Frederick Stanley McGriff, like so many other baseball fans, hopes to see Hall of Famer George Brett at next month’s Induction Weekend in Cooperstown, New York.
It’s clear from his smile othat Mr. McGriff (Hall of Fame Class of 2023) is happy to be back in uniform, and so close to baseball’s grandest museum at 25 Main, just down the street from Doubleday Field. This is the ballpark where he is coaching for what will be a six-inning exhibition game honoring black baseball.
There’s no pressure on Mr. McGriff or the 13 other hall of famers joining this sold-out event. Former MLB players converging in the “Home of Baseball” this past Memorial Day Weekend are back playing, this time on grounds that have been used for baseball for more than 100 years.
With batting practice in full swing, the former first baseman from Tampa, Florida takes his time making the rounds. He shakes hands at the rate of a rookie politician hoping to make a lasting memory. Mr. McGriff can relax and soak up the experience, without a tight schedule to maintain.
As part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, along with Scott Rolen, there was little downtime for the Jefferson High School (Hillsborough County, FL) alumnus. In sharing the newest spots on the Hall of Fame’s roster, Mr. McGriff had many obligations.
Now, at Doubleday Field, Mr. McGriff roams, with no time limit, from dugout to dugout. He wears a flannel jersey reminiscent of that of the Indianapolis Clowns, a club of the Negro American League. It’s all about fun on this late spring afternoon in the Empire State.
“Without a doubt,” says a relaxed Mr. McGriff, who for 19 seasons played in more than 2,400 games in both MLB’s American and National Leagues, of his return to Cooperstown without a speech to give. “It’s so much easier.”
As more players make their way to offer words of kindness about his induction last July, Mr. McGriff tells of prioritizing fellow hall of famer Brett, at the top of his list, when returning to New York’s Otsego County in July.
With more time to himself during the upcoming weekend when the Hall’s Class of 2024 is inducted, Mr. McGriff is anxious to let the former three-time American League batting champion know just how influential he was to his career.
During the 1986 MLB season, at age 22, Mr. McGriff received his first call-up by the Toronto Blue Jays. Taking the field for three games only as a rookie, Mr. McGriff, who as a child was a regular at Tampa’s Al Lopez Field to watch the Cincinnati Reds during spring training, says reading a book on hitting helped him get an edge with pitchers.
“I read The Art of Hitting .300. Chaley Lau and George knew so much about hitting. And I learned so much by reading the book. I didn’t get a chance to tell George this last summer, but I’m looking forward to talking with him about it in July,” said Mr. McGriff, who received 100 percent of the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee vote in December 2022.
The times the Kansas City Royals (Brett’s club for 21 seasons) were playing the clubs and Mr. McGriff was on, the two players would chat when they'd cross paths at first base.
“I would pick his brain,” recalls Mr. McGriff of Brett who experienced 10,349 MLB at-bats. “He (Brett) knew hitting.”
With an MLB resume of 493 home runs, 2,490 hits, and 1,305 walks, and after receiving baseball’s ultimate ‘thank you’ with a call to Cooperstown, Mr. McGriff appears to be just as much a fan of baseball and the people who make it exciting. The fans at Doubleday Field, stretching and leaning over railings with ball and pen in hand, eagerly wait their turn to get his autograph.
With all the on-field commotion, as noon approaches, and a scheduled home run derby set to begin, Mr. McGriff’s interest again drifted forward to his next visit to Cooperstown in July.
Being in uniform again reminds Mr.McGriff of what he misses most about his playing days.: the comradery with his teammates was intoxicating. Talking baseball, telling the same stories, often to the same players, and still getting a laugh.
Coming from Tampa, Mr. McGriff labels his home area as more of a football haven than a baseball stronghold. But, when in Cooperstown, for Mr. McGriff, affectionately called “Crime Dog”, a play on words from “McGruff the Crime Dog” (an animated bloodhound used in an ad for the National Crime Prevention Council), it’s all about soaking in the unique experience.
The “great weather” offered in July and the hall of famers-only dinner immediately following induction speeches are what Mr. McGriff is excited to revisit, when the Class of 2024 have their day in the game’s spotlight.
“This year is going to be so much easier. I’m going to take in the beautiful lake (Lake Otsego) that’s by our hotel. You can’t beat it,” Mr. McGriff says of the Cooperstown experience each Induction Weekend.
As much of a thrill Mr. McGriff gets when “shooting the breeze” with his fellow hall of famers, he understands the importance of the fans calling his name to sign an autograph.
Coming from humble beginnings at Jefferson High (fellow Hall of Famer Tony La Russa attended the same public school) on West Cypress Street, all the accomplishments for seven MLB clubs haven’t changed Mr. McGriff. He’s happy and you know it–it’s that smile that gives away his secret.
Handshakes, posing for pictures with MLB alumni, signing autographs, being a model steward of baseball, as hall of famers go, Mr. McGriff is top shelf. With so much going on, eagerly anticipating saying “thank you” to a fellow hall of famer, for what he contributed to a book consisting of 207 pages published nearly 40 years ago, explains why Mr. McGriff is anything but common among athletic heroes.
