Michael Jordan and 10 Other Ridiculous Hall of Fame Induction Speeches

In another month, the one year anniversary of Michael Jordan's hall of fame speech will be upon us. If you don't remember, Jordan's speech, it came as a shock to just about everyone who was tuned in.

Instead of thanking people who helped him on his way to becoming the greatest basketball player ever, he took shots at all the foes he conquered.

Jordan will be taking the hall of fame stage once again next month to introduce his teammate Scottie Pippen. So in honor of Jordan, here are the 10 most ridiculous hall of fame induction speeches.

#10 Mike Webster, National Football Hall of Fame

The name of the man who hiked the ball to Terry Bradshaw during the Steelers incredible Super Bowl run was Mike Webster. Today Webster is remembered by some as the best center of all-time.

To introduce him he had none other than Terry Bradshaw do the honors. And if you know Bradshaw, you know he was going to make a circus of the event.

Back in 1989 when Bradshaw was inducted into the hall of fame he said, "Oh, what I would give to put my hands under Mike Webster's butt one more time."

So eight years later, Bradshaw did just that. On-stage Bradshaw had Webster hike him the ball one last time.

#9 Rod Woodson, National Football Hall of Fame

A lot of players start out their speeches by thanking God and Jesus Christ. Rod Woodson, however, went a step further.

Not only did he start out his speech in such a manner, but he ended it by quoting scripture and then interpretating it. The second last line of his speech was, "Choose Jesus Christ over the world."

I feel like I walked into Sunday school all over again.

#8 Rickey Jackson, National Football Hall of Fame

Rickey Jackson's speech was fine; his hat is what earned him his spot on this list.

Who knows, maybe the man was auditioning for a part in "Mad Men."

#7 Ryne Sandberg, National Baseball Hall of Fame

2005 was right when all the revelations about steroids were making their way to the surface. While in his speech, Ryne Sandberg never explicitly mentioned steroids, he did make veiled references to them.

One of his finer lines was, "In my day, if a guy came to spring training 20 pounds heavier than when he left, he was considered out of shape and was probably in trouble. When did it become OK for someone to hit home runs and forget how to play the rest of the game?"

Maybe Sandberg's stance is not what is expected of a hall of fame acceptance address, but give kudos to the man for taking a hard line on the issue when all eyes were on him.

#6 Phil Rizzuto, National Baseball Hall of Fame

Yankees fans have had a strong attachment with Phil Rizzuto. A former shortstop for the club, he went on to call Yankee games on radio and television for 40 years.

His gift for gab served him well when he was inducted into the hall of fame. While up at the podium, he served up one of the best acceptance speech quotes ever.

On his first trip down south, Rizzuto was treated to a meal of fried chicken and some oatmeal-like substance. Not sure what they were, he took the only plausible course of action.

"And I didn't know what to do with them so I stuffed it in my pocket," said Rizzuto.

#5 Rickey Henderson, National Baseball Hall of Fame

Rickey Henderson's favorite subject to talk about was none other than Rickey Henderson.

His speech in 2009 was highly-anticipated because people wanted to see what kind of ego trip he would go on this time. If you had to put the over/under on how many times he would refer to himself in third person, it would probably be around eight.

Surprise, surprise, Rickey's speech actually turned out to be very humble and was well-received. He never once called himself Rickey Henderson.

Instead he used his time to thank all those people who put him on the path to being an all-time great.

#4 Michael Irvin, National Football Hall of Fame

OK so technically Michael Irvin's speech was not too ridiculous, but what he did afterwards in his hall of fame garb is noteworthy.

According to Irvin, "I remember when I was inducted into the Hall of Fame and they gave me my Hall of Fame yellow blazer. I wore it for two straight days. Finally my wife was in bed and said she wanted to make love but that I had to take the coat off. I refused and kept the blazer on because I wanted to perform like a Hall of Famer on the field and off."

I wonder if this has become a trend amongst recently inducted NFL Hall of Famers.

#3 Mr. Met, Mascot Hall of Fame

The Mascot Hall of Fame is now defunct, but back in 2007 they welcomed Mr. Met into their most prestigious institution.

When it was time for Mr. Met to give his induction speech, he didn't break from character. That is to say the he kept to the long-honored mascot tradition of maintaining silence.

So how did he get across his appreciation for all the support he has received over the years? He used cue cards to let the people know how he felt.

#2 Any WWE Induction Speech

You want ridiculous? Well go on YouTube, and check out any WWE induction speech.

The WWE does not shy away from its brand. Even when people are dressed up in tuxedos, they still manage to put on a show.

Loud music blares as the recipient makes his way to the stage. Above his head is a screen showing the best highlights of his career.

And then you have the crowd. The crowd is as wild and rambunctious as it would be at a WrestleMania event.

No doubt about this one - the people behind the WWE know how to make a spectacle out of anything.

#1: Peter Vecsey, National Basketball Hall of Fame

If you're not a basketball fan you're probably wondering right now who Peter Vecsey is and what he did to earn the number one spot.

Vecsey was an analyst for TBS, NBC and a columnist for the New York Post. He was inducted because of his contributions as a member of the media.

When he got up to the podium, Vecsey started out by saying, "If there is anybody who I haven't insulted over the last 40 years, I apologize. We'll see what we can do about that."

Since he didn't write out his speech, Vecsey just started rambling off the top of his head. He started out by calling out his former colleagues. Then he went on to take jabs at John Stockton and Vivian Stringer, both of whom were getting inducted into the hall of fame alongside Vecsey.

He totally overlooked thanking anyone who helped him during his distinguished career as an analyst.

Here's the best part. Vecsey's speech came on the same weekend that Jordan was inducted into the hall of fame. Isn't that something?