COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – Todd Helton didn’t miss details during his 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame speech.

Former manager and fellow class member Jim Leyland spent time preparing for it wisely. Helton nodded along as Leyland detailed a message given to him by previous inductees: Don’t start writing your speech right when you find out but keep rolling notes about things you want to include. When you put it all together, the order will make sense.

Helton had 411 teammates on the Rockies, and he thanked them all for their help getting him to Cooperstown. He thanked the police officer who pulled him over thrice for speeding in Colorado Springs to help his superstitions en route to three-hit games.

The four speeches from Helton, Leyland, Adrian Beltré and Joe Mauer took time to remember the small things that ended in a historically big accomplishment.

A common thread was appreciation for the day-to-day minutiae that paid off. Athletic training staff, clubhouse workers and coaches before reaching the pros were all given their due as impactful members of Hall of Fame careers. They gave their all and were given gratitude for the behind-the-scenes impact each had.

Rod Carew’s impact on Helton was immense

The Helton family bought a VCR for the sole purpose of watching tape — one tape, that’s it.

The Hall of Famer begged his parents to buy a tape of Rod Carew’s lessons on opposite-field hitting. The 15-minute tape played what Helton estimated was “a million” times as the only one they owned.

He hit .379 going the other way with 58 home runs.

The two met before but reunited in Cooperstown as Carew drew cheers from his Minnesota faithful. Helton admitted to being nervous about seeing him again.

Standing among Carew and his new Hall of Fame family backstage made the moment feel real.

“The guys are so kind, they all came by and offered me advice — don’t worry about it, don’t be nervous, you got this,” Helton said after the ceremony. “For me, that was the beginning of feeling that I belong. We have a player’s-only dinner tonight and I’ll probably feel like I belong after that.”

Leyland gives thanks to the Rockies

Leyland’s stint in Colorado lasted only a year, but the 22-year manager thanked his temporary home on Sunday.

The 1999 season saw his Rockies go 72-90 before Leyland left in the midst of a three-year contract. He saw the future for a pair of players at Coors Field — Larry Walker and Helton.

“In spite of my subpar managing job, I still had the chance to manage two Hall of Fame players,” Leyland said. “Larry Walker — a five-tool player with unbelievable instincts — and, at that time, an up-and-coming first baseman named Todd Helton who was just introduced as the second Rockies player to join the Hall of Fame.”

He also mentioned Vinny Castilla, Dante Bichette, Darryl Kile and Darryl Hamilton and gave thanks to Rockies Owner Dick Monfort and company for giving him a chance.

Leyland earned his spot in Cooperstown thanks to a 1997 World Series title with the Florida Marlins and 1,769 wins as a manager between four teams. His playing career reached Double-A Montgomery in Detroit’s farm system before he stuck to managing.