Congratulations to the 2014 Class of the Baseball Hall of Fame

There were a total of six individuals inducted into the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame today.  In addition to the former Cardinal managers Torre and La Russa, manager Bobby Cox also made it into the Hall along with two of his pitching aces in the 90s;  Greg Maddux and TomGlavine.  They are joined by former Chicago White Sox star  Frank Thomas.

I'm proud to say I was able to see each of these managers and players in person at Busch Stadium II or other ballparks around the country. For that I am grateful.

Bobby Cox won 15 consecutive division titles with the Atlanta Braves in the 90's and early 2000's.  Sure, you might say he had tons of pitching and it was easy to win.  But, still he had to handle his pitchers and manage 25 individuals for six months each of those seasons.  Cox won one World Series over the Indians in 1995.

Greg Maddux was one of the few pitchers I would pay to see pitch. After the strike of 1994 I stopped buying tickets to Cardinals games. I said I would not buy any more tickets because the greed of players and owners had cancelled the 1994 World Series.  That's something two World Wars never stopped.  But, in April 1996 Maddux and the Braves came to Busch Stadium II and I did in fact pay to see him play.  Maddux beat the Cardinals 7-2 that afternoon.  For Maddux it was a routine outing, but he dominated the Redbirds that afternoon.

Tom Glavine was a workhorse. He wasn't overpowering but he had outstanding control and changed speed effectively.  Those two attributes led to his winning 305 games. I remember watching him dominate the Cardinals on more than one occasion.

And last but certainly not least, "The Big Hurt" Frank Thomas went into the Hall earlier this afternoon. I remember Thomas playing the Royals in Kansas City a few years after he came up to the majors.  As I recall it was 1992. I don't remember who the Royals had on the mound that day but Thomas got hold of a fastball and drove it to left center field and in the directions of the fountains.  It was one of the longest home runs I have witnessed in person and for all I know the ball still hasn't come down.