2014 National Baseball Hall of Fame Class Inducted

Photo Credit: MLB.com

By Francisco Romero

Around 48,000 attendees witness the induction of a great class of Baseball Hall of Famers.  Three former players and three former managers who left their mark and will forever be remembered for what they accomplished in and out of the baseball field: Bobby Cox, Tony La Russa and Joe Torre we inducted into the HOF as Managers, while Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas as players.

“To put me here in Cooperstown with all of my childhood heroes, it’s sort of hard to believe I’m standing here today,” said Maddux during his speech and added, “I never gave a thought to the Hall of Fame as I was going through my career. My goal as a baseball player was very simple, all I wanted to do was try and get better for my next start. And to think it all ended up here is pretty cool.”

Bobby Cox, 73, managed the Atlanta Braves from 1978 – 1981 and again from 1990 – 2010, ha also managed the Toronto Blue Jays from 1982 – 1985.  As a baseball player he played for the New York Yankees.  Won a World Series in 1995.

Tony La Russa, 69, managed the Chicago White Sox from 1979 – 1986, the Oakland Athletics from 1986 – 1995 and the St. Louis Cardinals from 1996 – 2011.  La Russa won three World Series as a Manager (1989, 2006 and 2011).

Joe Torre, 74, managed the New York Mets from 1977 – 1982, Atlanta Braves from 1982 – 1984, St. Louis Cardinals from 1990 – 1995, the New York Yankees from 1996 – 2007 and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 – 2010.  Torre won four World Series as the Yankees Manager.

Tom Glavine, 48, had two stints with the Atlanta Braves and played five seasons with the New York Mets.  He was a 10 time all-star player, won the Cy Young Award twice and was a member of the 1995 World Champions Atlanta Braves.

Greg Maddux, 48, played for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres.  A four time Cy Young Award winner who made eight all-star teams was also a member of the 1995 World Champions Atlanta Braves.

Frank Thomas, 46, played with the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics from 1990 – 2008. He was a five time all-star player, won two American League Most Valuable Player Awards, and was the American League Batting Champion in 1997.