Some Closing Thoughts on HOF Weekend

Due to a variety of travel issues, I haven't been able to weigh in with a few thoughts from HOF induction weekend before now. (In case you missed it, I posted a ton of pictures from the Parade of Legends here, and I'll try to put up the rest on Flickr this weekend.)

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Travel problems coming and going to Cooperstown over the weekend did not detract from the main event. And the baseball gods answered the prayers of Astros fans everywhere on Sunday, granting us good weather for the induction ceremony. [Note to self: Be careful what you wish for! The sun was blazing hot and your intrepid correspondent thought she might pass out before Randy Johnson finished his speech.]

I don't care what the crowd estimates said. I personally thought that there were more people at the ceremony on Sunday than there were at last year's induction, based solely on my eyeball estimates of how many people were sitting on the hill last year versus this year, but in any event, it was at least a comparable number. But one thing cannot be disputed. Astros fans were well in the majority of those who attended. Everywhere you looked ...

Young fans

And not so young fans

And although there was a lot of orange, there was also a wide variety of Astros plumage in evidence ...

There were some very familiar faces in the crowd as well ...

Bill Brown

Tal Smith

Rex Jones

And one VERY familiar head of hair ...

Alyson Footer

The ceremony itself, honoring Craig Biggio, John Smoltz, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez, was wonderful. The chants of B-G-O were robust. The tears were flowing. And the Astros faithful were ecstatic to see their adopted son of Houston enshrined in the Hall as the first player to sport an Astros cap on his plaque.

  

There was one theme that kept emerging throughout the weekend. Everywhere that my sister and I went we looked for Astros merchandise. Outside of the Hall of Fame gift store, there were very few stores that carried ANY Astros gear other than a few dusty brick red open star hats. Those that did carry Astros gear sold out quickly. You might be able to find a few small size T-shirts here and there, but that was about it.

Everyone seemed to have been surprised by the number of Astros fans who descended upon Cooperstown for the weekend. Everyone ... shopkeepers, organizers and media alike ... seemed to have underestimated the Astros fan base. Similarly, everyone seems to be underestimating the team that is currently playing in Minute Maid Park.

Those shopkeepers haven't been paying attention and they weren't prepared for what was to come. The AL West teams are starting to figure it out, though. Underestimate the 2015 Astros at your own risk. This team may not get as far as fans hope they will this year. But, again, they just might. In any event, the Astros system is poised to remain in contention for a very long time. That should no longer come as a surprise to anyone.

One final note .... with the news that the Hall of Fame has finally culled their voting rolls of those writers who haven't covered baseball in more than a decade, I am suddenly much more optimistic as to Jeff Bagwell's chances to get into the Hall and to do so quickly. Those dinosaurs who hadn't covered a baseball game in years and who relied upon unsubstantiated rumor and innuendo in order to make their decisions will soon give way to writers who are actually engaged in watching baseball every single day during the season and who might actually have some informed insight into these things.

Which brings me to this. Shortly before heading to the airport on Monday, my sister and I had lunch at the Doubleday Cafe on Main Street in Cooperstown. This sign was in the restroom. When I left, I thought sadly that I probably wouldn't be back next year because Bagwell wouldn't be likely to get in for another year or two. Now my hopes have surged that the writing on this chalkboard was a happy omen.

I hope to be back in Cooperstown again next year and I hope to see another adopted son of our City become immortalized. I also hope to see another sea of orange in the crowds and in the shops. Do not ever underestimate the Astros faithful again, Cooperstown. We are a force to be reckoned with. Our team is a force to be reckoned with. It's no longer a secret and it should no longer be a surprise to anyone.

A Day in Cooperstown

Well, the first day in Cooperstown was a resounding success. What started as a sunny day ended up with just enough cloud cover to keep things comfortable and a few scattered raindrops later during the ceremony awarding the J.G. Taylor Spink Award honoring long-time Detroit writer Tom Gage and the Ford C. Frick Award honoring Broadcaster Dick Enberg.

The sun returned for the Parade of Legends which takes place after the Awards Ceremony on Saturday of Hall of Fame weekend and is always one of the highlights of the weekend. Seeing so many Hall of Famers in one place is truly something to behold ...

