One fanbase was going to be thrilled, the other was going to be bummed. Newly elected Hall of Famer Randy Johnson could only wear one team's cap on his plaque when he's enshrined in July. Unless, of course, he went the Greg Maddux route and went in with a blank cap.
If the Hall of Fame decided Johnson would go in as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, he'd be the first in franchise history. Ditto for the Seattle Mariners.
The decision, handed down Friday, wasn't exactly surprising — The Big Unit will wear a D-backs cap. It's where he won his World Series ring. It's the team that appointed him to a special-assistant job right after the Hall of Fame announcement and also will be retiring his number. It's also where he showed up for a press conference after the Hall of Fame news.
All that was left was the declaration. In a press release issued by the Hall of Fame, Johnson said of the decision:
“After reflecting the last week and conferring with the Hall of Fame, we’ve come to the decision that the Diamondbacks logo on my Hall of Fame plaque makes the most sense,” said Johnson. “I want to express my most sincere thanks to all the teams I played for – Montreal, Seattle, Houston, the New York Yankees and San Francisco – and particularly all of the fans for supporting me. I’m very humbled by this honor.”
Meanwhile, the Hall of Fame explained the process from its side:
“The Museum staff works with each inductee by suggesting an appropriate logo option, or no logo at all,” said Jeff Idelson, President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “For those whose most compelling contributions clearly took place with one team, a logo makes sense. For those whose careers were built significantly among multiple teams, not having a team logo is equally acceptable. Regardless of the selection, a Hall of Famer belongs to every team for which he played or managed, as well as every fan who followed his career.”
The Mariners certainly had a good case. Johnson didn't win a World Series ring there, but he did win more games in Seattle and spend more time in that uniform (10 years vs. eight in Arizona). At least they've got Ken Griffey Jr. coming next year.
Johnson was the only real cap mystery among this year's Hall of Fame class. The others haven't been officially announced yet, but they're no-brainers — Craig Biggio will go in with a Houston Astros cap, John Smoltz as a member of the Atlanta Braves and Pedro Martinez with his Boston Red Sox logo.
Oh, and hopefully his Jheri curl.
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