Hall decked out

The Red Sox left fielder articulated the moment he received the news he had made it into the Hall after 15 years of waiting.

“You always feel that after every great, once-in-a-lifetime moment, there could not be anything else to top it,’’ said Rice. “You find your lifelong partner, that one true love. You have your first child and you spend hours wondering at the perfection of tiny little fingers and toes . . . right when you thought it couldn’t get better, you have grandchildren and new astonishing love blossoms. And then 15 years later, you get a phone call that you thought you’d never get.’’

Rice, who was always one of the most fashionable players, was decked out in a light brown suit and spoke for a little less than 11 minutes. He thanked all of his former coaches, from Anderson, S.C., through the Red Sox system, including Sam Mele, Don Zimmer, Johnny Pesky, as well as scout Mace Brown. He also thanked Dick Bresciani, the former Sox publicist and current vice president whose statistical analysis of Rice’s career compared with others of his era may have helped some voters come around on Rice.

Meanwhile, Henderson’s closing was the show-stopper.

“I would like to say my favorite hero was Muhammad Ali,’’ he said. “He said at one time, ‘I am the greatest.’ That is something I always wanted to be. And now that the Association has voted me into the Baseball Hall of Fame, my journey as a player is complete. I am now in the class of the greatest players of all time. And at this moment, I am very, very humble. Thank you.’’

Rice, who indicated that delivering the speech was easier than he thought it would be, said of his long journey to election, “It doesn’t matter that the call came 15 years later, what matters is that I got it.

“It’s hard to comprehend. I am in awe to be in this elite company and humbled to be accepting this honor. I cannot think of anywhere I’d rather be than to be right here, right now, with you and you,’’ Rice added, pointing at the 50 Hall of Famers on stage behind him and then at the fans. “Thank you.’’