Baseball Hall of Fame: where the past comes alive
Editors Note: Artoym Rayev wrote an article a few weeks ago about a trip to a Mets game he made with his grandfather. Another part of Rayev's trip to New York was a visit to the Baseball Hallf of Fame.
My trip to New York was filled with what some might call too much baseball, but I believe there is no such thing. The Baseball Hall of fame awaited me in the upstate New York mountains, looming large over green pastures overlooking thousands of trees, farms, and towns. There is a winding road that overlooks green trees and a powder blue lake under a powder blue sky. It is a gorgeous location but I think I might be lost, but I keep going. As I wait for the buzz of cars and laughter of people, I still get trees and lake. This is frustrating. It's the Baseball Hall of Fame, its already out in the middle of nowhere (four and a half hours north of New York City), but now that I am on the cusp of it, I'm still nowhere.
I walk through wooden halls with bronze smiling ghosts lining the walls. I'm here, but I'm still lost. Through they years the sheen has come off the records that these great men once held, and their legends faded. A breed of new players that are faster, stronger, and better have come to play on the old field that dates back to pre-civil war times. The history of baseball is much like the road to where it's held. It is easy to understand the nature of the game, but to go deeper into the minds of the men who played, managed, and controlled it is a much harder task.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum holds almost every important piece of evidence that the game has ever had. Artifacts such as the bat Babe Ruth hit his then-record-breaking 60th home run with. The glove that Willie Mays used to make "The Catch." The scorecard from the game in which Bobby Thomson hit the "Shot Heard Round the World." These are all very bland on the outside; an old bat, glove, and piece of paper. But the legends that they hold are timeless, and will always be.
There was not only the legendary, but also the kind-hearted, and the haunting. A letter from Babe Ruth to a dying kid telling him to hang in there, and not just superficially telling him to "hang in there." The Babe told him that he believes in his young heart's fire to fight, and that if the Babe believes it, it must be true. There was also a chilling reminder of baseball's segregated past as poignant faces of Negro Leaguers that never had a chance to play in the majors lined the Hall of Plaques. There was the Jackie Robinson exhibit, which showed the adversity that he had to face. Everybody knows that Robinson had to face racism and hatred, but to actually see the real shreds of paper, with the real handwriting of Cincinnati players telling him that if he shows up to Crosley Field, they will end his life is more than a bit unnerving.
For a place so small (it is considered a "village) it holds so much history that it might just burst into a limestone supernova of stats, typewriters, and old cleats. The town is well-versed in the old legends, the men who carried them, and the heartaches of those who didn't have the chance. The Baseball Hall of Fame was built so everybody has a chance to experience the great sport for themselves. That is, if they have the persistence to drive past beauty, and into history.
Copyright Kalona News 2008
Is Slider headed for the Mascot Hall of Fame?
None of the current Indians players are likely to end up in Cooperstown, but the team mascot could be headed for a hall of fame.
Slider, the purple-pelted, yellow-schnozzed symbol of the team, is nominated for the Mascot Hall of Fame.
If selected, he would join such dugout dancers and sideline stalkers as the Phoenix Suns Gorilla, Brutus Buckeye and The Famous Chicken in the hall, which right now exists only online at www.mascothalloffame.com
Not just any character with a detachable head can join the ranks of the legends. The Mascot Hall of Fame was begun by Dave Raymond, the original Philly Phanatic, and its eligibility and induction process is as complicated as that of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Slider fans can visit the Web site through Sept. 12 to vote for the spotted one, but online voting only determines the mascot's popularity; it doesn't guarantee entry. To be chosen, a mascot must have been in existence for at least 10 years and prove "a major impact on their sport, and/or community." Slider must get votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by an executive selection committee to get in.
Slider, created in 1990, is perhaps best known for falling off the right field wall during Game 4 of the 1995 American League Championship Series and injuring his right knee. It was the playoffs, however, and Slider returned for the next game.
Other candidates in this year's professional category are Billy the Marlin (Florida Marlins), Globie (Harlem Globetrotters), Hugo the Hornet (New Orleans Hornets) and Rocky (Denver Nuggets).
Copyright 2008 cleveland.com.
Area baseball players to be inducted in amateur hall of fame
Scotland's Tom Gordon will highlight a group of five men who will be inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame this fall. Gordon has been involved in baseball for more than 40 years, playing in the Cornbelt League for 33 years, managing for 20 of them and serving as a league officer for 30. Gordon spent most of his playing career with Montrose, accumulating a career batting average of .375 with 165 home runs. Gordon, who developed a reputation as a clutch hitter, continues to represent South Dakota in the men's Senior Baseball League, and has played on four teams that have won MSBL events.
