National Baseball Hall of Fame - Hall of Fame Induction Speech lyrics

Thank you. My first order of business that everybody told me, "when you get up here, just take a deep breath". So (pause) okay, I'm good. What an honor and a privilege it is to be here today as an inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I want to thank the baseball writers for voting for me. I want to thank Jane Forbes Clark, Jeff Idelson, Brad Horn, Whitney Selover, and all the folks at the Baseball Hall of Fame for making this an unbelievable experience for me and my family. Little did I know, as a kid, when I used to think it was a good idea to stand on the front porch of my parents' house and throw snowballs over the trees, trying to hit cars pa**ing by. Little did I know how far my left arm was gonna take me at that time. Needless to say, there was one pa**erby that was less than pleased with my accuracy. He had a conversation with my mom. The "wait until your dad gets home" scenario played out, and after a good talking to, needless to say, my snowball throwing days were over. We all figured I could come up with a better, more productive way to work on my accuracy, so I think that was probably the start of the painted square on the chimney outside my parents' house. I'm honored to go into the Baseball Hall of Fame with such a great group of men: Frank Thomas, Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa, and of course, my longtime teammate and manager, Greg Maddux and Bobby Cox. All of you guys represent what is great about the game of baseball. With your competitiveness, it's no surprise that you're all here today. Congratulations to all of you guys. I'm humbled to be a part of this cla** with you. I'd like to take an extra minute to thank Greg and Bobby. It's hard to imagine, as I've said over and over, that a day like this could get any better. But for me, it does. To have the opportunity to go into the Hall of Fame with these two guys; two guys that had such a profound impact on me as a person, and on my career. Bobby, from the managerial side, teaching me to respect the game, teaching me how to play the game the right way, how to go about my business and represent my organization. And I can't tell you, I like old Smoltzy's words in that video, can't tell you how good he was at pumping you up all the time. I can't tell you how many times I would pitch a bad game, and I'd read the newspaper the next day and read Bobby's comments. And I'd think, “hey, what game were you watching, and how did I not win?” Bobby, thank you so much for all your guidance. Appreciate everything you did for me. Greg, as a teammate and as a friend, you made me better through our conversations. You made me better by watching you pitch, and you made me wealthier with all the money we took from Smoltzy on the golf course. We all have choices to make in life, and in June of 1984, I was an eighteen year old kid enjoying high school graduation and looking forward to going to college. Within a span of a couple weeks, I had the good fortune of being drafted by the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the Atlanta Braves. I had a difficult choice to make, and as a lefthanded pitcher, I thought that was the thing that would set me apart and make baseball the smartest decision. Of course, I always wonder what would've happened had I taken up hockey. And in my mind, of course, since I was drafted ahead of two Hall of Famers - Luc Robitaille and Brett Hull - that obviously means I would've been a Hall of Famer for hockey too. But clearly, I'm positive I made the right choice, and I'm sure as I'm standing here. And like I said, I'm honored to be here and be a part of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Seems hard to believe, it's been thirty years since I sat at my parents' kitchen and signed my professional contract to go play for the Atlanta Braves. Sitting with me there that day, Tony DeMacio and Paul Snyder from the Braves saw something in me that compelled them to convince the Braves to take a chance on me. I doubt they projected me as a future Hall of Famer, but nonetheless, they saw enough to give me a chance, and for that: Paul, Tony, thank you very much. Perhaps part of what they saw was that the work ethic that was certainly prevalent in my house and in my hometown Billerica, Ma**achusetts. Actually, I said that wrong. It's Bill-ricka. Sorry. I put too many E's and R's in there; we don't do that up there. I know there's a huge crowd here today from Billerica. I want to thank you guys, not only for being here today, but I want to thank you guys for your support throughout my career. I know so many of you put your allegiance for our beloved Red Sox on hold during my career, but I promise you, your secret is safe with me. So thank you very much. I was blessed to have a tremendous support team around me throughout my career. People who helped me to keep things in order and keep things in perspective. My agent and good friend, Gregg Clifton, was so helpful with his advice and his representation over the years. Gregg, thank you so much for all your help and for your friendship. My good friends Rose, Cortina, and Scott Merrill, who helped me to be smart frugally and financially. All you guys were so helpful in taking my mind off of so many things and helping me be able to concentrate on the game of baseball, so thank you for that. I'll piggyback on Greg's comments. I had three dear friends also