COOPERSTOWN Hall induction speech brings Eckersley tears

The retired pitcher spoke of being recovering alcoholic.
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) -- Dennis Eckersley knew the tears would flow -- and it didn't matter a bit.
"I practiced it, and I cried every time," Eckersley said Sunday after he and Paul Molitor were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. "I knew I had no chance going in."
Though Eckersley had to pause several times to regain his composure during his emotional speech, the longest delay came when he talked about being a recovering alcoholic for 17 years.
Spiraling
"I was spiraling out of control personally. I knew I had come to a crossroads in my life. With the grace of God, I got sober, and I saved my life," Eckersley said as the crowd applauded loudly. "I was a new man, a renewed man.
"It took a great deal of acceptance to come to terms with being an alcoholic, but acceptance was the key to my sobriety," Eckersley said. "If I had not gained acceptance at that time in my life, I would not be standing here today. My career would not have taken me this far."
Even Molitor, who spoke first, wiped his eyes as Eckersley spoke.
"It definitely hit me," said Molitor, whose sweet swing produced 3,319 hits in his 21-year career with Milwaukee, Toronto and Minnesota. "I was emotionally taken to tears.
"Part of it is knowing Dennis and knowing his heart is in it," Molitor said. "Part of it rings a bell to things that you go through on your own. I know that there are battles out there that can be won, but they take their toll."
Flanked by a record 50 returning Hall of Famers, cheered by hundreds of fans, and often staring at his parents as he spoke, Eckersley somehow completed his speech.
"It was brutal. I've never been through something like this," said Eckersley, who was elected on the first ballot in January with Molitor. "I'd rather pitch. It's overwhelming."
More overwhelming than Eckersley was on the mound. In 24 seasons with five teams, he appeared in 1,071 games, the most of any Hall of Fame pitcher and finished with a record of 197-171 and 390 saves.
Eckersley grew up in the Oakland area, and his parents were always near when he was playing ball. His father, Wallace, would leave work early to watch him play, coached Little League and even dragged the infield before and after games in his Ford Ranchero while mom, Bernice, worked the snack bar.
They were there on Sunday, even though dad is confined to a wheelchair and breathes with the help of an oxygen tank because of emphysema.
Emotional
"My parents were there for me, and they're here for me now," Eckersley said. "My dad struggled to get here today, and both of us knew nothing could have stood in the way of us sharing this moment together.
"I've had the emotion of pitching poorly bring me to tears, but nothing that could match the emotions of talking about loving people and the people that care about you that had their fingers crossed for 25 years."
Eckersley, who broke in with Cleveland in 1975, began his career anew after the Chicago Cubs dealt him to Oakland at the start of the 1987 season -- when his baseball life seemed all but over because of the drinking problem.
Under the guidance of manager Tony La Russa and bullpen coach Dave Duncan, Eckersley was converted from a starter into an overpowering reliever and quickly became the game's dominant closer, expected to pitch only the ninth inning when the A's had a lead.