Dave Winfield looking back at us

George Brett says "Hey"

Carlton Fisk with a big thumbs up

Orlando Cepeda

Rollie Fingers twirling that famous 'stache

Tom Glavine and I having a moment

I see why they called Frank Thomas "The Big Hurt"

Johnny Bench working the crowd

Ricky Henderson

Hank Freaking Aaron!!!

Phil Neikro being coy

Robbie Alomar

Rod Carew was the epitome of cool

The honorees came last ...

John Smoltz with a thumbs up

Pedro Martinez never stopped dancing

Randy Johnson never put down the camera phone

And Craig Biggio never quit grinning

The B-G-O chant for Craig was very, very loud and the Astros were well represented in the crowd, rivaled only by Red Sox fans cheering for Pedro, but I still think we outnumbered them and most of us came from much further! I met many people that I know from twitter and hope to meet a few more today before all is said and done.

As I write this it's raining in Cooperstown and the forecast is not good for induction time, but I'm hoping and praying that the baseball gods will smile upon us and the sun will shine as brightly as Biggio's smile.

ALL PHOTOS BY JAYNE HANSEN

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Hall of Fame Weekend, Part II

A couple of clarifications to the guide that I posted on Sunday regarding the Hall of Fame experience ...

The forecast still shows a 60% chance of scattered thunderstorms on Sunday (0% chance of rain on Saturday). In the event of rain, the ceremony won't necessarily be moved to the Clark Sports Center (with only invited guests allowed in), but it will be moved if there is lightning in the area. That is understandable because there will be thousands and thousands of people out in an open field with no shelter available. However, if there is just rain with no lightning, the show will go on. So you may want to add a rain poncho or a big garbage bag to your list of items to bring. Umbrellas weren't allowed in the reserved section last year, but you can probably get away with those in the open seating areas.

I saw that shuttles would be leaving from Doubleday Field on the day of the induction. But there will probably be long lines; if you are able to walk to the Clark Sports Center, I would recommend it.

A Guide to Hall of Fame Weekend

Going to Cooperstown this weekend to see Craig Biggio inducted into the Hall of Fame? Here are a few things you should know before you get there ...

Keep in mind that Cooperstown, New York is a tiny little postage stamp of a village. It's only about 1.6 square miles in size and is, therefore, extremely walkable. But it also means that, with tens of thousands of additional souls descending on the town for one weekend, it is very crowded. The first and last thing you will need to know is that you should be patient and flexible and wear comfortable shoes.

Since there are very few hotel rooms available in Cooperstown, most visitors for Hall of Fame Weekend are staying elsewhere and coming from a distance. Specifically for those visitors, the Village of Cooperstown provides three free parking lots on the outskirts of town and a trolley system that will drop you off right in front of the Hall of Fame. An all-day pass on the trolley (which you can purchase from the driver) is only $2.00 per day. Or you can walk to the Hall of Fame from the Red lot or the Blue lot, but not the Yellow lot (which is further out than this map indicates and doesn't have sidewalks).

These free parking lots fill up quickly on Hall of Fame weekend. As an alternative, property owners throughout the village offer up their front yards for parking, but they are not exactly free. I saw numerous places last year that charged around $40 to park. If you're on a budget, come early!

There are actually quite a few places to eat right on and directly off the main drag in Cooperstown, but with all the additional people in for the weekend, plan on dining early or late unless you don't mind waiting on line. The very popular Cooperstown Diner has only 26 seats so plan ahead if you have your heart set on eating there! Also highly recommended is the Doubleday Cafe which is adjacent to Doubleday Field.

From this list, Alex and Ika's (which was excellent) has apparently closed, but I can also recommend the New York Pizzeria which is off the beaten path down Chestnut Street and the somewhat more pricey and even further out Bocca Osteria which is also on Chestnut (and is very, very good!). There are also a couple of grocery stores in town that offer deli food if you're trying to save some cash.

