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8-02-2007 By ERIC AHLQVIST Take pitcher Don Sutton, for example. Asked if Bonds' pursuit of Hank Aaron's alltime home run record had any affect on Induction Weekend, Sutton said, "I don't care about Barry Bonds. Ask me anything you want about our two inductees, but if you're going to ask me about Barry Bonds I might as well go and tee off." Former catcher Carlton Fisk, after answering a few questions on a variety of topics, scowled and drove his golf cart away when asked about Bonds, who is widely suspected of taking steroids during his career. Most of baseball's greats also agreed on another topic: Gwynn and Ripken are two of the best baseball has to offer, both on and off the field. "Just pure class," said Paul Molitor, like Gwynn and Ripken members of baseball's 3,000-hit club. "It's tough to be original when you talk about Cal because everything has been well-chronicled. I think he is sometimes unfairly known for `The Streak.' He was a great defensive player and he always found a way to try and beat you at the plate. Gwynn and Ripken are great baseball players and genuine men." Sutton said a record 53 Hall of Famers returned for this year's Induction in part because of who was getting inducted. "These are guys who were dedicated and committed to doing it the right way," Sutton said. "They both have great numbers, but they were unselfish too. They did whatever it took to win, the team always came first." Phil Niekro, another Hall of Fame pitcher, said facing Ripken four times a game could be like facing four different hitters. "He was always changing his stance, and late in the game he wasn't afraid to change his approach and go the other way just to get on base," Niekro said. "You always had to try and be thinking right along with him." Perhaps no one followed Gwynn's playing career closer then Wade Boggs, a 2005 inductee whose career was very similar to Gwynn's. "We were almost mirrorimages of each other," Boggs said. "I'd always look in the box score the next day and if he had three hits and I had two it gave me a certain motivation. He ended up with eight batting titles and I had five, so I guess he won in that respect." Ripken played with his younger brother, Billy, and baseball's Iron Man said he was exhausted and would be taking a few days off after the Induction. Like he did during his playing days, Ripken signed autographs after making a long putt on the fifth green. "I've always enjoyed signing for people," he said. "It's an ice-breaker." Billy Ripken's name was misspelled on his golf cart, and laughed when asked about it. "They spelled Cal's name right on his cart and my name wrong on mine," he said. "I've been dealing with stuff like that for 42 years." |
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