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Schwartz Latest HOF Legend
Friday, April 4th , 2053
How do you get to the Great Lakes Baseball League Hall of Fame?
Just hit 500 homers, get 3000 hits, win 300 games or perhaps just save 300 games. Not an easy task, is it? But occasionally it does happen -- it happened to the gifted left fielder Claude Schwartz, who retired at the age of 38.
Claude Schwartz was recently inducted into the coveted shrine of hardball heroes by the Baseball Writers Association. Schwartz was always a favorite of the beat writers -- always quick with a quip and always willing to talk about the game -- but that's not why he got elected to the Hall of Fame. Schwartz played a good brand of baseball, too. He played in 1712 games, had 1583 hits, 313 home runs, 888 RBIs and scored 834 runs while batting .283 in his career.
Reminiscing about his life in baseball, Schwartz said it all began by hitting grand slam homers in the last of the ninth in his backyard and ended up in the Hall of Fame. "It was quite a trip. I can't believe they pay us money to play a kid's game. Thank goodness I was good at it. I only got a high school education and I had to cheat to get that. Who knows what I would have done without baseball. I was just a poor old country boy. For the longest time I even thought the last words of the national anthem were 'play ball'."
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Steve Klassen Inducted into Hall Of Fame
Friday, April 4th , 2053
The hallowed halls of baseball have been enlarged. Today a great pitcher was added to its list of legends as perennial all-star Steve Klassen was inducted into the Great Lakes Baseball League Hall of Fame.
He was famous for his quirky motion. Klassen baffled hitters with a rocking, twisting windup and an assortment of release points that ranged from over the top to nearly underhand. Many batters said, "He threw everything at me but the ball."
Klassen posted a lifetime 151-83 record with a 2.72 ERA and whiffed 1610 batters in 2201.2 innings. He retired at age 38.
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Collins Joins HOF Legends
Friday, April 4th , 2053
One of the best players ever, left fielder Brett Collins, has received the ultimate honor for a baseball player -- being inducted into the Great Lakes Baseball League Hall of Fame.
The induction ceremony, which was held today, included tributes from his former teammates. One of them recognized his unparalleled work ethic, another his "naturally pure" swing, and yet another, his love for the game.
Collins received numerous awards during his playing days, but he said nothing can compare to being enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
In a career spanning 1829 games, Collins batted .263 with 1655 hits, 377 home runs, 1069 RBIs and 933 runs scored.
He retired in 2050. He was elected to the Hall on his 0 try, with 0.0% of the vote.
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