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New York Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Hall Plaques: When posting for posterity in Cooperstown, oddities abound
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Every member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame gets the same canvas: A plaque measuring 15½ inches by 10¾ inches, with a portrait and a precious few lines of text. The words are timeless tributes in bronze, definitive descriptions of greatness meant to last. 'It is very hard, when you're talking about what these people have done, to sum up an entire career in 80 to 100 words,' said Josh Rawitch, the president of the Hall of Fame, which will induct five new members on Sunday. 'It has definitely become a very important part of what we do, trying to tie that up neatly because we know it will last forever.' Advertisement The plaque gallery is hallowed space for visitors, but for those who work there, it is also a passageway from the library atrium to the main offices. Multiple times a week, on his way from here to there, Rawitch will pause on that brisk walk, stop at one plaque and study it. There are 346 now, plus the bases for this year's class: Dick Allen, Dave Parker, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki and Billy Wagner. It's a lot to know, and Rawitch, a longtime team executive who took the Hall job in 2021, is naturally curious. He's also a former writer – two years covering teams for – who appreciates the challenge of posting for posterity. 'Todd Helton was the first time we put OPS on there,' Rawitch said, referring to the Colorado Rockies first baseman inducted last summer. 'And I remember the conversation where we were discussing: has this statistic become significant enough that people don't need an explanation of it? And it has. So I think as stats become more widely accepted, it becomes easier to put something on a plaque as opposed to having to try to explain to somebody what OPS means.' On-base plus slugging percentage is essential to Helton's story; he fell short of traditional benchmarks like 3,000 hits and 500 homers, but ranks among the top 25 in history in OPS. In the Hall's judgment, that term can stand alone. This wasn't the case at the other end of the gallery, where you'll find Cy Young. Elected in 1937 and inducted in the first ceremony in 1939, Young worked a record 7,356 innings but merits just 33 words on his plaque. One line is spent on a rather elementary definition: 'Pitched Perfect Game May 5, 1904, No Opposing Batsman Reaching First Base.' Surely by the 1990s, fans wouldn't need such reminders of baseball basics, right? Well, consider Mike Schmidt's plaque, from 1995. It ends by noting that he won 10 Gold Gloves 'for fielding excellence.' Schmidt's plaque happens to be positioned directly below that of Steve Carlton, his teammate for many years in Philadelphia. Likewise, Tom Glavine is directly beneath Bobby Cox, his manager in Atlanta, and beside Greg Maddux, his fellow Braves starter. The gallery is full of charming quirks like that: 'Smiling' Mickey Welch is not smiling; Ernie Lombardi – said to have used an 'interlocking golf grip' on his bat – is smartly depicted with his hands up near his chin. And check out Robin Yount's cap: the Brewers' clever logo faked out the sculptor, who missed the 'm' hidden in the ball-in-glove emblem. The early plaques offer a solution to the more modern problem of cap selection. Several inductees who starred in more than one spot – Catfish Hunter, Maddux, Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina, Fred McGriff and others – are shown with a blank cap, an unfortunate workaround, since they never actually wore that style. A better idea would be no cap at all, like Mel Ott, a career Giant who shows off his wavy locks, or dapper Hugh Duffy, who mainly played for the 'Boston Nationals.' Advertisement Duffy is credited with only one specific feat, but it's something else: a .438 average (now recorded as .440) in 1894 that 'was not to be challenged in his lifetime.' Several other plaques highlight a single, herculean achievement: Old Hoss Radbourn pitching the final 27 games of the 1884 season for Providence, Harry Wright hitting '7 home runs in game at Newport, KY. in 1867,' and so on. Then again, perhaps even more plaques boast of quaint accomplishments: – Tommy McCarthy is called a 'pioneer in trapping fly balls in the outfield.' (Isn't that illegal?) – Bobby Wallace is cited for handling 17 chances, an A.L. record for a shortstop, on June 10, 1902. – Sandy Koufax's plaque says nothing about his breathtaking World Series performances, but Johnny Evers' shared record for 'making most singles in four game World Series' is immortalized in bronze. – Connie Mack 'received the Bok Award in Philadelphia for 1929.' What's that? It's a local community-service prize (I'm a Philly native, but I still had to look it up) and it consumes one of just three sentences describing baseball's most enduring manager. It's alternately fascinating and baffling. Take Pie Traynor, a third baseman whose legacy should need no embellishment. A career .320 hitter who drove in 100 runs seven times, Traynor is hailed as 'one of few players ever to make 200 or more hits during a season, collecting 208 in 1923.' But 200-hit seasons were hardly rare – 10 players did it in 1923 alone. Then there's Joe DiMaggio. He