Cooperstown's Class of 2019 rewards the Hall of Fame-worthy careers of a diverse group of players and contributors to the greatness of the game. New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera became the first unanimous selection by voters for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Mariners slugger Edgar Martinez cashed in on his last year on the main ballot, gaining recognition for his tremendous production as his era's signature designated hitter. Starting pitchers Roy Halladay and Mike Mussina both got into the Hall, Mussina in recognition of his extended excellence, Halladay for his exceptional peak performance.
But they are not this weekend's only inductees. The Today's Game Committee of the Hall of Fame is the current variant on the Veterans Committee that was charged with recognizing past players not voted in by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and this year they elected two men -- closer Lee Smith, who long held the all-time saves record before he was surpassed by Rivera and Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman; and DH Harold Baines, who was seen by many for much of the '80s how Martinez was at the position in the '90s.
This weekend's festivities will also include the induction of sportswriter Jayson Stark, this year's winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for "for meritorious contributions to baseball writing," including his many years as a columnist at ESPN.
Live from Cooperstown, here's what we're seeing this weekend:
Saturday, July 20
"If I have to express myself with one word, what I can say from being a son of a captain of a fishing boat, to Cooperstown, only a ‘miracle,'" said Mariano Rivera in our Fri. interview, of his journey from Panama to the Hall of Fame. The game's greatest closer and first unanimous Hall electee said he's most proud of "what my parents did for me, how they raised me, and how I played the game of baseball. How I respect the game of baseball. How I give my best to the game of baseball."
Lee Smith is glad to have pitched when he did, but there's a certain perennial MVP candidate playing now he wishes he had a crack at.
It's media session time for the 2019 Hall of Fame class in Cooperstown.
Edgar Martinez, in our pre-induction Cooperstown interview Fri., said he considers Mike Trout the game's top player today, as Martinez's former Seattle teammate once was. "He hits right-handed, but he reminds me of Junior (Ken Griffey Jr.) — both play centerfield, both have the five tools and instincts." Martinez said he expects Trout to eventually join them in the Hall of Fame.
Mike Mussina said in our Cooperstown interview Fri. that when he got word in January of his election to the Hall of Fame, his initial thought was "they're giving me a courtesy call to say, ‘hey, listen, you missed by five votes'...they're just being nice to me because I was close." He said he "wasn't sitting at home with people videoing it, with the phone on the coffee table waiting for it to ring, it was nothing at all like that - I was completely surprised." Mussina was coaching a high school basketball practice when the call came and his celebration dinner with his son was "going to McDonald's and grabbing some burgers and nuggets and drinks (from the drive-through)."
Lee Smith said in our pre-HoF induction interview Fri. that opposing hitters "knew I had pinpoint control. If I threw a ball right on the corner, I could expand the strike zone a little bit, and you start doing that, you're going to get borderline pitches, so you can let the hitter get himself out." Smith said his repertoire was a two-seamer, a four-seamer and a slider. "I started throwing a forkball at the end, but it was really a cutter — and Harry Caray called it a slider, so I wasn't going to argue with him." Smith also said his customary slow walk in from the bullpen was calculated, to make hitters wait, think and guess at what first pitch they'd face.
New HoF inductee Harold Baines said of himself as a hitter, in our Fri. Cooperstown interview, "I could hit to all fields. You really couldn't position me correctly, because I took advantage of what you left me, and I studied, so I'd pretty much know what side of the plate you were trying to get me out on." He said he takes greatest pride in his longevity and consistency, adding, "My last 12 years I was pretty much on one-year contracts, so I couldn't afford to fail."
Just $600 for a signed Mariano Rivera bat, one guaranteed never to break since there is no way you're ever going to play baseball with it.
There is no lack of imagination in Cooperstown when it comes to honoring its Hall of Famers.
That's five Spink Award winners at a reception last night for 2019 honoree Jayson Stark. From left to right: Claire Smith, Dan Shaughnessy, Stark, Bill Madden and Paul Hagen.
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