McGriff reflects on illustrious career: 'Fires can ignite the spark'

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- At turns funny and sentimental, Fred McGriff formally accepted baseball immortality on Sunday.

In his induction speech for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, McGriff thanked the dozens upon dozens of people who helped him along the way while drawing connections to many Hall of Famers seated behind him as he spoke. And of course, he shared the story of how the “Crime Dog” became the “Fire Dog.”

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McGriff encouraged everyone listening to pursue their dreams, because he not only achieved his, but he went miles beyond it.

“This is baseball’s biggest honor,” said 59-year-old McGriff. “This is like icing on the cake. My goal was simply to make it to the big leagues, and I exceeded every expectation I could have ever imagined and then some. It is a great feeling getting recognized for your hard work.

"And now to have a plaque forever hanging in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it’s unbelievable.”

McGriff was selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee, a fact that held particular meaning for him.

“When your career is validated by former players and executives that saw you play, that’s as good as it gets,” he said.

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McGriff -- who hit 30 home runs in a season 10 times for five teams and totaled 493 in his big league career -- recalled the many turning points throughout his journey that led to him standing on stage on a warm summer Cooperstown day. He also made a point to note how many of those turning points came at the hands of fellow Hall of Famers.

Above all, though, he made sure to honor the family members who have had his back since he was a child playing baseball for fun in Tampa, Fla. His remembrance of his late parents was especially poignant.

“They never pushed me to play baseball,” McGriff said, “but they always supported me. … And I know they’re both looking down smiling today, so proud of their youngest son.”

But McGriff also noted times when he had a little bit of fun with family members. His first anecdote took place on the night he received the call to the Hall. He had been warned not to let the secret out if he got good news, and he took that so far as to keep it even from his wife and daughter until the formal announcement.

“I played calm, like I knew nothing,” he said. “I just told them, ‘Hey, they’re going to announce who got into the Baseball Hall of Fame at 8 o'clock on MLB Network, so let’s turn it on.’ It was pure joy and happiness on my wife and daughter’s faces when it was announced that I was the next electee to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“Then they both looked at me and said, ‘You knew.’”

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In another light moment, he recalled being cut from his high school baseball team as a sophomore. He made it the next year, but said the tough news fueled him.

“The next year I tried out again, and I made the team. But to this day, I know they still tease [legendary coach Pop Cuesta] about cutting me in the 10th grade.”

As McGriff took listeners through his baseball journey, he noted the many times that Hall of Famers, and in particular the ones on stage with him, played key roles on the path. He recalled rooting for Johnny Bench when he was growing up, and emulating George Brett as a young hitter.

Former Blue Jays general manager Pat Gillick traded for McGriff when he was in the very low Minors, and a few years later, then Braves general manager John Schuerholz also traded for him. He teamed with Greg Maddux and Chipper Jones to win a World Series in Atlanta, and joined fellow Tampa native Wade Boggs on the first Devil Rays team. McGriff also noted that Boggs gave him some very valuable advice early in his career.

“When I was in the Minors,” McGriff said, “I looked for a lot of breaking balls. I guessed and so forth. And Wade told me, ‘Fred, look for that fastball on every pitch.’ And I did. And it worked.”

And then, of course, there was the fire story, born when McGriff was traded from San Diego to Atlanta in 1992.

“I was very excited to be joining a team that had been a couple plays away from winning back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992,” he said. “But I was nursing an injury when the trade happened. The day I drove to Atlanta, I left Tampa at noon. I didn’t expect to play.

“But when I got to the ballpark, there was my name in the lineup. I was sweating, but I believe the man upstairs bought me some time when a food heat lamp upstairs caught on fire and the start of the game was delayed two hours. Long enough for me to get some more treatment, and I felt a little bit better.”

McGriff hit a homer that night, starting a personal and team surge that saw the Braves rally to win the National League West -- and earning the man known as the “Crime Dog” a second nickname.

First and foremost, though, McGriff’s message was one of steadfastly pursuing your goals, and of the help he got along the way in doing that.

“I honestly would’ve been happy just playing one day in the big leagues,” he said. “This means a lot to me, so I encourage you, whatever your dream is, to never give up. And always remember to stay true to who you are.

“There will be fires along the way, but those fires can ignite the spark to the next season of your life.”