did a lot of memorable things, didn't he? Yet two of his six sentences cover rather mundane feats for a player of his stature: 'Hit 2 home-runs in one inning, 1936. Hit 3 home-runs in one game (3 times).' Wow. DiMaggio had memorable nicknames – 'Joltin' Joe' and 'The Yankee Clipper' – but you won't find them on his plaque. Nor will you find 'Lefty' for Robert Moses Grove, 'Red' for Urban Clarence Faber or 'Heinie' for Henry Emmet Manush. James E. Foxx is called 'Jimmy,' not 'Jimmie,' as he was known, or 'Beast,' a truly underrated and fitting monicker. Advertisement Nicknames seem to pop up everywhere else, though – and, man, are they weird. Joe 'Ducky' Medwick, a Triple Crown winner, is called 'Ducky Wucky' in bronze. Dave Bancroft (a four-time league leader in putouts at shortstop!) is 'Beauty,' Jake Beckley, who never led the league in walks, is 'Old Eagle Eye.' More recently, players' nickname lines display the shortened version of their formal names. Michael Joseph Piazza was known as 'Mike.' James Edward Rice went by 'Jim.' And Joseph Paul Torre? They called him 'Joe.' A couple of decades ago, though, 'Rodney Cline Carew' stood on its own. So did 'George Thomas Seaver,' 'Robert Gibson' and so on. Rawitch isn't sure how the current style came about. 'You want the full name on there,' he guessed, 'but you also want people to be able to go back and know what they were actually called when they were playing.' It's haphazard, to be sure. But, given the consistent look of the plaques from the very beginning, it's a sweeping evolution hiding in plain sight. Around the mid-1980s, roughly, the wording became more descriptive, illuminating not only what the players did, but how. Call it the era of adjectives. And in baseball, there are only so many to go around. Clutch: All of these players (and possibly more) are described as 'clutch' – Richie Ashburn, Harold Baines, Jim Bottomley, George Brett, Bobby Doerr, Paul Molitor, David Ortiz, Tony Perez, Billy Williams and even Tony Lazzeri, even though Grover Cleveland Alexander's plaque, across the room, devotes half of its space to 'striking out Lazzeri with bases full in final crisis at Yankee Stadium' in 1926. (Side note: it was not the 'final crisis' for Alexander and the Cardinals in Game 7. The Lazzeri strikeout came in the seventh inning of a game that actually ended with Babe Ruth being caught stealing! Truth is strange.) Advertisement Intense: Brett showed 'ceaseless intensity,' while Carl Yastrzemski displayed 'graceful intensity.' Jack Morris was an 'intense competitor,' like Dick Williams, while Earl Weaver managed 'with intensity.' Quiet: If you didn't say much, that's definitely worth celebrating. Walter Alston and Billy Williams are both 'soft-spoken' (the first words on their plaques), while Doerr was a 'quiet leader,' Lazzeri showed 'quiet proficiency,' Ryne Sandberg practiced 'quiet leadership,' Hilton Smith was 'quiet but confident' and Bill Mazeroski had a 'quiet work ethic.' Competitor: By definition, everyone who competes in a game is a competitor. You're really special, though, if you're called a competitor on your plaque, like Carlton, Morris, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, Nolan Ryan, Dick Williams and Jud Wilson. Intimidate: Really great players might scare the opposition. All of these folks are cited for intimidation – Jim Bunning, Don Drysdale, Goose Gossage, Randy Johnson, Ryan, Willie Stargell and Dave Winfield. Respect: Lots and lots of Hall of Famers are respected. It's part of the deal. But when you're an umpire, well, it's virtually required. You'll find that all of these arbiters commanded respect: Al Barlick, Nestor Chylak, Jocko Conlan, Cal Hubbard, Bill McGowan and Hank O'Day. The handful of Hall staffers who draft and edit the wording are aware of all this. 'Really you don't want to just repeat the same words for every single guy,' Rawitch said. 'So part of the challenge for the team here is to figure out: how do you say it without sounding very much like someone else who has similar statistics?' That effort is reflected in the array of different, lively descriptions of pitch types. In the last 20 years or so, the tired, repetitive language has given way to all of these punchier descriptors: 'Bat-shattering' (Lee Smith), 'blistering' (Roy Halladay), 'confounding' (Pedro Martinez), 'crackling' (Randy Johnson), 'exploding' (Gossage), 'mystifying' (Trevor Hoffman) – and, perhaps the best, 'cruel and knee-buckling' (Bert Blyleven). Advertisement Only three plaques, by Rawitch's count, have ever been changed: Jackie Robinson's, to reflect his larger impact; Bob Feller's, to correct an error in his years of service, which were interrupted by World War II; and Roberto Clemente's, to properly order his name (it's 'Roberto Clemente Walker,' not 'Roberto Walker Clemente'). Mostly, though, the words you see in 2025 will be the same as you'll see in 2125. There's always more to the story – in the museum, in the library, on your phone – and some plaques, like Carl Hubbell's, invite you to do your own research. But on baseball's most sacred ground, brevity is forever. (Top photo of the HOF Class of 2024 (from left) Jim Leyland, Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Who is getting inducted to Baseball Hall of Fame? Ichiro leads global 2025 class