over the years in Atlanta, who helped keep me on the field. Dr. Joe Chandler: Joe, to this day, you have not missed a shot when I needed a cortisone shot. Dave Pursley and Jeff Porter, the longtime trainers with the Braves. You guys spent countless hours taking care of me and so many other guys. I honestly felt bad at times, in certain years, with the amount of time I'd have to spend on the training room table to try and get ready for my next start. But you guys were always so patient and so helpful, and you did everything you could to get me back out there, and for that I appreciate it. And the same holds true for my dear friend Mike Herbst, the trainer with the New York Mets while I was there. Same thing. Mike, thank you for all your time and your efforts to keep me healthy and keep me on the field. I had a couple goals in mind each time I put on the uniform. The first was to represent the logo on the front. That meant to play hard, play the game the right way, and give it your all whenever you stepped on the field. As the old saying goes, “play hard, because you never know who's watching you for the first time”. The second part was to not embarra** the name on the back. I wanted to represent my parents to the best of my ability. They worked hard to earn the respect that they had in our community, and I wanted to do everything I could to protect that. I'm so proud whenever I hear somebody say to me, “you must have had great parents”. Because when I hear that, I know I'm representing them well. I do have great parents. They took me everywhere I needed to be, for both hockey and baseball. They never missed a practice or a game. Often times I'd hear my dad leaving before dark in the morning so he could get to work - get his work done and get home for my game later that day. They were and they are a great team. People always ask me where I got my qualities from. My work ethic I got from my dad, and as much as my mom hates to hear it - Mom, I'm sorry - I got my stubbornness from you. I always marveled at how they were able to get all of us kids where we needed to be. I can honestly say, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional athlete; Red Sock or Bruin, I didn't care. I love Bobby Orr, I love Yaz, Pudge, Jim Rice, but my role models were and always have been my parents Fred and Millie. They gave me the two best things you could ever ask for as a kid: they gave their time and their example. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I've always said if I could be half the parents my parents to my kids as my parents were to me, I will have been successful. I'm blessed to have had your support and your example. You've been the greatest influence in my life. I know I made you proud as a baseball player, and more importantly, I hope I've made you proud as a son and a father. To say thank you wouldn't be enough, but thank you so much for your love and support. I couldn't have done this without you guys. I love you guys. Thanks also to my sister Deb and my brothers Fred and Mike. You guys have always been a great supporting cast. When you've played for 20 years, there are a lot of ups and downs, and after all I did lose 203 games in my career, so there were a lot of downs. You guys were always there for me whenever I needed it, even if it was as simple as a phone call. I love you guys, and thank you for your support. I had the opportunity to play for two organizations in my career: the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. I had so many fantastic coaches and teammates who helped me to get here. Many of you are here in attendance today and I thank you for your help along the way and for being here today. In the interest of time, I could possibly thank everybody, because if there's one thing I've heard from these guys all weekend it's been, “Hurry up!” So, I had so many great teammates, some who will be on this stage as well someday; as Doggie mentioned, our good friend Smoltzy better be here next year, and there'll be more to come. I had teammates who made great plays for me, got big hits, helped to get big outs; guys that were great examples, guys I learned a ton from through conversations. I appreciate all of your help, and I thank you for the role you played in helping me to get to this incredible honor. My two longtime pitching coaches, Leo Mazzone-- Leo, thank you so much. I got to tell you, when first time you came to Atlanta with Bobby and you told me you were going to start throwing twice in between starts, I thought you were crazy, because my arm already hurt at that time; so I wasn't really sure what throwing more was going to do to my arm; but boy, did that help. You helped me to understand my mechanics. You helped me to become my own pitching coach. And that ultimately became my goal every game I went on the mound; was not to have Leo come out and visit me at any point in time. Rick Peterson, later in my career with the Mets. Rick, you helped me to reinvent myself, make the changes I needed to make for the latter part of my career, which, trust me, when you're doing something for 16-17 years, it's not an easy thing to change. But you talked me into it, you convinced me of it, and you gave me confidence to do it. So, Leo thanks so much for your help, and Rick Peterson, thanks so much for your help. To all the folks at the Mets organization, thank you for treating me and my family the way you did. Thank you Fred and Jeff Lopan for the opportunity