Raines, Bagwell, Rodriguez elected to baseball's Hall of Fame
The year was 1994, and it was my first season covering the Chicago White Sox for the Daily Herald.
I remember two things about that spring training, way back when the Sox shook off the rust in Sarasota, Florida.
First, it was Michael Jordan's first year playing baseball, and it was all MJ every day.
Second, there was the first day of full-squad workouts, and I happened to be standing near Tim Raines when the Sox broke up into two lines for the customary long-toss drill.
After making his first throw, Raines said, “I'm ready” before breaking into his infectious laughter.
Now Raines, nicknamed “Rock,” is ready for the Hall of Fame after getting elected Wednesday in his 10th and final year of eligibility on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot.
Jeff Bagwell and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez also were voted into the Hall of Fame, with relief pitcher Trevor Hoffman falling just 5 votes short of the required 75 percent total needed.
Getting back to Raines and his penchant for humor, the White Sox were playing the former rival Brewers in front of a typically hostile crowd at old County Stadium in Milwaukee in 1995.
The game was momentarily stopped after Brewers fans pelted the field with debris, and Raines had to run for cover from his customary spot in left field.
After the game, I told him the Brewers' family section was in left field. His reply? “Yeah, the Manson family.”
Over his 23-year career with the Montreal Expos (1979-90, 2001), White Sox (1991-95), New York Yankees (1996-98), Oakland Athletics (1999), Baltimore Orioles (2001) and Florida Marlins (2002), Raines always was joking and laughing.
Raines had more than his share of fun, but he also was a standout player. Not only did he have a career .294/.385/.425 hitting line, Raines' 808 stolen bases rank fifth all time.
Raines, 57, is the only player in major-league history with at least 100 triples, 150 home runs and 600 stolen bases. He's also the only player to post four different seasons with at least 50 extra-base hits and 70 steals.
In 648 games with the White Sox, Raines batted .283 with 98 doubles, 28 triples, 50 home runs, 277 RBI, 440 runs scored and 143 stolen bases.
The prolific leadoff man also holds the Sox's record with an 82.7 percent stolen base success rate (143-for-173).
“On behalf of the entire White Sox organization and our fans, I want to sincerely congratulate Tim on today's election to the Hall of the Fame, the highest and greatest honor bestowed upon a baseball player,” chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement.
“He played a crucial role on the 1993 division championship team, was a key member of the 2005 World Series-winning coaching staff, and provided Sox fans with great memories that will not be forgotten.”
Raines was the White Sox's first-base coach in 2005 and bench coach in 2006.
He received 86 percent of the BBWAA vote Wednesday to easily make it to Cooperstown. Last year Raines fell just short (69.8) for Hall of Fame admittance.
In his first year on the ballot, He only received 24.3 percent of the vote.
What prompted the slow but steady rise?
“Social media played a big role, and the new way that people look at baseball,” Raines said. “You've got these new stats. You've got WAR (wins above replacement) and all this stuff. People didn't really look at it that way back in the day.
“When you looked at a Hall of Famer, you looked at 500 home runs, 300 wins and 3,000 hits. A lot of times, if you didn't reach those criteria, it was kind of hard for anyone to kind of look at you as a Hall of Famer.”
Raines is just happy the long wait is over.
“I felt like I was in position to get in, especially after last year,” he said. “I wasn't sure if it was going to happen. (Tuesday) night was probably the worst night I've had out of the last 10 years.
“You have to wait until that minute where you know you're going to get the phone call or not get the phone call. When the phone rang, it was the most excited I've ever been in my baseball career.”