Mr. Nice Guy in Cooperstown Thursday

If you’re at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Thursday, look closely at the white-haired gentleman checking out all the artifacts.

Chances are, it’s former major league manager Dick Williams.

The 78-year-old Williams, a member of the Class of 2008, will take his orientation tour Thursday in preparation for his July 27 induction. Williams managed six teams over 21 seasons – every year except one from 1967 to 1988. He left the game with 1,571 wins, two World Series championships and a reputation for being one of the toughest managers of his generation.

Nowadays, however, Williams can’t stop smiling. His election to the Hall seems to have softened the former tough guy, who had no shortage of enemies during his days in the dugout.

Many of those “enemies” now call Williams the best manager they ever played for. His Hall of Fame election was long overdue.