April 22, 1995

July 26, 2015 NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME things he used to like to do was take some rope, INDUCTION CEREMONY tie it around my waist and then tie it to the backstop while throwing me batting practice to try and keep me from lunging. It worked, but I came JANE FORBES CLARK: Craig, as home every day with rope burns around my waist. chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, it My mother, never missed a game. Like is my honor to welcome you into the Hall of Fame most homes, she's the rock. We spent a lot of time family. together traveling around from field to field. I know CRAIG BIGGIO: Thank you. This is pretty she's happy today. I miss you so much, mom, and cool, I must say. What an incredible honor it is to I really wish you were here today. be standing in front of these great men. I played My brother Terry, my sister Gwen, we've against a lot of them, I admired a lot of them, but I been through a lot together. I love you guys. respected all of them. My in-laws, Joe and Yolanda Egan were Thank you, Jane, for this honor and all that tremendous help along with their three kids, Joey, you do for the Hall. I'd also like to thank Jeff Timmy, and Kevin. I took their daughter to Texas Idelson, Brad Horn, Whitney, and the Hall of Fame 25 years ago and we had three kids there. I was staff for keeping the integrity of the Hall of Fame. very lucky to have a family that was so helpful and I'd like to thank the writers for the invitation supportive as they have been throughout my life. to be part of the greatest team ever, the Baseball Growing up in Kings Park, I had three Hall of Fame. I truly am honored. responsibilities: school, sports and I had a job. My What an amazing class to be part of. Big job was I had a newspaper route, okay? It was an Randy J was a teammate. I tell you, man, he was afternoon newspaper, the Newsday. Because an incredible competitor, boy. We had him for 11 most of the time I didn't get home until 7 or 7:30, games. It was amazing to watch in 1988. that's when people on my route eventually got the John Smoltz, we had a lot of history paper. Sorry about that. But on my route, I had a together. I'll never forget when we beat you guys family. The family's name was the Albens. They in the playoffs. Finally, at least we got them twice. had a boy that came down with leukemia. It was They sent us home three times. He had the class right then and there that I understood what a family and dignity to come into our clubhouse and wish goes through day in and day out when a family has Jeff and I good luck in the second round. That's to go through this. just class. You don't teach that. I made a promise to them if I was ever in a Pedro, you brought your A game out there position or situation to give back, I would. Thus I'm every time you pitched. You're a little guy, but you the national spokesperson for the Sunshine Kids. pitch like the big unit. It's an organization that helps kids with cancer and These guys are Hall of Fame players, but their families. The Sunshine Kids are a big part of they're better people. So the big question is, how my life and one of the reasons I stayed in Houston do you get to the Hall of Fame? You got to have a for 20-plus years and continue to live there today. little bit of talent, and you got to have a lot of help My memories growing up in Kings Park are along the way. great. I had a lot of great people around me. My My journey started in a little town, Kings football and baseball coaches were hard working Park, New York, not too far from here. My mother and very supporting people. My first chance to get Johanna and father Lee Biggio were two noticed by schools and scouts was when I played hard-working people who are no longer here, but I for a guy in Long Island named Marty Hasenfuss. know they're watching. He was an air traffic controller like my father, but My father was an air traffic controller, though hardly never missed a game. One of the NATION~1.DOC 1 visit our archives at asapsports.com getting a chance to play for Marty was the first big Drayton McLane, we spent 17 years opportunity I had to be noticed. together. We built a new stadium. We built a I had a chance to be drafted out of high successful organization. But most importantly, I school by the Detroit Tigers, but I decided to go to was able to stay with one organization for 20 college. I went to Seton Hall University where I years. met my wife Patty and had three great years there. I was loyal to Drayton and he was loyal in My college coach was Mike Sheppard. He return. Drayton, you were my boss and my owner, was a tough man. He was a marine. He was a but most importantly you were my friend. disciplinarian, but he kept you in line. Most of all I was lucky to have some incredible he loved his players and he had their backs no coaches and managers. Like a lot of successful matter what. The man with 999 wins and had organizations, you're only going to be successful hundreds of players get drafted. with good people around you. One of those Coach Shep's motto was, 'Never lose your coaches was Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Yogi was hustle,' which is something I took to my pro career. the smartest baseball man I was ever around. I'm very grateful to have played for you, Shep. Although he's known for his Yogi-isms, his Thank you. baseball intellect was second to none. Yogi would Ed Blankmeyer was the assistant coach. say things in a Yogi way, he'd walk by and say He was a tremendous teacher of the game. A man some things, I'd be confused. Then the next half who dedicated his life to college athletics, and has inning, the one thing would happen, then the next done an incredible job at St. John's University as half inning the other thing would happen. I sat the head baseball coach. Thanks, Blanky, and back down on the bench and said, Oh, my gosh, I keep up the good work. got a lot to learn about this game. Fred Hopke was a hitting coach, career Yogi used to say, You have to have an minor leaguer for 11 seasons. He brought a idea and a plan. But at the end of the day, keep it pro-style approach to the program. He's the first simple, stupid. person who taught me how to work myself through Then there was Matt Galante, my coach an at-bat. for many years. I'm not here without that man. Monsignor Sullivan was the baseball Give him a round of applause, please. You're an chaplain. He was my roommate on the road at incredible coach and teacher of the game. In the times, but most importantly he was a friend. He National League you got to play offense and helped me with my conversion to a Catholicism defense or you don't play at all. I just made the when I was going through a tough time in my life. I All-Star Game as a catcher. The following year the miss you very much. Astros asked me to go play second base, a My teammates in college, we had a lot of position that I never played before in my life. fun together the three years I was there. We had a We had six weeks to learn it in spring good run, especially my last year. In a regional, training. No pressure, huh, Matt? A typical day we beat Frank Thomas' team, then lost to Billy with Matty was we started at 7 a.m., go to a half Spiers' team 2-1, then we lost to Frank's team field when the sun was coming up, work for an again. My memories in college are great. hour and a half until 8:45 or so, then go practice I had a man named Clary Anderson draft with the team from 9 till around noon. Grab a me in 1987. Clary was legendary in New Jersey sandwich, go to the half field again, get some more as a great football coach. He was our national work done. Then we go back, play the game. cross-checker for the Astros. He gave me a shot When the game was over, we went back to the half and I'll never forget that. field again. I had two owners in John McMullen and We did that every day in spring training for Drayton McLane. John McMullen was more than six weeks. I thank God for Matt Galante and I'm so an owner, he was like a father figure to me. We grateful. When I won my first Gold Glove, I gave it did a lot things together off the field.

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