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Bobby Cox, manager of the Braves from 1978 to 1981 and 1990 to 2010 and the Blue Jays from 1982 to 1985, has been officially inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Commissioner Bud Selig introduced Cox and handed him his bronze plaque before the 73-year-old began his speech. He opened by recounting a story in which he was referred to benignly as "the guy who gets thrown out all the time." Needless to say, he was referred to with much more specificity on Sunday.
Cox: "I wouldn't be standing here if if weren't for (Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz)."
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 27, 2014
He thanked his players, most notably Chipper Jones, saying "You'll be standing here soon and thank you for all you have done for the Braves organization." With Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine also being inducted and John Smotz in attendance as a commentator, Cox's Big Three from Atlanta were looking on as their former manager gave his speech.
Bobby Cox receives @BaseballHall plaque, does Tomahawk Chop on stage. #HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/MoeBHM9hvq
— MLB (@MLB) July 27, 2014
He thanked his wife, Pam, and his children for "holding down the fort together" and credited Yankees manager/GM Ralph Houk and Yankees executive Lee MacPhail for giving him the chance to manage despite his lack of experience.
After the ceremony, Cox joked about his pitchers' speeches.
"They looked plenty strong. They could have gone another 12 or 13 minutes." - Bobby Cox on his pitchers' @BaseballHall speeches. #HOFWKND
— MLB (@MLB) July 27, 2014
"I've never seen Mad Dog smile so much." - Bobby Cox on @gregmaddux. #HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/gtzdTMalHw
— MLB (@MLB) July 27, 2014
Cox's teams finished in first place 15 times, won five National League pennants, and one Worlds Series. He finished his 29-year managerial career with a 2504-2001 record and four Manager of the Year awards.
#FirstLook: Bobby Cox's Hall of Fame plaque. #HOFWKND pic.twitter.com/RSvxoYQyjs
— Baseball Hall (@BaseballHall) July 27, 2014