The Pecan Park Eagle

Craig Biggio
Hall of Fame
2015

Jeff Bagwell
Hall of Fame
2017

These beautiful oil and bees wax original portrayals of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio were painted by the wonderful Austin-based sports artist Opie Otterstad in 2004 for their Killer Bees era joint induction that year into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame.

Congratulations, Jeff and Craig! Today, July 30, 2017, and nearly 13 years later, we finally get to celebrate the completion of your double career play waltz into the biggest Hall of all highest baseball honors, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

If they couldn’t go into the HOF at the same time two years ago, in 2015, when Biggio was inducted, then it seems only fitting that this very special “twin killing” played out as most infield double plays do. It started with a ball of respect captured in 2015 by the great 2nd baseman, Craig Biggio, and now, two years later, that same energy arrives in a whirl of motion that would never have been complete in its journey until this day arrived.

It’s the morning of July 30, 2017 as these words hit the screen. This afternoon, the pop of Biggio’s figurative throw to first finally resounds as a loud pop in the glove that is hard-wired into most of the minds of those of us who make these connections, especially today.

By late afternoon, and long before the sun sets on a golden day in Cooperstown, New York, be prepared to hard-wire a new permanent – and this time – a visual image. After today, if they have not already transcended into all of our minds in this way on their own, anyway, the Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell double play statuary at Minute Maid Park will now also stand forever as the visual signature on our all-Astro-career double player induction into the Hall of Fame.

It simply took two years for the throw to get from 2nd to first.

It was a no-brainer.

In the fall of 2004, during my first year of humble service as Board Chair and Executive Director of the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, we chose to induct Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame. I remember looking over to Craig and Jeff from the podium that night and thanking both of them for all they already had done for the game and Houston baseball to that point in their still active careers.

I also could not resist adding, tongue-in-cheek: “Think of us this way, guys. We don’t mind being your spring training model for that much bigger Hall of Fame that awaits both of you down the road!”

Biggio and Bagwell politely smiled. The crowd laughed, then rose and applauded. We all knew the truth. Even then.

And today the double play gets completed as expected.

Congratulations, Jeff Bagwell! You ended up exactly where you ought to be. Never any further from Craig Biggio than ninety feet.

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