COOPERSTOWN, NY – They come from Appalachia; Aichi, Japan; Wampum, Pennsylvania; Vallejo, California; and Cincinnati, Ohio. They are sluggers, a slap hitter, an ace and a closer. The quintet makes up one of the most diverse Baseball Hall of Fame classes in history, including three Black players and the first Japanese-born inductee. Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, starting pitcher CC Sabathia, reliever Billy Wagner and deceased Dave Parker and Dick Allen all will be inducted Sunday, July 27, into the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in front of a crowd that could be the largest in history. 'It's an incredible Hall of Fame class," Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage tells USA TODAY Sports. 'These guys all come from different backgrounds and eras, but the thing I love about these guys is their respect for the game, and their place in history." CC Sabathia Sabathia, the 2007 AL Cy Young winner who won 251 games, is hoping that his induction will help pave the way for more young Black pitchers in the game. He will be only the third Black pitcher to be elected into the Hall of Fame with only 15 Black pitchers who have won 20 games, with David Price the last in 2012. 'The one thing that keeps crossing my mind is who's next?' says Sabathia, who is a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred. 'I'm on the search for who's next and what I can do to get that person or kid on the mound and going in the right direction." Sabathia meets with young players today in camps across the country, letting them know that if a kid like him can make it out of Vallejo, they can do it, too. 'Especially with where I came from, just knowing that I'm going to be someplace where the best that ever played have been honored," Sabathia says, 'is really amazing. When I was still playing, Reggie (Jackson) would tell me that having the Hall of Fame attached to my name would give me an edge in life. It's going to be amazing to finally get there.' Ichiro Suzuki When Suzuki arrived in Seattle in 2001, he was already a star in Japan, but he had no idea whether his success would translate to the United States. Well, 3,089 hits, 10 All-Star selections and 10 Gold Gloves later, and he helped open the door for three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and the current crop of Japanese players in MLB. 'We're able to play this game because of players of the past,' says Suzuki. 'Baseball is human beings playing against human beings, and to have the passion and the energy that is created by that is something that I really hope is still part of the game. That's what I really value. It is very important to me that baseball continues to be a game that has the human element to it, with all the emotions and everything that comes along with having humans play this game. … 'If I can be of any help to the players, that's why I'm here.' Billy Wagner Wagner, who already is allotting time for interruptions during his Hall of Fame speech to wipe away tears, will remind everyone that he came from poverty. His dinners often consisted of crackers and water while growing up in the homes of different relatives with his parents divorcing when he was 5, and attending 11 different schools. 'I was just a poor kid," Wagner said, 'who didn't back down." Wagner will let everyone know that he'll continue to do everything in his power to help grow the game as a high school baseball coach, knowing it may not be the same as when he played, but the game still remains great. "Our game's always going to evolve,'' Wagner says, 'and there's always going to be parts that we like and we don't like. Every era has that moment. … But I think the game on the field is as great as it's ever been. But I guess the way we portray it, and push it forward, that's the biggest thing." Dick Allen Dick Allen, who died in 2020, represents the strength of fighting racism during his career. He received death threats playing in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the minor league team's first Black player, and was later pelted with batteries and garbage playing for the Philadelphia Phillies. Fergie Jenkins, who along with Bob Gibson were the only other Black Hall of Fame pitchers before Sabathia, vividly remembers the pain. They were not only teammates, but roommates in Little Rock. 'Dick was a real personal guy, I mean, he got along with everybody," Jenkins told USA TODAY Sports. 'Nobody ever bothered me, but then Dick bought a car, and I think that was the wrong thing to do. They bannered that thing all of the time. They were always putting stuff on it. There were people in the stands who didn't like him with name calling. 'It was just those times in segregation. We couldn't stay with the same players on the road. We stayed in a brothel one year in the summer. Another year we stayed in a funeral home. We couldn't eat in the same restaurants. We had to give our money to other players, have them order the food, and have them bring it back to us in the bus. 'I only stayed a month and a half. Dick was there all year. He never forgot it." Allen went on to become one of the greatest sluggers of his era, hitting 351 homers with a .534 slugging percentage, but his refusal to accept the bigotry and racial hatred in the country prevented him from getting the accolades he deserved. 'Dick Allen played the game in the most conservative era in baseball history," Hall of Famer Willie Stargell once said. 