Former Braves have range of emotions

On what the day was actually like vs. expectations

“It lived up to all the hype. I mean it was everything it could be … For the amount of talk of Georgia and Atlanta, it was really cool, and I thought everybody did a great job.”

On if Maddux will be first and last Hall of Famer to tell a flatulence joke

“Yeah, that did not surprise me. I thought he hid it well and those who knew him best knew exactly what he was talking about. He did a nice job transitioning between the authentic stuff and what makes Greg tick.”

On Glavine getting emotional

“Yeah, I figured that’s almost an impossibility (not to) when you think about his story and knowing him as well as I do, his family and how important that is and the town he grew up in. … I thought he did great.”

On if hard not to think of what this kind of day could be like for you

“Yeah I’ll be honest, it was something when you anticipate and see it for the first time, and experience it, those thoughts start rambling through your head a little bit. Up until this point, I’ve never played the what-if game. But it was hard not to”

DALE MURPHY

‘Special day, situation’

On enjoying the weekend as part of the Braves

“Anybody associated with the Braves’ organization, I’m lucky to be able to have been as a player but it’s a special day for fans and a special situation here in Cooperstown to celebrate baseball. It’s a way to say thank you. Obviously I played with Glav, so that’s cool. But for Bobby, it’s a different feeling for me because he saved my career. He moved to first and that didn’t work out, he moved me to the outfield and he was really patient with me. So I couldn’t be more excited or thankful and I got to see him last night and tell him thanks for everything. I couldn’t be happier for this group. It’s a lot of pride in the Braves organization. It’s a great organization. They’ve been competitive for 20 years which is not easy to do, turning out some Hall of Famers. It’s fun to be part of it and say I know those guys. I knew them when.”

On getting to feel a part of the whole experience

“When I was at the party, at the Braves’ thing last night, and Bobby walked in and everybody clapped, it was cool. Then Hank (Aaron) walked in and everybody clapped. So I think we all feel like we’re going in to the Hall of Fame because of the way you feel about these guys. And I think that’s why Braves country has showed up so well here, Braves fans. These are the kind of guys you really feel a connection to. So it’s unique. A lot of times I think we all like players. Obviously I feel a connection. We feel like we’re all going in with them. That’s just the kind of people they are. They’re people that endeared themselves to you. It’s a great quality they have. That’s why they were so successful. That’s why Bobby was so successful, and Joe (Torre). So we’re not only celebrating for them but selfishly. It’s like nothing else. I couldn’t be happier for this group of guys. I have connections to Bobby, Glav and Joe. I had my best years under Joe. I had my formative years under Bobby and Joe really helped me.”

RON GANT

‘Very emotional’

On the weekend

“It’s kind of surreal. I feel like that I was a part of those guys’ careers, all three of them, of course, and helped them win games, so I’m emotional. It’s very emotional for me, so I can imagine what those guys feel like but definitely a special occasion and a special day for us.”

On if this feels a little like baseball heaven

“When you’re here in Cooperstown you just feel the history of the game here from all the players that come before you. And to have three Braves going in this weekend is just … I don’t know what to do with myself. This is baseball at its best.”

On looking back, was this a matter of when for them

“When going through it, you’re not thinking down the line Hall of Fame or anything like that. You just knew we had a lot of really good players and pitchers in our organization and on those ball clubs. How good were they going to be? You didn’t know, but you just knew at that point they were really good.”

On what Cox meant to him

“If it wasn’t for Bobby, I probably wouldn’t have done the things that I did in the majors. I met Bobby back when I was in the minors and he always thought highly of me, so he was one of the guys that kind of kept me on the map in the Braves’ organization so I owe a lot to him. The one thing about Bobby is, everybody talks about him as a general manager and then of course the things that he did as a manager but Bobby was one of the best talent evaluators out there. He was just as good as any scout in our organization. He could do it all.”

On getting Glavine for two home runs in Game 3 of the 1996 NLCS

“Yeah, he doesn’t let me live that down. Playing all those years against him, I kind of knew his MO so I made some adjustments. I went to a bigger bat, a longer bat, so I could reach that three to four inches off the plate outside that the umpires were going to give to him. I homered twice in Game 4 of the NLCS in ’96. They were both change-ups. That was just knowing that he was going to go away off the plate and more than likely the umpire was going to give him the benefit of the doubt on that pitch so I always stood on top of the plate, but I just went out there with a longer bat. From time to time I would use a 36-inch bat, more times than not I used a 35, but against guys like Glavine, I knew they were going to be out there, I would go to the longer bat.”

On Maddux

“To me one of the most intelligent pitchers to ever take the mound. I mean I knew that his command and control, like Tom Glavine, won him a lot of games but Maddux seemed like he was one of those pitchers that was always a step ahead of the game during the game. He knew exactly what was going to happen before it happened, it seemed like, and he was able to make the pitch going off of that.”

JOHN ROCKER

‘Very lucky, fortunate’

On being in Cooperstown

“I would have been here whether or not I had a (card) show, regardless, to show my appreciation for everything that they did for me and what they meant to me. It’s very humbling to know that I was just fortunate enough — I did nothing to warrant being drafted by the Braves. There were 29 other teams that could have drafted me. The timeframe that I was lucky enough to play in, I just consider myself very, very lucky, very fortunate that I just happened to be drafted by the Braves and happened to play in their era and to witness everything I got to witness being around those three guys and of course John (Smoltz) hopefully next year, I consider myself very fortunate.”

On if this is way to get to share in the day

“A little bit, just a way to tell them thank you for being as good as you were and making my career as special as it was because I got to play with you.”

MARQUIS GRISSOM

‘They ought to be proud’

On what made him want to be in Cooperstown

“Glavine and Maddux and Bobby — I had a great opportunity to play with those guys and not only that, Frank Thomas. I played against him in high school football. Just a lot of history right there, a lot of people from Atlanta and the state of Georgia ought to be proud and happy that we got four, pretty much five, all those guys have some kind of ties to Atlanta, Joe Torre managed and played in Atlanta, so this is a memorable moment.”

On what it meant to him to be there for their induction

“I can’t describe it. I was looking at Smoltzie last night, Glavine, and all those guys and I can see they’re full of anxiety to get it overwith or anxious to see what’s going to happen or how it’s going to unfold. They ought to be proud because I know I’m proud of those guys, playing against them for 12, 13 years and playing on their team for two years. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to play with those guys. They deserve this, what it takes to become a Hall of Famer and be in the upper echelon of athletes. There’s no higher they can go. They’ve climbed the mountaintop. It’s well-deserved.”

On how this compares to catching the last out of the 1995 World Series

“(There’s) no comparison. My first at-bat in the big leagues, getting called up to the big leagues, winning the World Series, going to the All-Star game, winning a Gold Glove, you can add all the accolades up and they still won’t equal going into the Hall of Fame.”

On feeling like he was a piece of it

“I had a little bit to do with us becoming winners in 1995 and 1996 and those guys played an important role. I just hope I had a little piece of it in there myself.”