Hall of Fame Weekend--Part Six

To no one's surprise, MLB and the Hall of Fame emerged from Saturday's meeting with Save The Fame Game founder Kristian Connolly by reiterating their stance that the Hall of Fame Game is over, essentially dead and buried. During the meeting, MLB president Bob Dupuy pointed out that the game is basically a local attraction, one that matters primarily to the folks of central New York. Connolly responded by pointing out that fans who attend the game come from a far wider geographic base. He also said that the geography of the fan base shouldn't matter, considering that the game sells out every year, sometimes within a matter of hours or days.

So what's next in the process? I don't expect that Connolly will give up just yet, while the Hall of Fame will continue to explore options for replacing the game. The Hall of Fame has a tendency to move slowly on such matters, sometimes at a glacial rate. It would be wise for the institution to move more quickly in this case, in order to quell continuing arguments to sustain the game and to move the focus of the discussion of the new event. My choices continue to be an Old-Timers Game first, and a Futures Game second, with the ideal solution allowing for both to take place. Youth clinics and minor league games are all fine and well, but they simply do not carry enough marquee value to replace a popular and longstanding tradition like the Hall of Fame Game...

I spent part of Saturday afternoon standing in the spacious lobby of the Otesaga Hotel, waiting for a ride that never came. There was definite upside to the lack of transportation, though, since it gave me an opportunity to do some people-watching at the Otesaga. I spotted Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Bob Feller, and Joe Morgan as they made their way through the first floor of the four-star hotel. Along the way, I picked up on some interesting Aaron news. His boyhood home in Mobile, Alabama, is being moved to the ballpark in that same city, as part of an effort to convert it into a museum. In addition, the Hall of Fame will be opening a new Aaron exhibit in April of 2009, fulfilling a dream for the former home run king. He's long wanted an exhibit in Cooperstown, something similar to the old Babe Ruth Room that used to be featured, and will apparently get his wish within the next year...

Hall of Fame Weekend is not merely about the Hall of Famers. As I scanned the lobby of the Otesaga, I saw Dick Allen, Chuck Tanner, and Roland Hemond make their entrance. They're all in town for Goose Gossage's induction. When The Goose made his major league debut for the White Sox in 1972, Allen was his teammate, Tanner his manager, and Hemond a key executive in the Chicago front office. Allen and Tanner have remained particularly close to Gossage over the years. The Goose has always praised Allen for being a good teammate, while crediting Tanner with the fortuitous decision to convert him from starting pitcher to the bullpen...

A walk down Cooperstown's Main Street also proved fruitful on Saturday. While the crowds are much smaller than the Ripken-Gwynn induction of 2007, there is no shortage of oldtime players to be found signing along the main boulevard. Ron Guidry is in town, presumably to offer support to Gossage during Sunday's induction. Gentleman Joe Rudi has made the trip from the West Coast; he's part of the contingent that is here on behalf of Dick Williams. A number of other baseball notables have joined in on the weekend celebration, including former Yankees Jim Beattie and Doc Gooden, oldtime Brooklyn Dodgers Ralph Branca and George Shuba, and former Yankee manager and GM Gene "Stick" Michael. Stick, one of baseball's best minds, was one of Gossage's many managers during his six-year tenure in New York. Other celebrities are expected to attend Sunday's induction ceremony, including Roberto Clemente's widow Vera, Yankee GM Brian Cashman, and Players' Association chieftain Donald Fehr. Cashman attended Saturday's Yankee game in Boston, but is part of the official Yankee welcoming committee that will honor Gossage as he gains official induction to the Hall of Fame on Sunday. Perhaps Cashman will have another deal to announce, coming on the heels of his Friday night steal of Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates.