COOPERSTOWN — The Big Hurt became the Big Cry.
Slugger Frank Thomas broke down in tears right from the start of his Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech Sunday at the Clark Center.
Thomas, Joe Torre, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa were all inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Thomas thanked everyone in his speech, including 138 former teammates.
“I had to cut out 50 names,’’ Thomas said at the end of his special day.
Thomas said it was the first time in 15 years his mother, Charlie Mae, had left Columbus, Ga., the town where Thomas was raised.
Thomas became particularly emotional when speaking about his dad, Frank Sr., who died in 2001. His father’s words of advice rang home.
“You can be someone special if you really work at it,’’ Thomas recalled his father saying. “I took that to heart, Pops, and look where we are today.’’
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The estimated crowd of about 50,000 was the third largest in the history of the induction ceremony.
At the end of the speech, Thomas, who has criticized PED use in baseball, said, “To all you kids out there, just remember one thing from today. There’s no shortcuts to success. Hard work, dedication, commitment, stay true to who you are.’’
Later he said he did not want to mention PEDs on this day, but he wanted to get his point across.
“It’s a special weekend I just didn’t think stuff was necessary,’’ Thomas said. “We all know what happened over the last 15 years in baseball. Today was a bright stage and I wanted to get that out to kids, don’t do what others say is cool, stay true to yourself.’’
There were other inspirational moments in the long day, with Maddux saying, “I learned to want to be great. That made the difference.’’
Glavine made sure to thank his parents.
“They gave me the two things you want the most as a kid: Their time and a good example,” Glavine said. “Saying ‘thank you’, is certainly not enough. But thank you.’’
There was levity, too. Cox, who was beloved by his players, talked about the time he came out to visit Glavine on the mound, saying they should intentionally walk the batter. The bases were already loaded. He told his players there would be a $1,000 fine if word got out of his mistake.
Maddux started off by praising his older brother, Mike, for teaching him about baseball and about how to be a prankster.
“He even taught me a little bit about science. It has to do with a little methane and a lighter, and I still get a huge kick out of it today,’’ Maddux said.
Yes, passing gas.
The crowd laughed and Maddux added, “That’s funny, huh, OK.’’