch the new inductees with their families. The families are just over the moon with it. I tell all the new inductees that they have to start a diary and they must keep it every day to remind themselves of everything because by next week they’ll forget half the stuff that happened. And it’s easy to do. There’s just so many things going on. You never even think about them. But next week you’ll look at it and think, ‘Oh my gosh! We did that?’ It’s the best week of all and I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Even Jayson Stark, this year’s J.G. Taylor Spink Award honoree for baseball writing excellence, was left somewhat speechless when asked about finding himself in such illustrious company.
“It’s really an out-of-body experience. I’m sure many people will tell you that, but it’s especially true for me,” Stark said.
“I’m not one of those people who thinks the world revolves around me or that baseball revolves around me. But to be here, to be treated like royalty by everyone at the Hall of Fame, to be treated like I’m Mariano Rivera despite the fact that I’ve saved zero games, it’s amazing. The thrill of a lifetime.
"I literally have never had a week anything like this. I’m just trying to savor every second.”
Stark, a Philadelphia native and Syracuse University graduate, began his sportswriting career with the Providence (R.I.) Journal (1975-78), where he occasionally covered the Red Sox, then moved closer to home, joining the Philadelphia Inquirer (1979-1999), where his beat began with the Phillies before evolving into a columnist. By 2000, Stark had joined ESPN, where he not only wrote for their website but also appeared on the network. Writing for The Athletic since 2018, he also appears on MLB Network.
“I got here Sunday night with my wife. We hit a deer on the way here, but we’re fine,” he said with a laugh. “It’s been a great week to watch the village of Cooperstown transform itself from just another day to the excitement, the craziness, the magic of Induction Weekend. Watching that unfold before our eyes has been really special. It’s also given us a chance to just ease into the week rather than sprint through it all. This only happens to you once so the idea is to try to breathe in, breathe out, take it all in, and enjoy it. That’s really been the plan.
“Nobody has more reverence for the greatest players who have ever lived than I do. To walk into the dining room this morning and have Alan Trammell greet me like I’m one of the guys is unbelievable. To just see the people walking around this hotel who are the best, the most famous, the most revered players who have ever walked on a baseball field. I’ve covered a lot of these men, I’ve talked to a lot of these men. But I’ve never seen this side of these men. It’s amazing.”
This year, a record 58 of the 79 living Hall of Famers are scheduled to be in Cooperstown to honor the Class of 2019 at the Induction Ceremony, to be held Sunday, July 21, 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 exclusively on MLB Network and MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.
Induction Weekend officially starts on Friday morning when, for the 19th 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 Trevor Hoffman, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell 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 20, the Hall of Fame Awards Presentation will be held at 4:30 p.m. at Doubleday Field.
The Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting will be posthumously presented to Al Helfer.
Stark will be honored with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for meritorious contributions to baseball writing.
The Awards Presentation is free and open to the public.
Also on Saturday, immediately following the Awards Presentation and scheduled to start at 6 p.m., the Hall of Fame Parade of Legends returns for a 10th 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.
On Sunday, July 21, the Induction Ceremony will take place at 1:30 p.m. on the grounds outside of the Clark Sports Center, which is located on lower Susquehanna Avenue – located just one mile south of the Hall of Fame.
Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
