If Billy Wagner had his way, he would not have pitched when he did, from 1995 through 2010. His grandparents loved baseball and taught him about the pioneers.
“I’m a traditionalist at heart,” Wagner said by phone the other day. “I would love to have played when you were wearing fedoras and suits, and there wasn’t a disconnect between fans and players — that golden age. That’s the era I wanted to play in. That’s what I wish.”
On Monday, at the winter meetings in Nashville, the Hall of Fame will announce the first part of its 2016 class.