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The best moments from Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza's Hall of Fame speeches

 (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
(AP Photo/Mike Groll)

The line between a great baseball player and a legendary one sits in Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s where, on Sunday, both Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza crossed over, reaching legendary status in an emotional ceremony that came with quite a few tears.

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A constant theme in both speeches was family, specifically Griffey and Piazza’s fathers, who set them on Hall of Fame courses despite very different backgrounds. Griffey, of course, is the son of former big leaguers and World Series champ, Ken Griffey, a No. 1 overall pick and a predestined star as a teenager. Piazza was a 62nd rounder, drafted by the Dodgers at the urging of Tommy Lasorda, who is friends with Piazza’s father.

The two different paths met in Cooperstown, where pedigree and draft history don’t matter, only the mark a player left on the baseball field. Both Griffey and Piazza delivered fine speeches, both couldn’t hold back their tears and both shared wonderful stories of their time within the game.

Here were a few of our favorite moments:

WHEN GRIFFEY PUT ON A BACKWARD CAP
It wasn’t entirely surprising that Griffey put on a backward cap because, after all, it was his signature look as a young star for the Seattle Mariners. What was great was the timing. Griffey turned his cap backward to punctuate his speech. He put it on, then cracked a proud smile as he looked out into the audience that would be chanting his name afterward. What a mic-drop moment. (Mike Oz)

PIAZZA’S TOUCHING MOMENT WITH HIS DAD
Piazza promised tears during his Hall of Fame speech, and he definitely delivered. He was overcome with emotion several times, but none was more touching than when he paid tribute to his father, Vince Piazza. He spoke Italian words of love to his father, and they both wept as Piazza said that his father’s faith in him was the single most important factor in his success and his election to the Hall of Fame. “We made it, Dad. The race is over. Now it’s time to smell the roses.” (Liz Roscher)

GRIFFEY BECOMES OVERRUN WITH EMOTION
We didn’t expect the eternally-cool Griffey to crack like he did during his speech. He didn’t make it through the first 30 seconds without crying. That’s no knock, because what resulted was a very emotional and heartfelt speech. It wasn’t the most polished piece of public speaking you’ll ever seen, but it was very obviously from the heart. He got choked up many times, talking about his family, particularly his father, and then spent time addressing each of his children and his wife. It was a theme that came back many times: Griffey is a man to whom family is paramount. (Oz)

WHEN PIAZZA SHOWED HIS APPRECIATION FOR METS FANS
In his speech, Piazza said he struggled to put into words his affection and appreciation for New York Mets fans. As he paused to hold back tears, the Mets fans in the crowd began to stand and cheer for him. Piazza praised them not just for their support, but for always expecting the best from him.

“You guys are serious. We didn’t get off on the best foot, but we both stayed with it… You didn’t take it easy on me, and I am better because of it. Sometimes a jockey whips a horse, it isn’t always pleasant to watch but it gets results … The thing I miss most is making you cheer.”

Not surprisingly, the Mets fans in attendance ate it up. (Roscher)

GRIFFEY’S STORIES ABOUT OTHER HALL OF FAMERS
One perspective Griffey has that most people don’t is growing up around a major-league clubhouse, so during his speech, he gave nods to various Hall of Famers that influenced him or who he had known for decades. These were the most geek-out-worthy baseball moment in the speech, as Griffey talked about Eddie Murray looking like he never smiled or Rickey Henderson beating him in basketball. (Oz)

PIAZZA REMEMBERS 9/11
On his Hall of Fame plaque, Piazza is remember for his post-9/11 homer that “helped rally a nation.” What a way to be immortalized. In his speech, however, Piazza didn’t take such credit. Instead, he got emotional when talking about 9/11 and said: “Many of you give me praise for the home run on Sept. 21, but the true praise goes to the first responders.” (Oz)

GRIFFEY ENDORSES EDGAR MARTINEZ FOR HALL OF FAME
The Hall of Fame candidacy of ex-Seattle Mariners designated hitter Edgar Martinez is one that’s been debated over the years. A lot of people just don’t vote for a DH, as good as Martinez’s numbers were. During his speech, Griffey made it clear where he stands on this one. As he recounted some of his favorite moments of his career, Griffey mentioned Martinez winning the batting title and offered this aside: “And, yes, he belongs in the Hall.” (Oz)

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!