Hall of Fame Inductions-Smoltz story

It included a story in which his father tied a rope around young Craig’s waist to keep him from lunging while at-bat.

“Thank you, mom. You’re the Hall of Famer”, Johnson said to his mother who was watching in front row.

Maddux won four Cy Young Awards and had an overall record of 355-227 with two 20-win seasons and 12 others when he won at least 16.

“I no longer have a fastball, a bad mullet, and my scowl is gone”, said Johnson, who compiled 4,875 strikeouts and 303 wins. Among the tallest players in Major League Baseball history, Johnson’s height played a part in his undergoing multiple back and knee surgeries throughout his career. He has not met Farmer but said to the crowd, “I love you, Zach”. But they did things for me behind the scenes that I will never forget….

Drafted by the Tigers in 1985 and dealt to the Braves two years later, Smoltz became a fixture in Atlanta’s rotation by ’89 when he made his first All-Star team. He is a strong backer of the organization that enlists the public’s help for injured service members.

Nothing he spoke about, however, came with as much passion and vigor as when he talked about his native country. I’m five-foot-10 1/2. If a guy like me can get in the Hall of Fame, why can’t you? “So congratulations. Thank you so much”. Pitcher Juan Marichal, the first Dominican enshrined, was present for the ceremonies and joined Martinez on the stage holding up their national flag.

As merengue music played, Martinez danced onto the stage to give his speech. And with Marichal sitting behind him, Martinez, now the second Dominican to become a Hall of Famer, implored his countrymen in Spanish to take pride in him.

“The day I was called to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was Kids’ Day (in the Dominican Republic)”, Martinez said.

The first player to speak was Houston Astros second baseman Craig Biggio. I thank you, Alan Trammell, for teaching me what a professional baseball player is all about.

I don’t know the reason but it has led more than a few baseball aficionados to question the hall’s election system and the judgments of the individuals charged with conferring the sport’s highest honor, especially as other deserving candidates linger in Cooperstown’s purgatory awaiting salvation from the Veterans’ Committee.

Remarkably, all three pitchers didn’t stick around with their first clubs very long.

The “Big Unit” played 22 seasons in the majors and was with the Mariners from 1989-1998. And the Dodgers, thinking he might be too fragile at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds for the rigors of the game as a starter, traded Martinez to Montreal after the hard-throwing right-hander with the pinpoint control had a solid rookie season in the bullpen.

John Smoltz, 48, went to the playoffs with Atlanta 14 times and won the 1996 Cy Young Award. It was the first time since 1955 that four players were inducted, NBC News reports.

As for those patches, Martinez said, “I wanted to make sure that I recognized both sides, the Dominican Republic, because I was born there …”

Tommy John surgery was a pivotal moment in the path John Smoltz took to the Hall of Fame.

He drew loud cheers from fans, saying, “I want to encourage the families and parents that are out there that it’s not normal to have surgery at 14 and 15 years old, that you have time, that baseball (need not be) a year-round sport”. He said youngsters who at times devote the entire year to playing and practicing baseball run the risk of injuring arms that are not fully developed. We have such great, dynamic arms in our game that it’s a shame that we’re having one and two and three Tommy John recipients.