'It was a time of change and protest in the country, and baseball reacted against all that. They saw it as a threat to the game. The sportswriters were reactionary too. They didn't like seeing a man of such extraordinary skills doing it his way. Dick Allen was ahead of his time. His views and way of doing things would go unnoticed today.'' Says Gossage: 'He's the greatest ballplayer I've ever seen play in my life. There's no telling the numbers this guy could have put up if all he worried about was stats. He's the smartest baseball man I've ever been around in my life. He taught me so much about pitching and how to respect the game. He's probably the most misunderstood player in the history of the game." Dave Parker The shame is that Allen, and Parker, aren't alive to stand on the stage themselves to deliver their speeches. Parker, who died just a month ago from Parkinson's, let his son know just what he wanted to convey before he died. 'That's just heartbreaking," said Gossage, who was also teammates with Parker. 'Dave was one of my all-time favorite teammates. He was a true five-tool player. He was like Dick. There was not one ounce of BS from those guys." Parker's speech will remind folks of the leadership legacy he left behind. Sure, he was a fabulous player as an MVP, seven-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner, three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion and two-time World Series champion. Yet he will be remembered as one of the game's finest team leaders, guiding the Pirates to the 1979 World Series title while mentoring Reds stars Barry Larkin and Eric Davis in Cincinnati. 'The Pirates meant a lot to me," Parker said in a Zoom call after learning of his election in December. 'They were a great brotherhood, and they were always behind me. I could leave, come back, and everything is the same.'' Now, they'll be immortalized together, with Suzuki, Sabathia and Wagner on stage and Allen and Parker smiling from the heavens. They'll be enshrined in this beautiful hallowed place where Suzuki visited seven times, easily the most by an active player during his career. The next time he walks in he'll see his plaque inside the gallery room alongside his new Hall of Fame teammates. 'Ichiro would go all of the time and I always wondered why," Sabathia said. 'Now I know. It would have been super-motivating as a player. It's almost like a church. It's surreal to be in that room, especially now as a Hall of Famer, with my peers. 'When I walked in there, I almost came to tears. The way the sun beams through, it's almost magical." Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale Who is getting inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame? The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class features five inductees
Boston Globe
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
East Longmeadow's Nick Ahmed, a two-time Gold Glove winner, announces retirement from baseball
The 35-year-old Ahmed, an East Longmeadow native, hit .233 with 72 homers and 339 RBIs in 964 games. He played 10 seasons for Arizona, winning Gold Gloves in 2018 and 2019, was with San Francisco, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego last year and played five games for Texas this season. Ahmed played shortstop and pitched at East Longmeadow High School and at UConn. He was drafted 85th overall by Atlanta in 2011 and moved to the Diamondbacks in a January 2013. Advertisement
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
2-time Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed announces retirement on social media
Two-time Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed announced his retirement Thursday on social media. 'I got to live out my childhood dream and play for a very long time!' Ahmed wrote. 'After 15 professional seasons and over a decade in the big leagues I am officially hanging up my spikes and retiring from playing.' The 35-year-old Ahmed hit .233 with 72 homers and 339 RBIs in 964 games. He played 10 seasons for Arizona, winning Gold Gloves in 2018 and 2019, was with San Francisco, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego last year and played five games for Texas this season. Ahmed played shortstop and pitched at East Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts and at UConn. He was drafted 85th overall by Atlanta in 2011 and moved to the Diamondbacks in a January 2013. ___
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
2-time Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed announces retirement on social media
Two-time Gold Glove shortstop Nick Ahmed announced his retirement Thursday on social media. 'I got to live out my childhood dream and play for a very long time!' Ahmed wrote. 'After 15 professional seasons and over a decade in the big leagues I am officially hanging up my spikes and retiring from playing.' The 35-year-old Ahmed hit .233 with 72 homers and 339 RBIs in 964 games. He played 10 seasons for Arizona, winning Gold Gloves in 2018 and 2019, was with San Francisco, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego last year and played five games for Texas this season. Ahmed played shortstop and pitched at East Longmeadow High School in Massachusetts and at UConn. He was drafted 85th overall by Atlanta in 2011 and moved to the Diamondbacks in a January 2013. ___ AP MLB: The Associated Press
