On Sunday in Cooperstown, six former player greats -- Chipper Jones, Alan Trammell, Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Jack Morris -- were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's one of the most hallowed days on the baseball calendar each year, so let's enjoy some highlights and takeaways from the 2018 festivities Chipper Jones Jones across parts of 19 seasons with the Braves racked up 2,726 hits; 468 home runs; 549 doubles; and 85.2 WAR, one NL MVP Award (1999); and eight All-Star appearances. He was elected to the Hall on the first ballot (97.2 percent of the vote) and becomes just the 17th primary third baseman to be enshrined. Let's make it official: During his speech, Jones of course made time to recognize his former manager (and now co-Hall of Famer) Bobby Cox: Also, induction weekend is even bigger for the Jones family than you might think: Suffice it to say, Chipper won't soon be forgetting the summer of '18. Alan Trammell Here's some essential sentiment from Trammell's time at the podium: Ain't that the truth. Trammell was a plus-fielding shortstop who spent more than 18,000 defensive innings at the position. At the plate, he authored a 110 OPS+ during an era when we weren't accustomed to shortstops doing anything other than using their glove and occasionally their wheels on the bases. Trammell along the way racked up 2,365 hits; 652 extra-base knocks; 236 steals; and 70.7 WAR. As well, he won four Gold Gloves and made the All-Star team six times. Despite those sterling and indisputable credentials, Trammell was shut out in his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot. Thankfully, the Modern Baseball Era Committee corrected the obvious mistake by electing Trammell. So consider this to be belated ... ... And very much deserved. Now maybe they'll get around to putting Lou Whitaker in one day. Trevor Hoffman Hoffman, thanks in large measure to one of the great changeups in baseball history, racked up a whopping 601 saves across his 18-year career (only Mariano Rivera has more saves) while converting 89 percent of his opportunities. He also pitched to a 140 ERA+ and logged more strikeouts (1,133) than innings (1,089.1). Seven times Hoffman made the All-Star Game, and four times he finished in the top six of the NL Cy Young balloting. Hoffman in his career compiled a WAR of just 28.1, but Hall voters have shown a preference for evaluating relievers by other means. Plaque time: Before Hoffman took the mic, Chipper gave him a shout-out: Also, Giants manager Bruce Bochy skipped his team's Sunday game so he could be there for Hoffman's big day: Bochy managed Hoffman for his peak years with the Padres. This, of course, wasn't lost on the honoree: Vladimir Guerrero One of the great bad-ball hitters ever, Guerrero in his career tallied 2,590 hits; 449 home runs; 447 doubles; 181 stolen bases; nine All-Star appearances; eight Silver Sluggers; a robust .318/.379/.553 batting line; and a WAR of 59.4. Guerrero made it in on the second ballot. The plaque: And with that Guerrero becomes the first player ever to go into the Hall while wearing an Angels hat (even though he spent more time with the Expos). As well, Guerrero becomes the first Dominican-born position player to go into the Hall of Fame. As you would expect, his homeland was very much on his mind as he spoke to the crowd in Cooperstown: Remember how it was a doubly big day for Chipper Jones and family? The Guerreros on Sunday also had more than "just" a Hall of Fame induction to celebrate: Not a bad day, that. Jim Thome Thome was one of the great "take and rake" power hitters, well, ever. The beloved slugger spent 22 years in the bigs, and along the way he cracked 612 homers (! ); drew the seventh-most walks of all-time (1,747); and reached base more than 4,000 times. Thome also topped 1,000 extra-base hits for his career and built a WAR of 72.9. He was elected to the Hall on the first ballot. Here's Thome's plaque: You'll note the block C on Thome's Indians hat. They didn't wear that design in Thome's Cleveland days, but the controversial Chief Wahoo logo is of course being phased out. Thome previously said that he didn't want Wahoo on his Hall of Fame plaque. Getting prominent treatment in Thome's heartfelt speech was his former Phillies manager and hitting coach and manager with the Indians, Charlie Manuel: And the money quote from Thome's speech: Yep, another pretty good left-handed slugger was watching. Jack Morris Morris didn't quite make the cut in his 15 years on the BBWAA ballot, but the committee that voted in Trammell also gave the nod to Morris. Over the course of his 18-year career, Morris won 254 games; struck out almost 2,500 batters; notched 175 complete games; pitched to a 3.90 ERA; and seven times finished in the top 10 of the Cy Young vote. In 1991, Morris also crafted one of the greatest pitching performances in World Series history when he worked 10 shutout innings against the Braves in a Game 7 victory. There's that mustache and the Old English "D" of Detroit. Should we listen to Morris recount a battle with Carl Yastrzemski? You bet we should: And now for the lasting image: Congratulations to these six legends on reaching the pinnacle of the sport.