The Induction Speech We Ought to Hear
by Greg on Fri 09 Mar 2007 07:21 PM EST | Permanent Link |
Cosmos
If Joan Hodges is stepping to the podium in Cooperstown this summer,
it would be justice. At the very least, it's Flashback Friday at
Faith and Fear in Flushing.

Thank you Commissioner Selig, members of the board of the Hall of
Fame, all of the Hall of Famers here today and all of you who made
the trip upstate.

I can't tell you how much this day means to me and would have meant
to Gil. He never played or managed for individual accolades, but I
know he would have deeply appreciated this honor.

It's been 35 years since we lost Gil. Thirty-five years since that
awful April afternoon in Florida in 1972. I was beginning to think
he'd been forgotten. I've been reminded since his election, however,
that I was wrong. And it's not just because he was, at last, elected
to this wonderful Hall of Fame.

I've been reminded over and over again by the fans and by the press
and by a lot of people who love baseball that they've never
forgotten my husband. Ever since the veterans committee took their
special second vote last spring and elected Gil Hodges to the Hall,
I can't tell you how many Mets fans and Dodgers fans and just
baseball fans have come up to me and said just the most lovely
things about him.

I have to admit I'd been disappointed all those times Gil came close
but never made it. Maybe I was so wrapped up in my disappointment
that I hadn't noticed that the love for Gil was always there, that
it never dissipated, especially in New York where the memory of Gil
remains so cherished. If I took a step back, I think I would have
seen that no plaque, even one as meaningful as the one you've
unveiled today, could affirm that feeling toward Gil as well as the
love and respect Gil still brought out in people.

Then again, we always said "Wait 'til Next Year" in Brooklyn, and
when next year arrived in 1955, I know we were a lot happier, so it
does mean a great deal to me and our whole family that Gil has been
acknowledged for all time here in Cooperstown.

Of course I wish he could be with us today. Tony and Cal, my husband
never had a chance to see you play, but I think he would have loved
the way you went about your business, bringing so much grace and
dignity to baseball. He would have welcomed the chance to manage
both of you or, if he were a little younger or you had been born a
little earlier, played with you. That's no knock on Pee Wee or Carl,
you understand. Gil always loved his teammates.

Ron, Gil thought the world of you as a competitor, even in 1969 when
you were clicking your heels in those heated games between the Mets
and the Cubs. He'd be thrilled to be sharing this day with you, too,
and would probably be surprised that you hadn't been on this stage
sooner.

You fellows who helped put Gil in with your votes were men Gil
admired no end. Sandy, I'll never forget Gil telling me about that
great young lefty the Dodgers brought up and how if he ever got his
control that he'd be something else. I think he was right. Willie,
Gil never got tired of watching you play, even if your being on the
Giants didn't make our lives any easier back in Brooklyn. And Frank,
I think Gil would be very proud that you helped bring baseball back
to Washington these last few years. Not too many people remember
that the Senators were Gil's first managing job. It would have made
him smile to know that such a great player and competitor had
inherited his old job.

Tom, Gil always knew you'd be here one day. I'll never forget the
beautiful speech you made when you were inducted and how you singled
out Gil as such a big influence on your career. I'll also always
appreciate all the wonderful things you said when you were
broadcasting Mets games, helping to keep his memory alive. To you
and the Wilpons and the entire Met family, I want to thank you for
never forgetting Gil. You held a night in his memory, you voted him
the team's all-time manager and you've been nothing but royal in
your treatment of me. I can't express nearly enough my appreciation
for all the warmth you've bestowed on us. He'd be so pleased to see
the Mets doing as well as they are again, to watch Willie Randolph,
a kid from Brooklyn who grew up rooting for the Mets when Gil was
the manager, succeeding him so beautifully. And I don't think he'd
mind one bit the new ballpark going up in Queens, particularly the
beautiful tribute to Jackie Robinson.

Gil Hodges was, as a biographer once put it, the quiet man. Not all
the time, though. He made plenty of noise with his bat. The 370 home
runs Gil hit were the tenth-most ever at the time he retired. Plus
he drove in a hundred runs or more seven different times. Gil may
have preferred it quiet, but the '69 Mets certainly celebrated
loudly enough to break some of their manager's rules when they won
the World Series and, if I recall correctly, he didn't issue a
single fine.

But it's true that he was a quiet man. He kept a lot to himself. It
was just his way. Yet I know if he were here today that Gil wouldn't
be nearly as quiet as we remember him, at least not up here on this
stage. He'd smile that warm smile of his and say a great big thank
you to everybody who helped enshrine him in Cooperstown.

On his behalf, allow me to do it. Thank you so very, very much.

Next Friday: Lucky bounce.
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Comments
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Re: The Induction Speech We Ought to Hear
by Inside Pitcher on Fri 09 Mar 2007 07:36 PM EST | Profile |
Permanent Link
Damn Greg - that was just beautiful
Reply
Re: The Induction Speech We Ought to Hear
by geezer on Fri 09 Mar 2007 08:29 PM EST | Profile | Permanent
Link
It makes me happy, then sad, then obviously mad. Perhaps with the
growing power of the net, and blogs in particular, we could organize
and get this thing done once and for all. Gil was the man, as a
player and then as a manager. Lord knows how the 70s would've gone
if he'd stayed with us a few more years.
Reply
Re: The Induction Speech We Ought to Hear
by bmfc1 on Sat 10 Mar 2007 08:55 AM EST | Profile | Permanent Link
I knew Keith Hernandez was damn good when my father said "he's best
first baseman I've seen since Gil Hodges."
Reply

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