COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. • Given that new Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog's voice had cracked and that he had shed some tears Friday night when Cardinals Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr., announced Herzog's No. 24 would be retired next Saturday in St. Louis, Herzog was worried what would happen on Sunday at his induction ceremony. He wondered aloud if he would pull a Bill Mazeroski, the Pittsburgh star who had to leave the microphone about 30 seconds into his acceptance speech a few years back.
Herzog's wife of 57 years, Mary Lou Herzog, wondered, too, what might happen. "I just buttoned all the buttons on his shirt," she said before the start of the ceremony Sunday. "He didn't seem too frazzled."
And as Herzog's 11-minute speech, which would be filled with his usual humor, began, he said, "Everybody said I was going to cry. I hope I don't."
He didn't really, although his voice broke a couple of times. Herzog had a small notebook he pulled from his pocket at the podium, but he barely looked at it as he delivered his speech. Sensing the program was going longer than anticipated and that the audience had sat through some light rain and some heavier rain before the sun came out again, Herzog decided on the fly to cut some six minutes from what would have been a 17-minute speech.
Among the cuts was any mention of the Kansas City Royals, for whom Herzog won three division titles in the 1970s. Herzog had mentioned the Kansas City fans, as well as the St. Louis fans in his speech, and, without mentioning his name, alluded to Royals Hall of Famer George Brett having been a big part of his career. But Herzog lamented having omitted KC general manager Joe Burke for giving him a second chance after Herzog had been fired in his first season at Texas. Displaying his notebook to a reporter, Herzog also pointed to four names he had written down but not mentioned in his speech, including former Cardinals general manager Joe McDonald, who was in attendance Sunday, former Cardinals and New York Mets general manager Bing Devine, longtime baseball executive Hank Peters, and even the St. Louis reporter.
"I could have talked longer," said Herzog, who had the shortest speech of the day, including those by Frick Award (broadcasting) winner Jon Miller and Spink winner (print journalist) Bill Madden and the prerecorded speech by Hall of Fame umpire Doug Harvey, who is being treated for throat cancer.
"But the program was dragging a little bit and I wanted to hurry it up," said Herzog, who noted during his speech that 'some of these guys have been a little long-winded." Herzog, however, also credited Hall of Fame inductee Andre Dawson for the points he made in his speech, which went some nine minutes longer than Herzog's.
Though Herzog worried about the length of the program, he said he was calmer the longer it went before he got up to speak about 45 minutes after he had figured.
"I was getting relaxed when it was dragging on," Herzog said. "Jon (Miller) went on and Bill got up and he strung it out. And then there was Harvey's thing ... I said, 'Hell, I'll get through this all right,'" Herzog said.
"I'm satisfied I got through it," said Herzog, 78. "I didn't cry or anything. It wasn't as bad as I thought."
There was one brief monent after the ceremony when Herzog's patience was exhausted, though. There was considerable picture-taking with the inductees and their plaques after the three-hour show and Herzog hung in for as long as he thought he could, or should, before he became a mite perturbed, all but slamming his plaque down before he went on to something else.
"I was standing there," he said, "and you know they're shooting and one of the guys said, 'Get over. Get over.' I said, 'You've already taken five pictures and now I've got to move another foot?'"
He didn't.
SURPRISE GUEST
Harvey had expected to see fellow umpiring crew chiefs Ed Montague (retired), Bruce Froemming (retired), Randy Marsh (retired) and Jerry Crawford for his induction but he was surprised to see current crew chief Joe West, who used to work with Harvey, and is now president of the umpires' association.
"He wasn't supposed to be here," said Harvey, suggesting that West was supposed to be somewhere else.
"Don't mention it," Harvey said. "I don't want him to get into trouble."
West, who often has been in trouble during his tempestuous career, said jokingly of Harvey, "I shortened his career. I gave him a few more gray hairs."
West, who has more than 30 years of big-league experience — as did Harvey — said, "He's up there (on the stage) because he never lost his cool. He was always in charge.
"But I think a lot of people don't give him credit for developing the Crawfords and the Montagues. Even though I shortened his career, he had a lot to do with me being here, too."
DAWSON backs lee smith
In his acceptance speech, former Montreal and Chicago Cubs star outfielder Andre Dawson endorsed former Cubs and Cardinals reliever Lee Smith for Hall of Fame election. Smith, though he was the career saves leader when he retired, has not done well in voting done by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Dawson, who went into the Hall as an Expo, said he appreciated the modest number of fans who had come down from Montreal. There were a few people chanting, "Let's go, Expos," but Dawson mostly saluted the Cubs fans.
"Thank you, Cubs fans for coming all the way out there," said Dawson. "No fighting with the Cardinals fans now, but just make sure we don't hear from the Cardinals fans the rest of the day."
PRAISE FROM THE WIZARD
Cardinals Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, speaking to the crowd about Herzog's influence on his career, said, "I probably would not be standing here if he had not got on that plane and come out to San Diego (to convince Smith to give up his no-trade provision). I'll never forget the words that he told me. He said, 'If you come to St. Louis, there's no reason we can't win it all.'
"Fortunately, we won it my first year (1982)."
