Hall Of Fame Weekend is always a special time as thousands of fans gather to honor the greatest players in the history of baseball at the most historic site baseball has ever known. Legends upon legends assemble to share stories of the past and welcome the "rookies" to the all-time fraternity.
This year could not welcome in two better players than Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. Both represented baseball in their own form of class and respect, and they signify not only what baseball is about, but what about athletics and competition is about.
This day and age is not the healthiest for sports in general as there seems to be a new scandal every weekd. Baseball has been stuck in the "Steroid Era" for almost 10 years and I am afraid the speculation will never come to an end.
Millions of words have been printed about the allegations regarding Barry Bonds and Balco that it is easy to forget that there are actually great baseball games being played by great players. It is common to drift towards the popular sotry or headline, but that is a challenge that everybody in every business needs to accept.
The common themes are worn out and baseball is gracious enough to give us plenty of underlying stories. So in a time when the game and the purity of it is being quesitoned, we can always drift away into oblivion for one weekend in the summer and regain feeling of the foundation baseball was built on. The truly special talents that grind through season after season.
An entire book could be written about each 2007 inductee. Today, contract negotiations become so heated that holdouts and agents play a much bigger role in the business. Ripken was not some average man who showed up and decided to be a great baseball player. Lets not forget that he had an enormous amount of god given ability.
In my opinion, that makes his story all that more special. For such a talented player to take that much pride in being reliable each day for over 16 straight seasons was a gift that doesn't come around too often. Each field of work needs the people who show up every day to give their best. So in that regard, Cal Ripken Jr. resembles much more than a great baseball player this weekend in Cooperstown. A great person and a great human being is what will be celebrated.
Tony Gwynn will is cut from much of the same cloth as Ripken, although I see Gwynn as a master of knowing himself and specializing in his ability. Gwynn knew what type of player he was capable of becoming and was satisfied in being the best in that area. You would not call Tony Gwynn a "role" player by any means because that term would be used for someone who doesn;t play everyday.
Gwynn was a superstar who knew what his "role" was in baseball, and he just happened to put in enough work to become the best in that area. It is not about finding shortcuts to do the things that you aren't capable of. In fact, no player in the game is so great at every facet. That is why baseball is a team sport and therefore requires different types of players to gel in order to creat a winning formula.
So on Sunday when two brand new plaques are introduced into baseball history, I will remeber the uniqueness that comes with each one. The heart and soul that was worked day in and day out is what will shine through at the Hall Of Fame during a time where baseball, and all sports, need men that put their values before riches and media hype.
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