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The National Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony 2000
Audio Clip: July 23, 2000 -- In the first Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony of the millennium, Atanasio "Tony" Perez, Carlton Fisk and Sparky Anderson were inducted in front of a large capacity crowd of 10,000+.
Ralph Kiner, broadcaster of the New York Mets, opened up the commencement by introducing the two other inductees (Turkey Stearnes, Bid McPhee) who were chosen by the Veteran's Committee.
Sparky Anderson who was respected and treasured by his players when he managed for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers, gave an elaborated speech which at times was humorous. He started his speech thanking the commissioner of baseball, Bud Selig. "And I thank him so much for introducing me because of all the hours we spend together talking over the years when I went into Milwaukee and I thank him for his kindness," Anderson said. He then spoke about how great the game of baseball is and how his fellow Hall of Famers and the people before them lay the foundation for baseball as it is today. "Those people made this game and will protect this game," he said. His lengthy speech continued and he thanked the Veteran's Committee, the Baseball Hall of Fame for making him feel important, the media and fans. Seeming to relinquish his time at the podium, he went on to thank the members of his family including those who attended the ceremony.
Tony Perez received a loud cheered from the
crowd as highlights and footage of his career flashed on the big screen.
Dressed sharply in a
beige suit and white shirt, Perez took his place on stage with the 47 returning Hall of Famers,
standing tall
next to his plaque as commissioner Bud Selig introduced and
welcomed, Tony Perez into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Speaking confidently and still amazed at the fact that he's finally partaking in this historical event, he proceeded to thanked his fellow teammates, fans and the city of Cincinnati for their support. "I doubt a king in his coronation feel better than me today," he said.
Although Perez was born in a small town in Cuba called Camaguey, he expressed his love for three countries, "I carry three special flags in my heart, the one from the united States, where the best baseball is played, Puerto Rico, the place that adopted me and Cuba, where I was born." He continued his speech with details and stats of his career, but emphasized, "I always played to win, I never cared for numbers of records...I always give 100% on the field."
Before the end of his speech he thanked his wife, Pituka and his two sons Victor and Eduardo Perez who plays for the St. Louis Cardinals and manager Tony LaRussa gave him the day off so that he could attend his father induction ceremony. Perez continued and gave advise to present and future players, "Respect and honor the uniform you wear, respect your fans, respect he game of baseball - a national great pastime." At the end, he spoke in Spanish to all the Latin American people who have supported him so much throughout the years.
Carlton Fisk was the
last speaker of the ceremony and he mentioned how tough Tony Perez was in
the1975 World Series. He congratulated Tony and referred to him as the "Big
Dog". "They shouldn't have called him just the "Big Dog" because he
was the "lead dog" and the "Big Red Machine" would have
sputtered dramatically without him," he said.
His speech was emotional especially when he spoke about a dear friend of his who had passed away, that meant very much to him. He thanked his mother for her support and his father for pushing him harder. He mentioned his two daughters and son and spoke beautifully about his wife uttering the words "I love you" to her.
The induction ceremony ended appropriately with a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and Fisk, Perez and Anderson showing off their plagues proudly.
Special thanks to
everyone at The National Baseball Hall of Fame
for giving Latino Legends in Sports the privilege to cover this historical
event!
Reported by Ozzie Gonzalez & Mercedes Marrero
Latino Legends in Sports
