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On July 23, 2000, Latino Legends in Sports got the privilege to interview Tony Perez after his memorable Induction Speech in Cooperstown, NY. LLIS: How do you feel about entering the Baseball Hall of Fame where there are so many famous players? Perez: This is a dream. Here to be in the museum with the plaques, with all these great players. When you are growing up with Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and now having mine there along with Martin Dihigo, Peruchin Cepeda, Rod Carew, Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Luis Aparicio, this is something big, you have to feel special.
LLIS: I imagine your greatest moments in baseball was the 1975 World Series against the Boston Red Sox and now entering the Baseball Hall of Fame? Perez: This is something big. I've been in world series and all star games in everything. I've always have had success but this is big success, the doors opened to enter Cooperstown, a way of entering for eternity and this, not many players achieve and being one of them has to be big.
LLIS: In your Induction speech you mentioned that Tony Oliva, Minny Minosa, Luis Tiant and Dave Concepcion and Pete Rose should all be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, please elaborate? Perez: Yes, I believe they should be in the Hall of Fame. They should be recognized and get enough votes like I did, because I think those players had great career. Not only the numbers, you know the type of players they were and when they played, they played to win and they should be in.
LLIS: You also mention three special flags at the Induction Ceremony, the American, Puerto Rican and Cuban. Can you elaborate more on that? (Listen to the actual clip). Perez: I had to say, the American flag because it's the best in the world, it opened my doors, The Puerto Rican, they open their arms, they adopted me like their son and Cuba where I was born, that's where my family is.
LLIS: You played 23 years in the Major Leagues, how you played so many years without getting on the disable list? Perez: That was a grace that God gave me, it looks like he took care of me throughout my career. Me, the truth, I don't know how I did it, but the times I got hurt I kept playing. I never let the lesions make me inactive. I think that was a quality I had.
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