As a longtime fan of the Atlanta Braves, I would have loved to have been in Cooperstown today for this event. That was not possible. I do want to congratulate these men and also the other inductees, Joe Torre, Frank Thomas and Tony LaRussa.
I enjoyed the speeches of the former Braves. These words exemplified the careers of the men. They were done with style, poise and class. Glavine talked about taking Smoltzie's money on the golf course and Maddox said he spent his career watching his kids grow up, winning division titles and watching John's hair fall out.
I followed the Braves from their time in Milwaukee, so of course I watched Glavine, Maddox, Smoltz and Avery during their entire careers. I could often be found behind third or first base, about three or four rows off the field, since seats were easy to get and cheap to buy in the early days. From the days at old Fulton County Stadium to Turner Field, I was an ardent fan for many years. I went to a lot of games and often watched 150 or more games on the Superstation WTBS. I loved Skip Carey, Don Sutton, Pete Van Weiren and John Sterling. These games were the reason I first got cable TV.
I recently quit watching baseball, because of the in-game commercials and other reasons, but that does not detract from the fact that I loved the game and was tremendously fond of these men. I wish them all the best in their life after baseball. I can see how their influence in the Hall of Fame will be a blessing. A good baseball man like Bobby Cox will be a firm hand on the tiller of the game. Greg Maddox has a gift for cutting through the bullshit and calling a spade a spade. He was one of the few men that I could sit through a game merely to watch him pitch. Painting the corners with that change-up that darted away from the hitter. If he felt he had to support a teammate by hitting a batter, he would never, ever admit it. He would say, "That one just got away from me". To this day, I have one of his uniform shirts hanging on my wall. The old 31. Tommy was such a good guy he could not find it in his makeup to throw at Dale Murphy when occasion demanded it during a game. His attempt to do so was both laughable and charming. Dale, you are a Hall of Fame guy, if there ever was one, to which the Hall of Fame itself is an admirable but poor second place. Being a good person trumps being a good player every time. You sir, were both.
Again, a pleasure to watch this come to pass. I wish I could have been there. I actually walked through the Hall of Fame, many years ago and it was really a special experience. On my desk is a small bat, a souvenir of that visit. It is a pretty place, nestled in the mountains of New York. I think that it is good to honor our heroes.
Let me say that I watched Joe Torre play the game. He was a huge talent, a great hitter and catcher and a class manager. I think the Braves made a mistake in letting him go, as the Yankees could attest. I can see him walking to the mound in that powder blue uniform, his head down, always a good guy, often with those brown hands in his back pockets. Glad for you, Joe. Nice to see you stroll with such class, on your way to Cooperstown.
I'm CE Wills.
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