Andre Dawson played center field, John Fogerty sang "Centerfield," and in an unusual twist, both will be honored at the baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony July 25.
Dawson, who also played right field with Montreal and the Chicago Cubs, was previously announced as a Class of 2010 inductee alongside Veterans Committee selections Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey.
Tuesday the Hall is announcing that Fogerty will perform "Centerfield" to kick off the ceremony and then be honored to mark the 25th anniversary of the song's release. "I'm overwhelmed and truly humbled," Fogerty said on Monday. "I had no idea the song would ever be adopted by baseball."
While Fogerty is a Hall of Famer himself - the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 1993 - the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman said sharing a stage with baseball greats is a different level of thrill. "As a young boy who loved baseball, I grew up thinking baseball players were very special people, not like the rest of us," he said. "I never thought I'd be connected to them in any way except maybe getting an autograph."
[Photo caption: John Fogerty is 'humbled' to play 'Centerfield' at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.]
Noting he was born in California before baseball expanded west, Fogerty said his first team was the Yankees, but that he now roots for the Oakland A's. His recording of "Centerfield" has been played at the Cooperstown induction for more than a decade.
