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Cooperstown N.Y. was alive as the National Baseball Hall of Fame once again welcomed some new members into their ranks at an induction ceremony this past Saturday, July 26, in front of the third-largest crowd to attend a ceremony.

The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) selected pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux and first baseman Frank Thomas, while The Pre-Integration Committee picked managers Bobby Cox, Tommy LaRussa and Joe Torre for this year’s hall of fame.

This year’s ceremony marks the 75th anniversary of the hall of fame, which now has over 300 members.

All six inductees earned accolades during their careers that justify this honor.

• Maddux is an 18-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner and a four-time N.L. Cy Young Award winner.

• Glavine is a two-time N.L. Cy Young Award winner and one of only six left-handed pitchers to earn 300 career wins.

• Thomas is the only player in Major League history to have seven straight seasons with a .300 batting average, 20 home runs, 100 RBIs and 100 walks.

• LaRussa, as a manager, won 12 division titles, six pennants and three World Series titles with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals.

• Torre helped the New York Yankees to 10 division titles, six American League pennants and four World Series championships.

• Cox is third in career wins as a manager with 2,504, was selected as manager of the year four times and holds the record for all-time ejections from a game with 158.

Even with their impressive resumes, these six were humbled to receive this honor — because it’s not easy getting into the hall of fame.

In order to receive a nomination from the BBWAA for the hall, a player must have been active as a player in the major league at some time during a period beginning 20 years before and ending five years prior to their nomination.

They must also have played in each of ten major league championship seasons in that timeframe. In case of death, a player shall be eligible in the next regular election at least six months after the date of death or after the end of the five-year period — whichever occurs first. A player who receives 75 percent of the votes on the ballot will go into the hall of fame. The maximum number of years a player can stay on a ballot is 15 years, though the hall of fame’s board of directors will reduce that number to 10, starting in 2015.

There are also committees who nominate players from different baseball eras who are no longer eligible for the BBWAA’s ballot: the pre-integration (1876-1946), golden (1947-1972) and expansion (1973-present). The committees meet on a rotating cycle every three years to vote for players from their era.

It’s refreshing that BBWAA selected players — all three were eligible for the ballot for this first time — for this year’s ceremony, as opposed to last year where they picked no one.

Although the 2013 ballot had worthy candidates, there was controversy with players who were suspected of — or admitted to — taking performance-enhancing drugs. Of the thirty-seven candidates on the ballot, only five received over 50 percent of the votes: Craig Biggio, Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza and Tim Raines.

Last year’s class also marked the first time since 1965 — the eighth time overall — that no living players were inducted. The Pre-Integration committee selected player Deacon White, umpire Hank O’ Day, and New York Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert.

Although O’Day, Ruppert and White deserved to be enshrined in the hall and the BBWAA was following protocol, the lack of living inductees made the 2013 ceremony seem empty.

However, this year’s ceremony was full of life as each inductee reflected on their careers and expressed gratitude for being chosen.

There was also laughter — from Cox’s anecdote about an encounter with a fan — and tears — from Thomas’ speech where he thanked his parents for their love and support.

Thomas also had some words of wisdom for the young fans in attendance.

“To all you kids out there, just remember one thing from today,” he said. “There’s no shortcuts to success. Hard work, dedication, commitment (and) stay true to who you are.”

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.