M’s cap for Griffey, Mets for Piazza

Mather also announced that August 5-7 would be “Ken Griffey Jr”.

SEATTLE (AP) — Ken Griffey Jr.’s whirlwind after being elected to the Hall of Fame has continued with a visit to the ballpark he was largely responsible for helping create.

Griffey also opened up the possibilities that yes (!), he may wear his hat backward on his plaque, though it could be left open to a fan vote.

“It’s something I can’t describe”, Piazza said.

Griffey was always a certainty to be elected at the first time of asking and the only point of intrigue was whether he would be the first player voted in unanimously.

In fact, Griffey received a higher percentage of votes than any other player in history – he appeared on 437 of 440 ballots, good for a percentage of 99.3 in his first appearance on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot – almost becoming the first-ever unanimous selection.

“I think I did most of my damage as a Mariner, ” Griffey said.

Griffey was arguably the best player in baseball during his time in Seattle, including his only MVP award in 1997 when he hit 56 home runs, and 10 Gold Glove awards.

Every fresh inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame has an important question to answer: Which team hat will it wear on its plaque?

Piazza made it to the majors with the Los Angeles Dodgers but spent eight of his 16 years in the big leagues with the Mets.

Piazza played for the Mets from 1998 to 2005 and was known for his thunderous, clutch home runs and easy smile.

“I was able to sneak into this game, kind of limp in, if you will”, Piazza said. Now, all the years I was in NY I never went to a Mets game. Nowhere was this more evident, than in his reaction to finding out that number 24 will hang next to Jackie Robinson’s number 42 in Safeco Field.

“When we got in the vehicle, he said, ‘Don’t ever do that again”, Junior recalled his father saying. Griffey announced on Thursday that he would enter the Hall as a Mariner. Piazza spoke Wednesday night about his choice with former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, whose recommendation led to the team drafting him.

–The Seattle Mariners signed right-hander Ryan Cook to a one-year contract.

A self-avowed student of the game, Piazza said he respected “the history of the fans in NY, their passion – all the way back to the days before all the highlight reels and the new media today, the way they celebrated the game by turning a game into event”.

Newcomers to the ballot in 2017 include former Red Sox star Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Vladimir Guerrero. Trevor Hoffman, on the ballot for the first time, was 34 short. He was 28 votes shy of getting elected last year, but this year he managed to make the cut to get voted in.

Piazza returned to Ladder 3 on the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. Over his 17 seasons in the AL East, Mussina never won a Cy Young or World Series but was a symbol of consistency in the most hard division in baseball.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens each received less than 50 percent, meaning their support increased only slightly in a year when the electorate was significantly smaller (suggesting their support might not be trending upward at all).