Hall of Fame Weekend--Part Eight

Except for a drop or two of moisture on a humid afternoon, the rains stayed away on Sunday in Cooperstown, allowing Goose Gossage and Dick Williams to take center stage at the Clark Sports Center, site of the Hall of Fame's induction ceremony. Although the crowd was sparse--a conservative estimate placed the total at about 10,000 fans--the emotion coming from the induction stage made for a memorable afternoon. The best speech of the day might have been turned in by longtime Mariners voice Dave Niehaus, who accepted the Hall's Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. Sounding smooth and sincere, Niehaus elegantly accepted an award that began three decades ago, when it was first given to the legendary likes of Mel Allen and Red Barber.

I was glad to hear Gossage, who narrowly broke down at several points during his 17-minute speech, take extra measures to credit Chuck Tanner, his first major league manager. Tanner certainly has his critics as a manager--Bill James among them--but on balance has had a distinguished career, achieving success with both the White Sox and the Pirates, including a world championship in 1979. And his "nice guy" persona is no act; he's one of the sincerely good people in the game.

If you're a fan of the Yankee world championship team of 1978, you had to be heartened by the support that Gossage found in the Clark Sports Center crowd. Former Gossage teammates Jim Beattie, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles, and Roy White all attended the ceremony, as did current Yankee executives Gene "Stick" Michael and Brian Cashman. In some ways, it was a nice warmup to the upcoming Old-Timers' Day festivities at Yankee Stadium.  

Dick Williams almost became part of those great Yankee teams of the seventies, but instead managed the Angels and Expos after leaving the clutches of Charlie Finley. Williams deserves credit for skillfully working Finley into his speech, as he jokingly mentioned the "friendship" between his former owner and Bowie Kuhn, another member of today's induction class. I would have liked to have seen a few more of Williams' former players in the Cooperstown crowd--Joe Rudi was one of the few in attendance--but perhaps that's only fitting; Williams never set about to win friends, but was far more interested in extracting the best from his players. He certainly did that during his managerial stops in Boston, Oakland, and San Diego.  

Earlier in the day, I walked the streets of Cooperstown with friends and family in order to capture some of the local flavor created by the weekend. With all of the Hall of Famers preparing for the ceremony, it was a chance for other retired ballplayers to take center stage on Main Street. As we worked our way through the crowded block between Pioneer and Chestnut Street, we saw Mudcat Grant and former Brooklyn Dodger George "Shotgun" Shuba signing at TJ's Place. Negro Leagues standout Robert Scott, a frequent visitor to Cooperstown, ended up signing at several locations along the main boulevard. When a few young fans approached Scott and told him they had no money to pay for his autograph, he playfully responded, "Why is it you kids never have any money by the time you get to us? You always seem to run out once you get here." It was all good-natured, with Scott finding a way to converse with the kids despite their lack of funds.

On Saturday, Mickey Rivers and Bobby Shantz signed at CVS Pharmacy, with both drawing rave reviews. (Shantz was so nervous before his signing that he woke up at three in the morning, walked the streets of Cooperstown, and then rested in his car until it was time to report to the store.) My spies tell me both Mickey and Bobby were especially friendly and accommodating, as they dealt with long lines of signature seekers. Rivers, dressed in a slick red and white sweatsuit and sporting a tooth with a gold star, made new friends out of a number of fans, including my nephew. He was both engaging and funny, willing to pose for photographs, and only too happy to sign autographs in any way they were requested. Though I didn't have the opportunity to meet Mickey personally because of prior commitments at the Fenimore Art Museum, my friends at CVS did help me secure a 1973 Topps card inscribed with the words, "Mick 'The Quick' Rivers #17."  

Friendship, former players, and fond memories of baseball. That, folks, is what Hall of Fame Weekend is all about.