Today was the ceremony to induct baseball legends into the Hall of Fame. No less than seven people (David Ortiz, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, Bud Fowler, Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso and Buck O’Neil) were celebrated.
One observation that stands out when looking at the group photo is that several men are either old or absent. We have to find a way to recognize their contribution to the sport more quickly.
But OK. In the end, the fans had – mostly – only for Big Papi, legend of the Red Sox and first DH in history to enter the Temple in his first year of eligibility.
Ortiz is obviously the story of a guy who wasn’t exactly destined to become an honorary resident of Cooperstown. Traded by the Mariners to the Twins before the start of his MLB career, he took years to establish himself…before being cut by the Twins.
Pedro Martinez convinced the Sox to sign him and the rest is history.
His long journey was felt in his speech. After seeing his daughter sing the national anthem, he delivered a beautiful message (in English and Spanish) on the importance of believing in others since many people believed in him.
He spoke for 20 minutes and he lived up to his reputation as a guy who can hook the crowd with a good speech.
No one is surprised either to have seen him talk about the importance of sport in life in general.
He credits the Red Sox and his many teammates for believing in him – and I’m sure no one regrets believing in one of the most dominant hitters of his generation.
Mr. Clutch is therefore in his place with the other greats. Hopefully the current members of the Red Sox are able to take some inspiration from him.
- Derek Jeter was unable to travel to Cooperstown due to COVID-19.
- Beautiful message from the son of David Ortiz to his father.
- Alex Cora is disappointed with his players.
