With the discussions (fine, arguments) that followed the Hall of Fame announcement, the Deadspin announcement, and finally the nap you needed to recover from the headache you got from the first two, you might have missed what teams had to say about the players who were elected, or those that came close. We thought it might be nice to end the night on a sweet note, with some of the greatest players in the game being talked about by the organizations who knew them best:
Frank Thomas
The Chicago White Sox via press release:
"Congratulations to Frank Thomas on today's first-ballot election to Baseball's Hall of Fame," said Jerry Reinsdorf, White Sox chairman. "Induction into Cooperstown is the game's greatest honor, and to see Frank's plaque placed alongside baseball's other outstanding hitters brings his White Sox career full circle. Frank is the greatest offensive player in White Sox history, a line drive hitter and on-base machine in a slugger's body.
"He now deservedly joins baseball royalty like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Hank Aaron, as well as Sox legends like Louie (Aparicio), Nellie (Fox) and Luke (Appling), in Cooperstown. To have had the opportunity to see his career begin in 1990 and then end in the Hall of Fame has been a special privilege for me and for many with the White Sox, including so many fans who witnessed his greatness firsthand. Frank should be very proud today, celebrating along with his family, friends, teammates and every Sox fan who had the chance to cheer for The Big Hurt."
The Oakland Athletics via press release:
"We congratulate Frank on joining the immortals of baseball. While he spent only two seasons with our organization, we had the distinct privilege to experience his greatness as a player and as a person. Beyond his special talents, Frank Thomas was the consummate professional who respected the game, his teammates and his opponents, and he exhibited the kind of class every player should aspire to. He is richly deserving of this honor."
The Toronto Blue Jays:
Oh... hm... this is awkward (Toronto didn't release a statement, but did tweet out congratulations).
Greg Maddux
The Chicago Cubs via press release:
"I join my family, the Cubs organization and Cubs fans in congratulating Greg on this tremendous honor," said Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts. "He is one of the greatest pitchers of all time and a tremendous competitor who earned the nickname 'Mad Dog' whenever he took the mound. Greg's near-unanimous selection to Baseball's Hall of Fame is the ultimate salute to an extraordinary career."
The Atlanta Braves:
Well, the Braves had a release but the quotes weren't interesting. Don't think they didn't care though.
The San Diego Padres via press release:
The San Diego Padres:The San Diego Padres would like to congratulate Greg Maddux on his well-deserved election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame today. The Padres are fortunate to have had Greg play parts of the final two seasons of his amazing 23-year career in San Diego."
"It was an honor and privilege to have Greg as a Padre in my first year as a manager in 2007," said Padres manager Bud Black. "Greg has one of the most astute baseball minds I've ever been around. This is a much-deserved honor for someone who is definitely a first-ballot Hall of Famer."
The Los Angeles Dodgers (from GM Ned Colletti):
"He's one of my all-time favorites, one of the best I've ever been around. He was a genius at what he did. I saw his first game, I saw his last game. He was probably the greatest pitcher I've ever been around, and one of the best minds I've been around."
Tom Glavine
The New York Mets via press release:
"On behalf of everyone at the Mets, we congratulate Tom Glavine on his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame," said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. "We are proud that Tom won his 300th game as a Met and were fortunate to have him on our club. His excellence as a player is equaled by his excellence as a person."
Mike Piazza
The New York Mets via press release:
"On behalf of the organization and our fans, Mike is a true Hall of Famer," said Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. "We proudly display his plaque in the Mets Hall of Fame, and we're hopeful that he'll soon have one hanging in Cooperstown."
All Three Inductees, Biggio, Bagwell
The Houston Astros via press release:Biggio released the following statement regarding today's voting results:
"Congratulations to Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas. Obviously, I'm disappointed to come that close. I feel for my family, the organization and the fans. Hopefully, next year."
Astros President Reid Ryan also commented: "We certainly share our fans' disappointment over the voting results today. This was just the third time in history that a player has come within two votes of making it into the Hall of Fame, so that was tough.
"On the positive side, it is encouraging that Craig appears to be on his way to eventual induction. The other two players that came as close as he did (Nellie Fox, Pie Traynor) eventually were inducted. It was also encouraging that on a crowded ballot with several strong candidates this year, Craig increased his vote total by six percent. The Astros and our fans know that Craig deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and it is good to know that 74.8% of the Baseball Writers agree. We're hopefull it will happen in 2015.
"We also feel Jeff Bagwell is worthy of the Hall of Fame and are hopeful that his day will come in the near future as well."
Perhaps you'd expect them to say nothing else, as the players who served them well were honored but it's still nice to remember that these men are more than their statistics and more than Hall of Fame nominees/inductees. They're players and people that we fell in love with and defined their generation, and it's nice to see someone acknowledge them as such even when the electorate wouldn't.
More from SB Nation MLB:
• Hall of Fame results: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine & Frank Thomas elected
• Normandin: Why the Hall of Fame doesn't matter anymore
• Goldman: Time for BBWAA voters to stop faking it
• Brisbee: Who to blame for Biggio’s near-miss?
• Death of a Ballplayer: Wrongly convicted prospect spends 27 years in prison