Speech excerpts

The Baltimore Sun

Thank you, Commissioner Selig, and all you do for baseball. And thanks, everyone here at the Hall of Fame, for this great weekend and honor.

I've really appreciated all the people who have congratulated me in the months since my election to the Hall of Fame. It sure helped me get over a conversation I had recently with a 10-year-old boy I was instructing. I was teaching him hitting and he was starting to have success and feeling quite proud of himself. And he asked me, "So, did you play baseball?"

I said, "Yes, I played professionally." And he goes, "Oh, yeah, for what team?" I said, "I played with the Baltimore Orioles for 21 years." And he said, "What position?" And I said, "Mostly shortstop but a little third base at the end." And he began to walk away and he looked back and said, "Should I know you?"

That certainly puts all this in perspective. ...

And then there are the fans of baseball. And in particular, the people of Baltimore who cheered my successes and stood by me when things weren't going so well. Where would any of us in this game be without the people who love the game and their teams and who even make trips to events like this long after we've put down our gloves and bats? I know some fans have looked at The Streak as a special accomplishment, and while I appreciate that, I always looked at it as just showing up for work every day. As I look out on this audience, I see thousands of people who do the same, teachers, police officers, mothers, fathers, business people and many others. You all may not receive the accolades that I have throughout my career, so I'd like to take the time out to salute all of you for showing up, working hard and making the world a better place. Thank you, all. ...

My life in baseball has been one giant blessing. But when I finished playing, and I say finished playing rather than retired because I felt that I was not at an ending, but rather at another beginning in my life, I had the opportunity to look back on my playing career and take stock of experience, knowledge and values that could shape the next stage of my life. ...

We all hear about how baseball imitates life, which held especially true for my dad. He used to say that everything that happens in baseball happens in life and everything that happens in life happens in baseball. He certainly taught us about life through baseball. But I also have to admit that as a young man with a limited view of the world, baseball and life became one for me and it was difficult to see beyond playing the game.

Did you ever stop to think about how your life would unfold or imagine how you would like your life to turn out? One of those reflective pauses happened in my life when I was around 18 years old. I thought I had it all figured out, I would play big league baseball until about 45 and then worry about the rest of my life after that. It took me a little while, but I did come to realize that baseball was just one part of my life with the possible exception of this weekend, of course. This was never more clear to me than when we had children. I realized that the secret of life is life, and a bigger picture came into focus. Games were and are important, but people and how you impact on them are most important. While we all work to develop into productive people for our own happiness, it is also vital that we do so for the good of society as a whole. ...

Sport can play a big role in teaching values and principles. It can be a huge developmental tool for life. Just think, teamwork, leadership, work ethic and trust are all part of the game and are also all factors in how we make the most of our lives. So an essential part of the job of every player and of all people for that matter is to help the young people of today learn these lessons so they can live better lives tomorrow. ...

Today is about celebrating the best that baseball has been and the best it can be. I realize what I'm about to say is ironic since I'm often known for the consecutive-games streak that helped define my career and my approach to the game; The Streak is marked by a number, a start and an end, but I can assure you it was not accomplished with a view to a given number or endpoint, and I certainly wasn't aware when I started in this game where it would lead me. You see, I truly believe there are no endings, just points at which we begin again, as players do 162 times a season and if they are lucky, a few more times each fall.

And finally, as I experience another new beginning with this induction, I can only hope that all of us, whether we have played on the field or been fans in the stands, can reflect on how fortunate we are and can see our lives as new beginnings that allow us to leave this world a bit better than when we came into it.

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