2011 Hall of Fame entrants make easy decisions on hat wear
History was made recently, as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted two deserving baseball icons into the Hall of Fame. The decision that was passed on the 5th of January singled out Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven for the 2011 class
of inductees in the Hall of Fame. The two legends were subsequently contacted by the writers and they were given the invitation to make their way to Cooperstown for the honour.
However, one important decision for any hall of fame graduate appears to be the team they represent when they accept the accolade. The decision, nevertheless, was easy for Alomar, who spent most of his team in the Toronto Blue Jays’ jersey. The Puerto Rican
top hitter played with the team for a long time and wasted no time in representing the Club when he moved in for the ballot results. He will surely be wearing the team’s hat.
"When I was traded, I was so young," Alomar recalled. "I didn't know I'd be traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. So I went to my dad and asked for some advice. He told me that I was going to a great city and a great team. 'You're going to be OK playing in Toronto,'
he said, and he was right. I got a chance to win two World Series and meet some great people. So I'm going into the Hall of Fame wearing their cap, and I'm thrilled to do it."
For Blyleven the decision on selecting the right team wasn’t difficult either. The Minnesota Twins player won 149 games for the side and registered 2035 of his strike outs from a total of 3701 with the club. The veteran who spent 14 seasons on the ballot
wasted no time in representing the Twins, bearing the hat wear from the club.
"I'm very, very honoured to go in as a Minnesota Twin," said Blyleven. "It was a great ride for me. So many great ball clubs I played for and had so many great moments, not only with the Twins, but with the (Cleveland) Indians, (Pittsburgh) Pirates and (Los
Angeles) Angels. I want to thank all those organizations. I also don't think I would've been here without my teammates or even the umpires, who were all blind for me when it came to calling my curveball. I have so many people to thank. Hopefully I'll get an
opportunity to do that in July."
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