Baseball Hall of Fame

This blog is coming to you from the surprisingly sleepy town of Cooperstown, New York. This town is home to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame and a friendly, small town America atmosphere. It is also home to probably the most moving baseball experience I've ever had. With my ever economical Dad learning that a ticket purchased after 7 p.m. could be used the next day, we of course took advantage of this opportunity to take just a quick peak at the museum and the Hall. It was the first place I wanted to go, and I can safely say my mind is still there wandering the walls, looking at each of the plaques, and absorbing the indescribable and overwhelming feeling that the Hall of Fame breathes into its visitors. I guess I never really understood what the Hall meant until actually setting foot in it. From a numbers perspective, only about a single percent of all who ever played the game ever made it into the Hall of Fame. Think of all the names of players you've rooted for in your lifetime, think of how great they may have been, and think of how many are in the Hall. In my young life I've rooted for Nomar, Trot, Papi and Manny, Youk, Pedro, Schill, Tek, and Cal. From that list, only one has made it into the Hall, and maybe only two or three more ever will. I never understood how truly special of a player a man had to be to actually achieve immortality. The players, coaches, umps, and baseball executives dominated their sport in every sense of the word. I can't possibly imagine how it must feel to achieve this greatness. From the perspective of a fan, I can think of no other honor greater to a player than this Hall. I hope it is as great an experience as the one I had walking through those alcoves looking at the names and faces you only hear about in old highlight reels. There are not enough words to describe the magnitude of this place, and I strongly believe that every baseball fan must see it to truly appreciate the game we all love.