Hall of Fame Ceremonies Have International Flavor : Cooperstown: Panama’s Rod Carew, Canada’s Ferguson Jenkins and North Carolina’s Gaylord Perry, who played for eight different major league teams, return to spotlight.

From the strains of the Panamanian national anthem to “Oh, Canada” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” baseball’s Hall of Fame ceremonies had an international flavor Sunday. Rod Carew, who came to New York from Panama as a teen-ager, was back in the spotlight along with Ferguson Jenkins and Gaylord Perry.

Those three--a seven-time batting champion and two formidable pitchers--were inducted along with former New York Yankee second baseman Tony Lazzeri and maverick owner Bill Veeck, who were honored posthumously. Lazzeri was a .292 career hitter who had at least 100 runs batted in seven times. The induction of the five swelled the number of those enshrined here to 211.

Carew, who handled a bat like a magic wand, had a reputation for being moody during his 19-season career with the Minnesota Twins and California Angels. But with accomplishments strewn behind him, including 15 consecutive seasons of hitting over .300 and a lifetime batting average of .328, he was serene Sunday.

Carew was humble and as effective with words as he had been handling a bat. He told the crowd gathered at Cooper Park, “One of the first thoughts on being elected to the Hall of Fame is the natural awe of being recognized alongside Cobb, Ruth, Gehrig and Jackie Robinson.

“Hall of Fame is more. It’s all the kids who ever played the game. It’s all the fans who ever bought a ticket. It’s the first time you took your son or daughter to a ballgame. It’s Satchel Paige and Roberto Clemente. It’s the Say Hey Kid, it’s The Duke, The Hammer, Cool Papa, The Mick. It’s Big Train, Pee Wee, Joe D., Teddy Ballgame and many more. Thanks to all for moving over a little and making space for me in your shrine.”

Carew also talked of when he was a young player with the Twins, who were managed by Billy Martin. He paid tribute to Martin “for taking a boy and turning him into a man.” Thunder clapped, and Carew continued, saying, “And I know the rumble you just heard was Billy’s message of saying he approved of what’s happening today.”

Gathered behind Carew and seated on the Hall’s library porch were 33 other Hall of Famers, some of whom Carew had mentioned. There was Joe D., Teddy Ballgame, Pee Wee and the Say Hey Kid. The years have thickened them and put a slump in their shoulders, but not in their pride.

This is an exclusive club Carew, Jenkins and Perry have joined. One thing the three new living members share in common is that in their combined 60 seasons, they never participated in a World Series. Jenkins handled that deftly, saying of their induction, “This is our world championship.”

Jenkins was introduced by baseball commissioner Fay Vincent as the first Canadian to gain entry here. A band from Chatham, where Jenkins was raised in Ontario, played in the background. Carew’s many fans added to the international flavor, waving small Panamanian flags.

Jenkins, who had a lifetime record of 284-226 and won at least 20 games seven times, including six consecutive seasons with the Cubs, paid tribute to the upbringing his parents gave him. His voice broke as he recalled the strength of a mother who went blind giving birth to her only child.

Delores Jenkins died in 1970 but her son was grateful to have his 84-year-old father, Ferguson Sr., there to share what Fergie called “their day.”

The mood was lighter with the introduction of Perry, the farm boy from North Carolina who persevered for 22 seasons despite the controversy over whether he threw a spitball. There were times when Perry all but conceded he did, and other times when he denied it.

Still, he managed to compile a 314-265 record. He won at least 21 games five times and is the only pitcher to have won the Cy Young Award in both leagues. He played for eight teams in his long career and Vincent, in introducing him and recalling the stops along the way, said, “The man could just not hold a job.”

Perry laughed. Despite being accused of doctoring a ball with everything from K-Y Jelly to Vaseline, he was finishing on top.

The Hall of Fame also paid tribute to Joe Garagiola and newspaperman Phil Collier. Garagiola was given the Ford C. Frick Award for his service as a baseball broadcaster. Collier, who has covered more than 6,000 games for the San Diego Union, received the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for distinguished longtime service.