<doc-sep>Six players were enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday: Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Jim Thome, Jack Morris, and Alan Trammell. Here are some vignettes and bon mots from the three-day festival of hardball history . . . But when anyone says “Hall of Fame” we think of one place, and one place only: Cooperstown, N.Y. COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — There’s a Football Hall of Fame in Canton (Ohio), a Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield (Mass. ), and a Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland. There’s a Hamburger Hall of Fame in Wisconsin and a New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame in the Garden State. There’s an International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in Israel and a (gulp) Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame in Winston-Salem, N.C. Advertisement From left to right: Inductees Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Alan Trammell and Jim Thome pose for a photograph with the plaques at Clark Sports Center during the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y. Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) ■ A few months after his best overall season (1987), a year in which Trammell led the Tigers to the AL East title and finished second in MVP voting to Toronto’s George Bell, Trammell fulfilled a bucket list wish to see a Celtics-Lakers game in the Boston Garden. This was no small effort. A native of San Diego, Trammell flew 6,000 (round-trip) miles to see the Celts and Lakers in December 1987 and was rewarded with one of the better regular-season games of the Bird-Magic era. The Lakers won it, 115-114, on a 22-foot runner bank shot by Magic. “That was a highlight,’’ Trammell recalled. “I got to see the Lakers win in the Gaaahden.’’ ■ Lou Whitaker, Trammell’s keystone partner for most of his career, visited with his former Tiger teammates in Cooperstown this weekend and was unfailingly gracious about the small amount of love he’s gotten from Hall voters. Take a moment to look at Whitaker’s numbers compared with Trammell’s. They are virtually identical. Advertisement ■ Rod Carew, who had heart and kidney transplants in 2017, looks terrific and took time to talk about playing against the Red Sox in Boston. Carew was a rookie with the Twins when they lost the final two games of Boston’s Impossible Dream season in 1967 and still thinks the Twins would have won if Jim Kaat hadn’t blown out his arm on the next-to-last day of the season. “Boston fans were always great to me,’’ recalled Carew. “I felt they had a level of respect and I appreciated that.’’ When Carew famously flirted with .400 in the summer of 1977, he joined Ted Williams for a Sports Illustrated cover shoot in midsummer in Milwaukee. “I honestly can’t say Ted was rooting for me to do it,’’ Carew said with a chuckle. “And he sure used a lot of cuss words.’’ Carew finished the year at .388. ■ Wade Boggs loves the 2018 Red Sox, but thinks they still need an eighth-inning guy. Boggs was a good high school quarterback and kicker at Plant High School in Tampa and says he was recruited by University of Pittsburgh coach Johnny Majors during Boggs’s senior season of 1975-76. “Majors told me I’d be handing off a lot because they had a guy named Tony Dorsett,’’ Boggs recalled. The Chicken Man signed with the Sox in ’76 while Majors went on to win a national championship at Pitt with Dorsett and Matt Cavanaugh. ■ Hall of Fame closer Rollie Fingers hasn’t forgotten his short stint with the Red Sox in June 1976. “Charlie Finley sold Joe Rudi and me to the Sox for $1 million each and the Red Sox happened to be in town for the start of a three-game series,’’ said Fingers. “So they told us to just go across the way to the visitors’ room and join the Red Sox. I had a locker next to Yaz and they gave me No. 32 because Don Zimmer had my 34. I was in the Red Sox bullpen for all three games and even warmed up once, but Darrell Johnson never put me in a game. Of course, the deal was voided and we went back to Oakland, but I thought the Red Sox might sign me that winter. Instead, they signed Bill Campbell.’’ Advertisement ■ Former Orioles and Angels second baseman Bobby Grich was in Cooperstown as part of the Angels’ contingent honoring Guerrero and recalled his minor league teammate Ron Shelton, who went on to Hollywood fame, writing and directing such classics as “Bull Durham,’’ “Tin Cup,’’ “White Men Can’t Jump,” and “Cobb.’’ Shelton made it as far as Triple A Rochester with the likes of Grich and Don Baylor, but never played a day in the big leagues. “He was a good player,’’ said Grich. “He was better than me in some of those years in the minors, but the Orioles really wanted me to advance.’’ ■ The wall of the press box at Fenway features a classic photo of Johnny Bench and Luis Tiant from the 1975 World Series. In the shot, Tiant has just struck out for the final out of an inning and Bench has flipped the ball toward Luis, who is seen reaching with his right hand to catch the baseball and return to the mound. “One of my favorite photos,’’ said Bench. The greatest catcher who ever lived told me he knew he had arrived as a big leaguer when he was named an All-Star backup when he was 20 years old in 1968. “Willie Mays came up to me in the locker room in Houston and said, ‘You should have been the starter,’ ’’ recalled Bench. (The NL starter was the Mets’ Jerry Grote.) “I said, ‘Thank you, Mr. Mays.’ ’’ Advertisement ■ The road to Cooperstown is peppered with speed traps and Dennis Eckersley was pulled over for speeding on his drive to Cooperstown when he was inducted in the summer of 2004.<doc-sep>You don’t make it to Cooperstown without a moment. Greatness happens often. But indelible moments created by unforgettable players? They don’t come along every day. With baseball’s Hall of Fame inductions happening Sunday, we’re looking at the most iconic moments of all six members of this year’s class: Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell. Some achieved on the biggest stage. Some carved their name into the history book. Others left their mark on the game in ways that are the thing of urban legends. Vladimir Guerrero, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome highlight the 2018 MLB Hall of Fame inductees. (Yahoo Sports) Vladimir Guerrero The man they just call Vlad could do many things wonderfully on a baseball field — he had an amazing bat, a fantastic arm, he could hit for power or hit for average. But what made Guerrero a stunning player wasn’t just anything you saw on a stat sheet. People talk about the “it” factor with athletes and celebrities. Boy, did Vlad have it. Guerrero was a player who commanded your attention. A player you had to watch. In that respect, it wasn’t hard to pick a moment that defined the Vladimir Guerrero you just had to keep your eyes on. It was a little bit past his heyday and his MVP season, but it’s the thing of legend all the same. August 2009, against the Orioles, when he was still with the Angels — Vlad saw a curveball bounce in front of the plate and still knocked it into left field for a hit. We knew Vlad was a free swinger, but this was something else. It was proof of what the Hall of Fame is getting: A man who can do things with a bat that not many others could. (Mike Oz) Chipper Jones Chipper Jones’ most notable accomplishments all came very early in his 19-year career with the Atlanta Braves. In 1995, he finished runner-up to Hideo Nomo in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Later that same season he helped lead Atlanta to a World Series championship. In 1999, he was voted NL MVP at age 27. Make no mistake though, the eight-time All-Star never stopped shining or fueling the Braves with consistent and timely production. He won a batting title at age 36. He was an All-Star again at age 39 (and 40). And perhaps most amazing of all, he provided his most iconic moment right at the very end. Story continues On Sept. 2, 2012, Jones hit the 468th and final home run of his Hall of Fame career in dramatic fashion against the Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta started the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by four runs, but mounted a rally that brought the game down to one decisive matchup: Jones vs. All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon. What followed was a vintage Chipper Jones moment as the 40-year-old absolutely demolished Papelbon’s 95-mph fastball. The epic three-run walk-off homer capped a career of clutch moments, while setting off a celebration fit for a future Hall of Famer. It mattered to the Braves too, because that win helped the team secure a spot in the NL Wild Card Game. (Mark Townsend) Jim Thome The Hall of Fame is a pretty exclusive club, but strong-as-an-ox slugger Jim Thome belongs to an even more exclusive club than that. It’s one that has only eight other people in it and doesn’t look to be adding anybody else soon. It’s the 600 Home Run Club — in which Thome is joined by the likes of Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. That’s some pretty rarified air. The homer that put him in the club came in August 2011, when Thome was with the Minnesota Twins. He hit No. 599 and No. 600 that night against the Detroit Tigers, pumping his arm as he touched first base and grinning a huge grin when he touched home plate. Six hundred homers means a lot more than just having power. It means longevity — which is the foundation of Thome’s career. He played 22 years in the big leagues and hit at least 30 homers every full season between 1996 and 2008 (he only played 59 games in 2005). Six times he passed 40. Once, in 2002, he hit 52. You know what they say about numbers: They don’t lie. In Thome’s case, they tell a big truth: He’s in one of baseball’s most elite groups. (Mike Oz) Trevor Hoffman The save stat is the reason San Diego Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman is in the Hall of Fame. So Hoffman breaking the all-time saves record stands out as his best highlight. On Sep. 26, 2006, Hoffman recorded his 479th career save, passing Lee Smith for the all-time record. Prior to Hoffman’s induction, only five other players who spent the majority of their career as closers have made it to Cooperstown: Dennis Eckersley, Rollie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter and Hoyt Wilhelm. Of that group, Hoffman is the only one who never threw 100 innings in a single season. That says less about Hoffman’s ability and more about how the closer role has changed since the 1970s. The role slowly shifted toward one-inning specialists who could shut down the opposing team in the ninth inning. Hoffman was one of the best ever to be used in that role. Hoffman’s induction signals that Hall of Fame voters have embraced how the closer role has shifted since the ’70s. It opens the door for other closers from the modern era to make their way to Cooperstown. Hoffman retired as the all-time saves leader with 601 career saves. That record has since been broken by Mariano Rivera, but that shouldn’t diminish Hoffman’s accomplishments. Hoffman defined the modern closer role. He provided the template for what a successful closer looks like today. Because of that, it’s only fitting that he becomes the first closer of his era to get the Hall of Fame call. (Chris Cwik) Jack Morris Jack Morris has one of the most obvious career-defining moments of any Hall of Fame player.<doc-sep>Chipper Jones being inducted, just wondering how you guys are feeling about that? "It's a bittersweet moment because he's a Met killer," said Mets fan Bill Donohue. "I don't really care for the man but you can't doubt his statistics and he really belongs in Cooperstown." "Alan Trammell, best shortstop we've ever had and one of the best in baseball," said Tigers fan Joe Maci. "Waited too long to get here and his best friend should be here with him Lou Whitaker." "I've heard a lot of fans said Jim Thome, he's a great guy, he's such an amazing person and player but I never really got to see the 1995, 2005 Jim Thome so to see him come back in the Indians uniform and get a taste of who he actually was is something special," said Indians fan Peyton O'Keefe. "I've known Trammell since he joined the major leagues," said David Bosque. "He was a Navy guy they came to San Diego and I met his fiancé and he was on his way to spring training and since then we followed his whole career. We go up to Anaheim to see him when the Tigers were in town, he's just a great individual." "I'm super excited because Vlad is just an exciting guy to watch, so the idea of watching him come down here I know he's going to be like going crazy with all the fans," said Delaware native Michael Husni, "He's like a super appreciative, super humble guys so I feel really good about the fact that he's going in and is gonna be another representative of the Latino community so I'm excited to see him make his way into the hall finally." The atmosphere surrounding the village this weekend is electric. "It's totally different than when you come on a weekend in the fall or something. "It's a lot of people, a lot of fans. "It's like Woodstock for baseball." "We've been here when it wasn't induction weekend and it's very calm and very quaint when but when induction we can happens it comes alive with baseball fans from all across the United States." "The legends have walked down the street, it's amazing to think about just seeing all different kinds of baseball fans from every walk of life it's awesome as a baseball fan you love to be in places like this I don't think it's any better than Cooperstown."<doc-sep>
