Class of '24 inducted into Hall of Fame: 'I had so much fun playing the game'

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- The Baseball Hall of Fame opened its gates today to a former No. 1 overall pick who spent his entire career in his hometown of the Twin Cities, and a former Double-A backup catcher who spent 18 years in the Minor Leagues before spending a day in the Majors. It welcomed two corner infielders who debuted 10 months apart and spent seven years as NL West rivals, and that didn’t even cover half of their careers -- one for 17 years in Colorado, the other for 21 years across four teams.

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All of them -- Todd Helton, Adrian Beltré, Jim Leyland and Joe Mauer -- had months to prepare to take the podium in front of thousands for today’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the Clark Sports Center. And yet, for a quartet that made preparation a cornerstone of their careers, the emotions of this day provided a challenge:

How to sum up the emotions and memories of a brilliant, lengthy career in about 10 minutes?

“As tough as it is to get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it might be just as tough to sum up what this game, this honor, this moment truly means to me,” Mauer said to begin his speech. “Even if I had all the time in the world, I’m still not sure I could properly put it into words.”

It wasn’t just the summer sun causing some sweat. But the returning Hall of Famers, more than 40 of them on the stage, provided some relief.

“You know, just standing there, waiting to go up onto the stage, the guys were so kind,” said Helton, the first of the inductees to speak. “They all came by and offered advice: Don’t worry about it. Don’t be nervous. You’ve got this. And to me, that was the beginning of feeling like that I belong.”

It was well-received. The afternoon was tear-jerking at times, funny at others, but it was deserving for all.

The Hall of Famers welcomed the newcomers with open arms. In the case of Beltré, David Ortiz welcomed him with an open palm, right atop his head. Beltré famously hated anyone touching his head as a player, and it became a common friendly gesture for opponents after former Mariners teammate Félix Hernández once revealed it.

For Sunday, it was Big Papi’s way of trying to loosen up Beltré -- his fellow Dominican, good friend and Red Sox teammate in 2010 -- before the biggest speech of Beltré’s career.

“That never relaxed me,” Beltré corrected after his speech. “But OK, it was a little cute to go back to my days when I was playing. It was like teeing off, a good way to go out there and prepare for the speech. It’s just part of being in this fraternity, you call it, of players.

“Even though I don’t love it, I don’t like it, but I feel like I’m open to people to be able to play around with me. Big Papi and I, we go way back before we even signed a contract.”

After never having led off in 2,247 games for the Rockies, Helton did the honors on Sunday with the first speech of the four inductees. His beautiful left-handed swing -- which helped earn a batting title, five All-Star selections at first base and four Silver Slugger Awards -- became not only the symbol for a Rockies franchise that was just in its fifth season of play when he debuted, but also the inspiration for many young hitters who have followed.

But Helton was mindful of the great hitters who came before him, and the ones on the stage behind him, those already in the Hall of Fame, and what it means to join the club.

"The awards that have come to me from baseball are beyond the wildest dreams of a young rookie coming out of the University of Tennessee,” Helton said during his speech. “I know I'm a lucky man."

Helton added that when he goes back to Knoxville, people still ask him if he was the guy who used to play quarterback for the Volunteers in college.

“Yes,” Helton said. “But I’ve played a little baseball since!”

Though Beltré asked the crowd to bear with him, joking his English gets worse every day, he eloquently chronicled his journey from discovering baseball in his teenage years to signing with the Dodgers, debuting at age 19, growing into a star and then becoming a legend in Texas. He thanked everyone from his teammates at his stops -- yes, even Ortiz -- to agents Scott Boras and Mike Fiore, to Hall of Fame Dodgers manager turned member of the front office Tommy Lasorda for believing in him, to the kid who swapped infield positions with him on his first youth team, giving him his first shot at third base.

“Baseball was my passion, and it blessed me with countless opportunities,” he said. “And the best part is: I loved it. I love baseball and I had so much fun playing the game.”

Leyland became known in part for his emotions during a 22-year MLB managerial career that included a World Series title in Miami, two World Series berths in Detroit, six division titles in Detroit and Pittsburgh and three Manager of the Year Awards. He kept it together until talking about his former Tigers Minor League teammate, longtime coach and good friend Gene Lamont.

Leyland’s speech was equal parts emotional and hilarious, as one of baseball’s most unique personalities had the crowd in Cooperstown riveted. Leyland detailed a conversation he had with his wife over coffee after learning that he’d been elected to the Hall of Fame.

“I said, ‘Katie, could you believe in your wildest dreams that I’d be going to the Hall of the Fame?’” Leyland recalled.

His wife’s response: “Jim, you’re not in my wildest dreams.”

A classic story from a classy man, but not Leyland’s only memorable line.

“My contributions to our beautiful pastime pale in comparison to the joy it has brought to my life, from the heart of a little boy to the soul of an old man,” Leyland said.

Mauer, batting cleanup among the inductees, became a stoic presence behind the plate for many of his 15 years in the Majors, all in Minnesota, just a short trip from his hometown of St. Paul. Not only was Mauer the 2009 AL Most Valuable Player, a three-time batting champion and a six-time All-Star, he was a franchise cornerstone. But he, too, was ready for emotions thinking about the honor and trying to describe how fortunate he felt.

“I wanted to be a Twin from Day 1, and that decision never wavered,” Mauer said.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Mauer paid tribute to his family -- his wife, children and his grandfather, whose eyesight was failing but would stand close to the screen in a batting stance whenever Mauer was up.

“It was tough,” Mauer said afterward. “There’s a lot of emotions, even leading up to this. I mean, since I got the call, it was very emotional for me. I know back home, a lot of people know I lost my dad recently and my grandpa a couple years ago, both grandpas. They were able to watch my whole career, and I think they were with me today making sure that I could articulate the speech that I had. I knew they were here.”

Add in Saturday’s ceremonies honoring longtime Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione with the Ford C. Frick Award, and the late baseball writer Gerry Fraley with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award, and the weekend was emotional for many, from the players on stage to the fans who trekked into this small town to watch their heroes formally join all-time greats.