If you want to visit the actual Hall of Fame (and why wouldn't you?), again, you will find it less crowded if you plan ahead and get there either very early or very late. By mid-day, the line just to get in will be quite long and you'll be elbow to elbow once you get inside. If you want to skip the line, buy a membership. Members don't have to wait in the main line and can more or less waltz right by. The Hall also offers early entry for members.

As you walk along Main Street on Hall of Fame weekend, you will see many former ballplayers, both Hall of Famers and non-HOFers, set up in front of the different shops for autographs. Of course, the autographs aren't free, but you can still walk along the street and get within a few feet of Gaylord Perry or Darryl Strawberry or Dale Murphy, as I did last year.

If you are going to be in Cooperstown on Saturday, you will want to attend the annual Awards Presentation at Doubleday Field, starting at 4:30 (first-come, first-serve stadium seating). This year's inductees will be Detroit News baseball writer Tom Gage (J.G. Taylor Spink Award) and long-time baseball broadcaster Dick Enberg (Ford C. Frick Award). From the Hall of Fame website:

Additionally, the Hall will recognize the legacies of former All-Star Curt Flood, whose challenge to baseball’s reserve clause laid the foundation for free agency in the major leagues, and all the ballplayers who defended their country in World War II. United States Navy Secretary Ray Mabus will speak on behalf of all military branches as America marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Following the presentation, you will need to head on over to Main Street and find a spot to watch the Parade of Legends. The Hall is saying around four dozen Hall of Famers will be in attendance this year plus, of course, the four inductees. A lot of people bring lawn chairs and stake out a location first thing Saturday morning, but I maneuvered into a good spot right behind the lawn chairs and got some great photos of the Legends as the parade went by.

Ernie Banks getting ready

to flash the "Let's play two!" sign

Hank Aaron

Brooks Robinson

Tom Seaver

George Brett

Nolan Ryan

Tom Glavine

The parade starts with the oldest classes and ends with the current inductees and it gets pretty crowded. Be prepared to be on your feet for a couple of hours before all is said and done. Again, be patient and wear comfortable shoes.

Main Street

Which brings us to the induction ceremony on Sunday. The ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 Sunday afternoon at the field outside the Clark Sports Center. In the event of rain, the ceremony goes on inside the center and is only available to the invited guests of the inductees. So pray for no rain! (As of the time of posting, there is a 60% chance of rain ... boo!)

There is no shade, even in the reserved seating, so it's extremely important to wear a hat and suncreen, maybe even bring a towel to put over your neck or your knees if you're wearing shorts (umbrellas are not allowed). There are a limited number of reserved seats (about 1200 last year) for friends and family, for those buying a HOF travel package and for those members who ponied up for the $500 and $1000 memberships. Everyone else congregates in the field behind the reserved seating.

I had a reserved seat last year through a contact I met in Cooperstown so I don't have direct knowledge of how field seating works. It's my understanding that a lot of people will come early, set up their chairs and leave them without any problems. Even if you have reserved seats, you need to get there plenty early so that you aren't stuck on the last row!

The center is about a mile from the Hall of Fame. I'm not aware of any shuttle service to the site, but it is probably best to walk there anyway, if you are able, due to the large crowds. Water and portable bathrooms are available (you might want to bring hand sanitizer) at the site.

Even in the reserved seating area (unless you are a family member), you're not going to be able to get a close look at the inductees.

But there are big screens and an excellent sound system so you will be able to see and hear everything.

If memory serves, last year's induction lasted over three hours, but there were six inductees. I would imagine this year's ceremony will be somewhat shorter with only four inductees.

As far as other things to do (if you're all baseballed out), there are a few things to do in the area. I visited the Fenimore Art Museum last year (a yellow trolley stop). Anyone interested in Native American art, in particular, should really enjoy the museum. I also stopped by the Cooperstown Distillery and sampled their wares (very good gin, but Tito's Vodka is better!).

Again, the key to a successful HOF weekend (aside from no rain!) is to plan ahead and show patience. Eat when you can, go to the bathroom when you can, sit when you can and WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!

I hope to see a ton of Astros fans at the induction. And I hope to hear a particularly loud and raucous chant of B-G-O!!!! Safe travels.