As we drove to Cooperstown for this year’s Induction Weekend, I asked my wife and daughter who they thought would be best represented in upstate New York. We thought the Tigers would have a good showing because Michigan is within driving distance and two Detroit players were being inducted. We thought we’d see a lot of Cleveland jerseys because it was close and Thome was a well-liked ballplayer. We continued to run though the inductees, in the end, placing the San Diego Padres last. Now, I don’t have any scientific evidence to rank the representation. However, I can say that there were MANY more Padres fans in Cooperstown than I expected. There were scores of fans wearing Padres jerseys, shirts, and hats. Plus, there were countless people wearing “Trevor Time,” shirts for their beloved reliever, Trevor Hoffman. Every time someone walked by wearing one, AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” played in my head. In the end, I’d say the Atlanta Braves were the most represented franchise.
As I watched and listened to the new inductees, I tried to get a sense of their appreciation for being part of the 1% who are enshrined in Cooperstown. Some players have a cocky aura about them…one from Atlanta comes to mind. They give their induction speech like they’re accepting an Academy Award. Others, like Trevor Hoffman, seem to honestly appreciate how their lives turned out. Hoffman truly understands that not many shortstops who were 11th round draft picks end up being Hall of Fame relief pitchers.
| Split | W | L | W-L% | ERA | G | GS | GF | CG | SHO | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | WP | BF | WHIP | SO9 | SO/W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 Totals | 2 | 7 | .222 | 5.89 | 50 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 47.1 | 49 | 31 | 31 | 8 | 19 | 30 | 2 | 205 | 1.437 | 5.7 | 1.58 |
Trevor Hoffman’s final APBA card looks like a pitcher who’s set to retire. After having one of the best seasons of his career the year before (37 saves & 1.83 ERA), Hoffman’s devastating changeup wasn’t so devastating. Hoffman only recorded 10 saves and had a monstrous 5.89 ERA. Clearly, he deserved his D* rating. However, I must give him credit. The 42 year-old Hoffman knew he had reached the end of the road and retired after the season with 601 career saves.
In a recent television broadcast, John Smoltz mentioned a tradition new inductees participate in at the Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown. Johnny Bench asks each of the new inductees to sit in a white rocking chair on the back veranda, overlooking the beautiful Lake Otesaga. He tells them to sit quietly for five minutes and think about everything that has happened in your life that has led to this moment…and appreciate your good fortune. I’m convinced Trevor Hoffman did some deep thinking while sitting in that rocking chair.
