There is only one right answer when it comes to Fred McGriff’s Baseball Hall of Fame cap.
So Fred McGriff is going into the National Baseball Hall of Fame after shamelessly being overlooked by the baseball writers for years.
Crime Dog was a five-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger and a World Series champion with the 1995 Atlanta Braves. With 2,490 career hits, 493 career home runs and 1,550 career runs batted in, what the hell took so long? He played in the steroid era and got overlooked by guys who juiced. However, his real big issue is that he never played anywhere for more than five seasons…
So what cap should be on McGriff’s plaque in Cooperstown: The Toronto Blue Jays (1986-90), the Braves (1993-97) or the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays (1998-01, 2004)?
What if there is a fourth option not named the San Diego Padres (1991-93), the Chicago Cubs (2001-02) or the Los Angeles Dodgers (2003)?
Why Fred McGriff should go into Cooperstown wearing a Baseball World cap
Look. In all seriousness, McGriff should be going in as a Brave. He was a three-time All-Star in an Atlanta uniform and was the Braves’ starting first baseman on their 1995 World Series Championship team. Atlanta does not win the Fall Classic without his October heroics. To be frank, nobody would have any serious beef if Crime Dog went into Cooperstown rocking the Atlanta A.
However, the Braves never retired his number, as All-Star third baseman Austin Riley now rocks the No. 27 for Atlanta. Though McGriff has maintained close ties to the Braves organization over the years, he did start his hall-of-fame career in Toronto. He also is a Tampa native who decided to play for the expansion Devil Rays back in 1998. McGriff was one of Tampa Bay’s first star players.
So I think you could make a case for Toronto, and definitely for Tampa as well. However, there is one option that would be both hilarious and absolutely perfect. Rather than going in with a blank cap like Greg Maddux did, McGriff should be allowed to sport the Baseball World cap from his one-of-a-kind instructional videos with Tom Emanski. That way, McGriff belongs to the Baseball World!
To be fair, the only commercial featuring former Braves superstars that could ever hope to top this is Chicks Dig The Long Ball with Maddux and Tom Glavine. Unfortunately, only one of them is wearing a Braves cap in Cooperstown and it was the guy who once played for the New York Mets…
So to avoid potential heartbreak and disappoint in Braves Country, Gulf Coast Florida and north of the border, let’s give the people what they want! You would be lying to yourself that you would not fly up to Albany and make the two-hour trek to Cooperstown, with no McDonald’s in sight, to see McGriff’s Baseball World cap plaque in all its glory. Laughs will be had at Ommegang afterwards.
This is the best idea since Ole Miss almost made Admiral Akbar from Star Wars fame their mascot.