to play in New York and for providing the resources so I could experience a postseason there. to the fans of New York, thank you so much for your support, and for ultimately treating me and family with so much respect. Playing for Ted Turner was a treat; and when I say it was a treat, it was a treat. Thank you, Ted, for providing the likes of John Schuerholz, Stan Kasten, and Bobby Cox to lead our organization. Thank you for providing the resources to get the players that enabled us to have such an unbelievable run of success. It was such a thrill and so much fun to be a part of putting Atlanta back on the map in the game of baseball. Thank you to the all the fans here from Atlanta today. Your support on and off the field have meant so much to me. I know there's a ton of you here today, and I know there's a ton of you at Turner Field today back in Atlanta watching this on TV, as well. Thank you guys so much. Atlanta has become my home. I have so many great friends there now, many of whom are here today, and I am truly truly grateful and honored for your support and your friendship. My best teammate and my best friend of all, though, happens to be my wife Chris. In my case, the saying, “Behind every good man is a great woman” is definitely true. As a young player, it's easy to be selfish and only worry about yourself in baseball. Often, my sister would call me before Spring Training if she needed something for a charity event or an auction that was coming up during the baseball season, and she said, “You know, if I don't call you and bug you now, once Spring Training starts, it's going to be impossible.” And she was right. When you're at that point, it's all about you, and it's all about baseball. Once you have a wife and family, all of that changes; it isn't all about you anymore. I learned balance early in my career. I remember a hockey game as a kid that didn't go so well. And in the car on the way home, my dad wanted to talk about the game. He didn't want to criticize me, but he just wanted have a conversation. So after a short time of me being less than pleasant in the conversation because things didn't go so well, my dad told me something that I had never forgot, and in fact I used on my kids today, and they'll attest to it. He said, “You're going to go into that locker room with a smile on your face and you're going to come out with one, or I'm not going to take you anymore.” I tried really hard to leave the game at the field. Chris was always great at recognizing when I needed a little space, when I needed some kind words, and certainly whenever I needed a kick in the bu*t. When you have kids, that balance is really tested. I can't tell you what a luxury it was to be able to leave for the ballpark totally freed up, knowing that there was a wonderful mom at home, holding down the fort, and getting everybody where they needed to be. In reality, our wives are single moms a lot of the time when you factor in travel and Spring Training. To this day, I don't know how Chris did everything she was able to do with me not around: from school carpools to kids' sports teams. Everything was handled so perfectly, and that made my job so much easier. In addition, I'm so proud of her and what she's meant to our community in Atlanta. She's helped to raise over $4 million for curing childhood cancer, raising money for much needed research. She truly is one person making a difference. As I said, she's a great mom, and I couldn't be more proud of the job she's done raising our children. Jonathan, Amber-- both in college now; I can't believe it. And doing very well. Peyton, Mason, and of course our little guy Kienan. I realize the sacrifices all of you guys have made; little ham. I know it wasn't always easy. There were a lot of sacrifices, a lot of missed things throughout the years, but you guys handled it like champs. I'm so proud of you, and I love you guys so much. Chris, I've been blessed to have you as my wife. You're my best friend. You've been my rock. Thank you so much for all your love and support and for making my job so much easier. Finally, people have asked me a lot, since I've got the phone call, how I thought I would feel when my induction day finally arrives. My response had usually been, “Whatever I tell you won't scratch the surface of what I feel on that day.” Safe to say I was right. To say that this day, this weekend, has been unbelievable would definitely be true. I don't think any of us up here ever thought that we'd become Hall of Famers on the day we were drafted. I do believe that each of us up here worked hard to get the most out of our God-given talents and tried to be the very best that we thought we could be. The fact that we are here is a testament to that hard work and perseverance. Standing here today as a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame is the ultimate recognition of a career in baseball. A career that saw lots of ups and downs, lots of sacrifices on and off the field, and more than a few times when I was questioning what I was doing. There are no more questions; only gratitude towards those that were so helpful along the way. My family, friends, coaches, and teammates. And thanks to God for giving me the talent and work ethic and more than a little bit of stubbornness to see it through. I'm humbled to be a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.I thank you for being here and sharing in this day with me. Thank you very much.