Six players reached the pinnacle of their illustrious careers when they joined the Baseball Hall of Fame during a sun-splashed ceremony Sunday afternoon in Cooperstown, N.Y. Jul 29, 2018; Cooperstown, NY, USA; Hall of Fame inductee Vladimir Guerrero and Hall of Fame inductee Tevor Hoffman and Hall of Fame inductee Chipper Jones and Hall of Fame inductee Jack Morris and Hall of Fame inductee Alan Trammell and Hall of Fame inductee Jim Thome pose with their Hall of Fame Plaques at Clark Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports Four hitters -- Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell -- joined the Class of 2018 in front of fans wearing jerseys and hats from the teams they represented. The foursome was joined by two pitchers -- Trevor Hoffman and Jack Morris -- to complete the talent-laden, six-member class. More than 50 returning Hall of Famers attended the ceremony, which capped a weeklong celebration in the small town in upstate New York. The newest inductees brought the number of all-time Hall of Famers to 323. Jones’ eyes watered as he watched a video showing highlights from his 19-year career with the Atlanta Braves. He was a .303 lifetime hitter with 2,726 hits, 468 home runs and 1,623 RBIs, all with the Braves. The switch-hitter spoke about his childhood in Pierson, Fla., where he fell in love with the game. He spoke in front of family members including his parents and his nine-month pregnant wife, Taylor, who is due Monday. “Taylor is due any minute with our second boy,” Jones said with a smile after thanking his wife for her support. “We decided to name him Cooper in honor of this occasion.” Guerrero was a .318 lifetime hitter during a prolific 16-year career spent mostly with the Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Angels. He slugged 449 home runs with 1,496 RBIs and stood out with his rocket arm in right field. Guerrero became the first position player from the Dominican Republic to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His plaque features an Angels hat, which he wore during his 2004 American League MVP campaign. Thome slammed 612 career home runs, eighth on the all-time list. He hit .276 with 2,328 career hits over 22 seasons spent mostly with the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. Thome’s 15-year-old daughter, Lila, sang the national anthem on stage to kick off the Hall of Fame ceremony. The intimidating slugger who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 250 pounds quickly transformed into a teary-eyed father. When it was his turn to speak, Thome thanked baseball fans for supporting him throughout his career and for traveling from across the country to be part of the ceremony. “It was the pleasure of my life to play hard for you for 22 years,” Thome said to cheering fans. “The Hall of Fame is an amazing place, the intersection of the game’s past and present. ... “It’s the same dream that so many kids have of one day getting to the big leagues. I never forgot that dream, even after I became a major league player, because I could always see the dream’s reflection in the face of a kid in the stands.” San Diego Padres fans lined the lawn to support Hoffman, who became the first pitcher in major league history to reach 500 saves -- and then 600 saves. He finished his career with 601 saves and a 2.87 ERA while limiting opponents to a .211 batting average. Hoffman became the sixth primary relief pitcher to reach Cooperstown. He joined fellow bullpen standouts Goose Gossage, Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter and Dennis Eckersley. “Fifteen years in one spot, and that spot is San Diego?” Hoffman said. “Jackpot.” Trammell and Morris drew thousands of Detroit Tigers fans to Cooperstown for the ceremony. Both players were elected through the Hall of Fame’s Veterans Committee. In 20 years from 1977 to 1996, Trammell hit .285 with 185 home runs and 1,003 RBIs, playing primarily shortstop throughout his career. He was named as the 1984 World Series’ Most Valuable Player and won four Gold Gloves alongside second baseman Lou Whitaker. “Lou and I were called up to the big leagues from Double-A on the same day,” Trammell said as Whitaker listened in the crowd. “We both got hits in our first major league at-bat off the same pitcher, Reggie Cleveland.