Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza inducted into Hall of Fame

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – With his signature smile brightening an already sun-drenched summer day, Ken Griffey Jr., his eyes red from uncontrollable tears and forehead beading with sweat, ended his Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech in only a way befitting his game-changing career.

“I want to thank my family, my friends, the Reds, the White Sox and the Mariners for making this kid’s dream come true,” he said, voice shaking with emotion.

And with fans rising and cheering in approval, Griffey reached into the podium, pulled out a commemorative Hall of Fame Mariners hat and put it on – backward, of course.

He stared ahead with a serious look of swagger as if he had just crushed a three-run homer into the right-field seats of the Kingdome, unfurling that majestic and unmistakable swing. After a few moments, he had flashed the all-too-familiar grin as the crowd of nearly 50,000 at the Clark Center’s massive lawn backdrop serenaded him with cheers.

The Mariners’ first real star and first Hall of Fame player had joined baseball’s legends, and he did it his way.

It was the highlight to Griffey’s emotion-filled remarks. As promised, his speech was right at about 20 minutes. It wasn’t completely written out. Instead, it was outlined with key points that featured him reading a few comments and speaking off the cuff in others. There were amusing anecdotes and playful stories sprinkled throughout, drawing laughter amid many moments of tears. It didn’t feel rehearsed. It was a player stepping out of his comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory.

Less than 20 seconds into his speech, Griffey’s emotions got the better of him. He had a dress rehearsal on Saturday night at the gala, where he also was reduced to a puddle of tears. But that practice speech of sorts offered no help on Sunday.

“I think the mistake I made was looking down at my kids in the front row,” he said. “They tell you, ‘Don’t look at your kids, don’t look at your kids until you have to.’ Nope, not me. When you’re a kid they always say, ‘Don’t do that. Don’t do that.’ And you do it anyway. First thing, I did.”

His thanks to his family brought out the emotion and playfulness.

It started with his father, Ken Griffey Sr., also a former major leaguer.

“To my dad,” he said voice choking, “who taught me how to play this game, but more importantly, he taught me how to be a man, how to work hard, how to look at yourself in the mirror each and every day and not to worry about what other people are doing.”

He then thanked his mother, Bertie.

“The strongest woman I know, having to raise two boys and having to be mom and dad, splitting time to me and brother’s games,” he said. “She was our biggest fan and our biggest critic.”

Griffey’s face brightened into teasing mode.

“I tell people that I’m more scared of my mom than my dad, just because she didn’t play (around),” he said. “If you don’t believe me, there are a couple of my friends here that can attest to that. She’s the only woman I know that lives in one house and runs five others.”

Griffey then turned to his wife and three children. He called to Melissa, whom he met in Seattle.

“The first time I saw you, I knew you were going to be my wife,” he said. “Now it took a little longer for you to realize that I was going to be your husband, but I’m okay with that now. I love you.”

Griffey singled out each of his three children: Trey, Taryn and Tevin. His chest swelled with pride in discussing them.

“Words can’t describe how much I love you and would do anything for you,” he said, looking down at them.

Beyond his family, Griffey thanked coaches and teammates along the way, some individually and others in group. He thanked close friend and former Mariners star Jay Buhner. Griffey said the two often joked they were “brothers from a different mother.”

“He was the greatest teammate I ever had,” Griffey said. “A guy that gave everything he had on the field and a guy that spoke the truth even though you didn’t want to hear it. I will love you for that.”

Griffey also gave a brief endorsement of former Mariners teammate Edgar Martinez for his candidacy in the Hall of Fame.

“Yes, he does belong in the Hall of Fame,” Griffey said.

Griffey’s decision to go into the Hall of Fame as a Mariner was simple for him, and he complimented the organization that gave him his start.

“I would like to thank them for taking a chance on a 17-year old kid and allowing him to continue to play this great game of baseball,” he said. “In the winter of ‘86, I remember being in my garage and (former major-leaguer) Bobby Tolan saying, ‘Hey the Seattle Mariners have the first pick, and they are looking at you.’ I walked into my house and looked at my dad and said, ‘Where’s Seattle?’ ”

“Thirteen years with the Seattle Mariners,” he said. “From the day I got drafted until my first at-bat in the Kingdome, to the ’95 playoffs, to my first trip back to Seattle as a member of the Reds and my return to Seattle in 2009, to my retirement in 2010 – Seattle, Washington has been a big part of my life. There are so many great things that I could talk about, but we would be here all day. So I am going to leave you with one thing:

“Out of my 22 years, I’ve learned that only one team will treat you the best, and that’s your first team. I’m damn proud to be a Seattle Mariner.”