Dave Winfield broke in to major league baseball with the with the San Diego Padres at the age of 20, admittedly a raw talent with little idea of what it took to be a major league baseball player.

Over the next 22 seasons, however, he said he never stopped learning and adapting through 3,110 hits, 465 home runs, a World Series championship and many turbulent seasons with the New York Yankees and owner George Steinbrenner, who nicknamed him 'Mr. May" among other insults.

But last Friday, on his orientation visit to the National Baseball Hall of Fame for his August Induction ceremony, he finally realized the ultimate reward for all his years of hard work and perseverance.

"I won a World Series with Toronto (in 1992) but the Hall of Fame is a large cut above that," Winfield, a first ballot inductee in January, said. "I've never been more proud to be a part of baseball than I am today."

Winfield will be inducted along with fellow first year inductee Kirby Puckett, and Veterans Committee selections Bill Mazeroski and Hilton Smith, on Aug. 5 on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center.

Winfield's career spanned from 1973 to 1995, and he noted that his career overlapped such Hall of Famers as Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, Willie Mays and Lou Brock, to more contemporary stars like Ken Griffey, Jr and Randy Johnson.

"I've seen a lot of the history of baseball," Winfield said. "But being in the Hall of Fame today shows me that I'm just a small part of the history of baseball. I'm able to see the history of the game here, and what baseball means to so many people. It's hard to describe the feeling."

Winfield broke in with the Padres, then went to the Yankees, Toronto and Minnesota, before making a final stop in Cleveland. He said he agonized over which cap to pick for his Hall of Fame plaque, before finally selecting the Padres.

"They are the organization that gave me my start," he said. "But truthfully, it was a tough decision between the Padres and Yankees. The best analogy I can come up with is if you have two brothers and are trying to pick a best man for your wedding. You have good feelings toward both but you have to pick one."

Although Winfield said he and Yankee owner George Steinbrenner have patched up their relationship, he said his days as a Yankee were always tense.

"Over time, George and I have had a chance to talk and he has told me he wishes he didn't say or do some of those things, and that meant a lot to me," Winfield said. "Turbulent is a kind word for what those years were like, and the only thing I wonder sometimes is how much better could I have played if it hadn't been such a tense time. I was an All Star every year I played for the Yankees, and I always gave it everything I had, but some of his comments and actions were inappropriate."

Winfield said some of the labels placed on him during his career probably diminished what he was able to accomplish in some fans' minds, but that his election to the Hall puts all of that very much in the past.

Winfield said he realized he had God-given talents, but didn't let that stop him from working hard.

"I gave it everything I had for as long as I could," he said. "I'd like to be remembered as a guy who played with a little flair, was a leader and always played to win. I didn't think I knew it all, there was always something being offered to me that made me a better player. I think I evolved in different ways as a player at least three times during my career."

Put them all together, and you have a Hall of Famer.

Notes: Winfield finished his career ranked in the top 20 all-time in hits, runs batted in, games, at bats, doubles, and total bases. Winfield is the only player to ever be drafted by Major League Baseball, the NFL, the ABA and the NBA.