Manny on JJ Hardy’s Selection for the Orioles Hall of Fame

[Frobby]

 

Last Sunday’s column made note of Mike Devereaux and J.J. Hardy having been voted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. This week I had the opportunity to ask Manny Machado about Hardy, whom he played alongside in Baltimore from 2012-2017.

“There is not a person that deserves it more,” said Machado, who broke in with the O’s a month after his 20th birthday. “ J.J. Hardy is a true leader, a true competitor, a guy that everybody looked up to in that clubhouse. What he did for that city, what he did for that team… it went unnoticed. But the people who [were around him] day-in-day-out know that he was the leader of that team.”

Moreover, Hardy was a mentor.

“He taught me everything I know about getting your work done, attention to detail,” said the Padres infielder.” I brought that over here, and it’s because I learned from him. The details are what wins championships. The details are what make you who you are. That was J.J. Hardy. He wasn’t the most flashy guy on the team, but he got every out. He hit the first baseman in the chest every single day. So for him to be [inducted] into the Orioles’ Hall of Fame…. congratulations to him and his family. It’s an honor to be his friend, and an honor to have played by his side.”

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/sunday-notes-collin-mchugh-ponders-pitching-philosophy-and-politics/

[Bahama O's Fan]

I have only attended one game at Camden Yards, it was the first game of the 2014 playoff series against the Tigers. As they announced the team, person by person, there were two people that received louder cheers than all the others. Buck was one of them, deservedly. The second was the crowd yelling "J! J! HARDY!!!"

[joelala]

Great snippet @Frobby, thanks for sharing. I miss both of those guys.