Woody Paige: Blake Street Bomber Larry Walker is among all-time greatest

Sep. 8—When Larry Walker, a real-life "The Natural," officially was accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday, he was "honored, humbled."

Well he should be.

Walker, No. 33, is the 333rd inductee at Cooperstown.

Consider, though, he must be considered as one of the 25 greatest right fielders in the history of the game. Larry is included in the select company of Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Al Kaline, Reggie Jackson, Vladimir Guerrero, Andre Dawson, Mike "King" Kelly, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth.

Some group, Larry!

Dawson played minor-league ball in the old Mile High Stadium with the Denver Bears, and Kelly played baseball 140 years ago. Babe Ruth, who was selected to the Hall of Fame in its inaugural year (1936), played in Denver on a barnstorming tour with fellow Yankees' Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig (1939) at older Merchants Park on Oct. 19 of the year he hit 60 home runs — 1927. But the first future Hall of Famer to play here was Joe Tinker, who was with the Denver Grizzlies in 1900. He became the shortstop of the famed Cubs double-play combination from 1902-1912 that forever was revered as "Tinker to Evers to Chance." Joe, Johnny and Frank were inducted in 1946.

Walker always has said he is "just an average guy," but admitted on stage during his speech: "I don't feel average today."

There are no sweeter words ever heard than: "Babe to Hank to Roberto to Larry". A white man to a black man to a Latino man to a Canadian Man.

America's Pastime did right by them.

Larry thanked his homeland and his adopted land and his home for 10 years — Colorado.

He is the only Rockies' player to make the Hall of Fame.

Larry thanked his parents Mary and Larry Walker Sr. and his three older brothers Barry, Carey and Gary. Seemed to be a ball in the family.

Walker talked about learning to play baseball by playing fast-pitch softball in British Columbia — sometimes with all five Walker men on the field together. He played for five minor-league clubs in the Montreal Expos' organization and spent a winter in the Mexican Pacific League, tearing up a knee that required reconstructed surgery.

He reached the Expos in 1989 and was a major league star before '94, when the dying franchise traded away players and declined to give Larry a new contract, permitting him to become a free agent. Denver reminded him of his home outside Vancouver, and he had been with the Expos for the Rockies' first home game ever in '93 with 80,227 fans.

"I knew I wanted to play there."

He signed a four-year, $22 million contract (what a bargain) with the Rockies' controlling owner, the late Jerry McMorris, and general manager Bob Gebhard.

At spring training in Tucson, Ariz., Walker and his newfound best friend in the outfield, Dante Bichette, asked a Denver sports columnist if he could get them on a golf course. Starr Pass, he replied. They decided to sneak away from practice and invited him to go (because, I think, he could secure free greens, clubs and carts).

On the par-5, 510-yard fifth hole, Bichette, with a Mighty Casey swing of his driver, sliced his tee shot out of bounds, over a house and onto an adjoining street — more than 300 yards away. "That," the sports writer said, "would be a home run at Coors Field," the new ballpark the Rockies would play in that season in Denver. Walker, who had 240 yards to the hole for his second shot, hit the ball onto the green. The sports writer asked Walker what iron he had used. He showed a wedge.

"You are a couple of bombers."

In the opening game against the Mets, Walker made his Rockies' debut and went 3 for 7 (three doubles), and Bichette was 2 for 6 (with the winning walk-off home run in the 14th inning).

A nickname was born that night. Walker, Bichette, "Cousin" Vinny Castilla and Andres "Big Cat" Galarraga became the Blake Street Bombers in my column. They finished the season with a combined 139 home runs, 132 doubles, 12 triples and 415 runs batted in.

And the Rockies were a wild-card playoff team in just their third season.

In 1997 the four slugged 156 home runs.

Larry Walker had 49, with a 130 RBIs, 33 stolen bases (to match his number) and a .366 batting average. He was named the National League MVP.

Larry was a natural athlete who could have played any sport — baseball, golf, hockey (his passion as a kid), basketball (which he never played at 6-foot-5), volleyball (which he played in high school), football, tennis or soccer.

Fortunately, as Walker said Wednesday, he chose baseball, and baseball chose him.

Larry Walker is one of the best ever. The Hall of Fame just gave him the plaque as proof of perfection.