GREG MADDUX HALL OF FAME SPEECH
Commissioner John “Stray” Corrado’s Introduction Speech for Greg Maddux:
Born Gregory Alan Maddux, Nickname: The Professor / Mad Dog.
Played 13 Seasons in the Mid-West Baseball League for ten different franchises. Kansas City 1997, Midland 1998, Tempe 1999, Staunton 2000 – 2001, Chicago 2002, Tijuana 2003, Fire Lake 2004, Garden City 2005 & 2006, Buffalo 2007 & Yonge Street 2007 – 2009.
Drafted twice in MWBL – 1998 Dispersal Draft by Midland & 2005 Dispersal Draft by Garden City.
Traded seven times from Midland to Tempe, Tempe to Staunton, Staunton to Chicago, Chicago to Tijuana, from Tijuana to Fire Lake, Garden City to Buffalo & Buffalo to Yonge Street.
Four time All-Star, 2007 Gold Glove Award Winner, 1999 N.L. Cy Young Award Winner, 2002 A.L. Cy Young Award Winner, 200 Wins, 3.26 Earned Run Average.
It is with great honor that I present you with the Mid-West Baseball newest member of the 2018 Mid-West Baseball League Hall of Fame, Greg Maddux.
Greg Maddux‘s Speech:
Thank you, thank you very much for this honor. I am incredibly humbled to be standing here today, with all the great Hall of Famers sitting behind me. A am also very happy to be sharing this day with five great players, some of whom I played alongside, all of whom I’ve admired as fellow competitors: Carlos Delgado, Todd Helton, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Larry Walker.
“First of all, I’d like to thank my family, who sacrificed so much for my success. To my wonderful wife, Kathy, and my children, Amanda and Chase. (points and blows kiss). Thank you so much for making this journey so wonderful. I’d also like to thank my parents for instilling in me a work ethic and the confidence to chase my dreams. Thanks also to my brother Mike, for sharing a love of the game.
As I look back on my career, I realize that I moved around a lot (chuckles). While I admire those players who can stay in one place for all or most of their career, I realized that moving around meant that I was in demand. It drove me to make sure that the teams that acquired me were glad they did. In that spirit, I would like to thank the owners of all the teams I played for. They showed faith in me and my abilities, and I always tried to reward that faith. I’d like to specifically thank Chris Douglass of the Tempe Tempers, who brought me onto a World Championship team in 1999.
Of my personal accomplishment, I am most proud of the fact that my teams could count on me to take the ball every fifth day, and (usually) stay in the game as long as my team needed me. My focus was always on how to get better to make the team better. If I could stay in a game a little longer, it meant the bullpen might get a break.
I am very proud of the fact that I played on seven playoff teams in my 14-year career. The number one goal is always to win as a team. While the individual awards and achievements are nice, and I am extremely proud of those accomplishments, they wouldn’t mean as much without team success. I know that without the help of my teammates, the individual honors would not be possible. So, to my teammates and coaches, managers, and owners, thank you for making this day possible.