Ethan native Jon Graves, who now resides in Rapid City, will also be a part of the class of 2008. Graves' amateur baseball service spanned 40 years as a player, manager and commissioner. He was an all-conference player for two years at Dakota State, and began playing amateur baseball in 1969. After playing for Dimock from 1969-72 and Renner in 1973-74, he moved to Rapid City and played for the Rapid City Macy's until 1990. In 1996, he became a South Dakota Amateur Baseball commissioner, a position he still holds. Alexandria native Keith Thomas, who also now resides in Rapid City, will also join this year's class. His amateur baseball career covered 36 years over five decades and included stops in Mitchell, Alexandria and Rapid City. He was a college teammate of Graves at Dakota State, and was also an all-conference player. As a switch-hitting amateur player, he hit .378 during his career with 189 home runs and 433 stolen bases.
The induction ceremonies will be Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Montrose American Legion Hall. The five men, who together combined to play more than 160 years of amateur baseball, will also be introduced at the state amateur baseball tournament at Cadwell Park on Aug. 16. Tickets for the induction ceremony in September are USD 12.50 in advance and USD 15 at the door. They can be purchased by calling Tom Gordon at 661-1194, Gene Struck at 201-2375 or Chad Gordon at 360-4836.
Joining Gordon, Graves and Thomas in the class of 2008 are: Bill Richter, Claremont: Richter's 40-year playing career included 10 years in his home state of Minnesota, but he also made his mark in South Dakota. Ricther was a standout catcher at St. Cloud State, and moved to South Dakota in 1972. He played most of his amateur career with the Claremont Honkers before they disbanded in the late 1990s.
Jan Davis, Colton: Davis batted nearly .400 in a 30-year career as a second baseman. He spent most of his career playing for Colton, reaching base safely in 120 of 121 games between 1991 and 1995. Scotland's Tom Gordon will highlight a group of five men who will be inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame this fall.
Gordon has been involved in baseball for more than 40 years, playing in the Cornbelt League for 33 years, managing for 20 of them and serving as a league officer for 30.
Gordon spent most of his playing career with Montrose, accumulating a career batting average of .375 with 165 home runs. Gordon, who developed a reputation as a clutch hitter, continues to represent South Dakota in the men’s Senior Baseball League, and has played on four teams that have won MSBL events. Ethan native Jon Graves, who now resides in Rapid City, will also be a part of the class of 2008. Graves' amateur baseball service spanned 40 years as a player, manager and commissioner. He was an all-conference player for two years at Dakota State, and began playing amateur baseball in 1969. After playing for Dimock from 1969-72 and Renner in 1973-74, he moved to Rapid City and played for the Rapid City Macy's until 1990. In 1996, he became a South Dakota Amateur Baseball commissioner, a position he still holds.
Alexandria native Keith Thomas, who also now resides in Rapid City, will also join this year's class. His amateur baseball career covered 36 years over five decades and included stops in Mitchell, Alexandria and Rapid City. He was a college teammate of Graves at Dakota State, and was also an all-conference player. As a switch-hitting amateur player, he hit .378 during his career with 189 home runs and 433 stolen bases.
The induction ceremonies will be Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Montrose American Legion Hall. The five men, who together combined to play more than 160 years of amateur baseball, will also be introduced at the state amateur baseball tournament at Cadwell Park on Aug. 16. Tickets for the induction ceremony in September are USD 12.50 in advance and USD 15 at the door. They can be purchased by calling Tom Gordon at 661-1194, Gene Struck at 201-2375 or Chad Gordon at 360-4836.
Joining Gordon, Graves and Thomas in the class of 2008 are: Bill Richter, Claremont: Richter's 40-year playing career included 10 years in his home state of Minnesota, but he also made his mark in South Dakota. Ricther was a standout catcher at St. Cloud State, and moved to South Dakota in 1972. He played most of his amateur career with the Claremont Honkers before they disbanded in the late 1990s.
Jan Davis, Colton: Davis batted nearly .400 in a 30-year career as a second baseman. He spent most of his career playing for Colton, reaching base safely in 120 of 121 games between 1991 and 1995. Scotland's Tom Gordon will highlight a group of five men who will be inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame this fall.
Gordon has been involved in baseball for more than 40 years, playing in the Cornbelt League for 33 years, managing for 20 of them and serving as a league officer for 30.
Gordon spent most of his playing career with Montrose, accumulating a career batting average of .375 with 165 home runs.
Gordon, who developed a reputation as a clutch hitter, continues to represent South Dakota in the men's Senior Baseball League, and has played on four teams that have won MSBL events.
Ethan native Jon Graves, who now resides in Rapid City, will also be a part of the class of 2008. Graves' amateur baseball service spanned 40 years as a player, manager and commissioner. He was an all-conference player for two years at Dakota State, and began playing amateur ba0seball in 1969. After playing for Dimock from 1969-72 and Renner in 1973-74, he moved to Rapid City and played for the Rapid City Macy's until 1990. In 1996, he became a South Dakota Amateur Baseball commissioner, a position he still holds.
Alexandria native Keith Thomas, who also now resides in Rapid City, will also join this year's class. His amateur baseball career covered 36 years over five decades and included stops in Mitchell, Alexandria and Rapid City. He was a college teammate of Graves at Dakota State, and was also an all-conference player. As a switch-hitting amateur player, he hit .378 during his career with 189 home runs and 433 stolen bases.
The induction ceremonies will be Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Montrose American Legion Hall. The five men, who together combined to play more than 160 years of amateur baseball, will also be introduced at the state amateur baseball tournament at Cadwell Park on Aug. 16. Tickets for the induction ceremony in September are USD 12.50 in advance and USD 15 at the door. They can be purchased by calling Tom Gordon at 661-1194, Gene Struck at 201-2375 or Chad Gordon at 360-4836.
Joining Gordon, Graves and Thomas in the class of 2008 are: Bill Richter, Claremont: Richter's 40-year playing career included 10 years in his home state of Minnesota, but he also made his mark in South Dakota. Ricther was a standout catcher at St. Cloud State, and moved to South Dakota in 1972. He played most of his amateur career with the Claremont Honkers before they disbanded in the late 1990s.
Jan Davis, Colton: Davis batted nearly .400 in a 30-year career as a second baseman. He spent most of his career playing for Colton, reaching base safely in 120 of 121 games between 1991 and 1995.
2008 Forum Communications Co. Fargo, ND 58102
Gossage inducted to Baseball Hall of Fame
Relief pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday.
Gossage, one of the most intimidating pitchers of all-time, was the only player elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, receiving 85.8 percent of the vote in his ninth year on the ballot.
A nine-time All-Star, he is perhaps best known for his first stint with the New York Yankees, as he pitched for them from 1978-83 and saved 150 games. He also spent parts of the 1989 campaign in the Bronx.
Over the course of his lengthy career, the right-hander compiled 310 saves - leading the league three times in that category - and was 124-107 with a 3.01 earned run average for the Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Yankees, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners. He also had 1,502 strikeouts in 1,809 1/3 innings.
"I think I had a lot to do with setting the bar for relievers and doing the job the way it should be done," Gossage said. "Nobody did it the way I did it. Nothing beats pure power."
After starting 29 games for the White Sox in 1976, Gossage began an incredible stretch of nine seasons that saw him amass 227 saves, while never seeing his ERA rise above 2.90. Many of those saves were also of the more than one inning variety, a novelty compared to today's one-inning specialists.
Gossage was joined at the induction ceremonies by World Series-winning managers Billy Southworth, who guided the Cardinals to World Series titles in 1942 and 1944, and Dick Williams, along with former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and owners Walter O'Malley and Barney Dreyfuss, all of whom were elected last month by the Veterans Committee.
Williams took the first team he ever managed, the 1967 Boston Red Sox, into the World Series, where they lost to St. Louis in seven games. In 1972 and 1973, he guided the Oakland A's to World Series titles. In 21 seasons with six teams, Williams took four teams to the World Series but was enshrined in the Hall wearing an Oakland cap.
"This is the pinnacle," said Williams. "This is the ultimate goal. The Hall of Fame has the right to choose the hat. They asked me my opinion and I said the Oakland A's and they said that's what they were thinking."
Williams, the only living member of the Veterans Committee quintet, was Gossage's manager in 1984 when the Padres won their first National League pennant, losing to the Tigers in a five-game World Series.
Gossage had one of the best seasons of his career that year, as he was 10-6 with 25 saves and 84 strikeouts in 62 games (102 1/3 innings).
2008 The Sports Network. All Rights Reserved.
Robinson's new plaque unveiled at Baseball Hall of Fame
In 1947 Jackie Robinson not only won rookie of the year for the Brooklyn Dodgers but changed the game of baseball forever, for the good of the game by breaking the color barrier. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Wednesday he was honored for his great deeds off the diamond as the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a new Jackie Robinson plaque. Both Robinson's wife Rachel and daughter Sharon were in attendance.
The old plaque will remain a part of the museum's collections and will be used for educational purposes. The changes to the plaque deal more with Jackie's social significance to the history of the game.
Copyright 2008 TWEAN News Channel of Syracuse, LLC
A fitting tribute
Shoeless Joe Jackson's Greenville home is ready for its close-up. The small brick house, relocated to the street across from the Greenville Drive's home stadium two years ago, will finally open for visitors this weekend after a dedication ceremony. Jackson's house, where the baseball icon died in 1951, originally was located on Wilburn Street, but Charleston real-estate developer Richard C. Davis purchased the 950-square-foot house and moved it near Fluor Field in 2006.
Now, it has been renovated and turned into the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library. Saturday's event will begin with a 10 a.m. dedication ceremony featuring baseball greats Bobby Richardson and Lou Brissey, along with a "surprise guest," said Arlene Marcley, the museum's curator. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the baseball players and other special guests will take the first tour of the house, and then it will be open to the public for walk-through tours, Marcley said. Throughout the day on Saturday, there will be baseball players, including several members of the Greenville Drive, signing autographs, as well as two authors of baseball-themed books. The Greenville Textile Heritage Society will have displays, and Greenville Drive mascot Reedy Ripit will be on hand to greet visitors. Free parking will be available at County Square, and visitors will be able to ride the trolley to the stadium.
The house will be open for tours until 8:30 p.m., Marcley said. The museum will use photos to chronicle the life and career of Jackson, who got his start in the textile leagues of the Upstate and went on the major leagues, where he earned a lifetime batting average of .356, third-highest in the sport's history. He was banned from baseball after the 1919 Black Sox scandal and is ineligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a result. During the grand opening, fans will be able to see a few Jackson artifacts on loan for the event, including a copy of his will, which contains one of a few surviving examples of Jackson's signature, Marcley said. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday as well. After this weekend, the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday, as well as during evening home games from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Copyright 2007 The Greenville News. All rights reserved.
Family Fun Events Highlight Hall of Fame Weekend
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will host Hall of Famer Fergie Jenkins for a Voices of the Game event on Father's Day as part of Hall of Fame Game Weekend, a Cooperstown tradition. The 2008 Hall of Fame Game will be played on Monday, June 16, 2008 at 2 p.m., featuring the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres at historic Doubleday Field, the final installment of a tradition started in 1940.
On Sunday at 7 p.m., Jenkins, a 1991 Hall of Fame electee, will discuss his career and baseball memories. Jenkins won 284 games during his career, which featured seven 20-win seasons. Following the program, Jenkins will participate in a question-and-answer session with the audience. Tickets are required for the Jenkins event and are USD 10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Tickets are available by calling the Membership department at 607-547-0397. On Monday, prior to the Hall of Fame Game, the Museum in conjunction with the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Cooperstown will present the "Cooperstown Game Day Parade" on Main Street, beginning at 12 noon. To conclude the event, both the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres will ride down Main Street in trolleys and end at Doubleday Field. At 1 p.m., the Home Run Derby will feature current major league players as they compete to knock it out of the park. The game will commence at 2 p.m., and following the game, children 12 and under are invited to run the bases at Doubleday Field. Tickets for the game have sold out; however any returned tickets will be made available at 9 a.m. on Hall of Fame Game Day, June 16, in the Doubleday Field parking lot.
Other events will take place throughout the weekend. On Thursday, the Hall of Fame will be celebrating its 69th birthday, with a special discussion featuring residents who lived in Cooperstown when the Museum opened in 1939. Two presentations will be given by professional actor, Greg Kenney. He will perform as Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson on Thursday at 1 p.m. in Jackie: Cross the Line and as Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente on Friday at 11 p.m. in Roberto: A Chat with an Angel. On Sunday at 11 a.m., Author Harold Theurer, Jr. presents his book "Hey Dad! Let's Have a Catch!" On Sunday at 1 p.m., author Ken Proctor, will discuss "Baseball Memoirs", a wonderful treasury of more than 200 stories, history, humor, trivia, folklore and literature as told through author, player, coach and UCLA Baseball Hall of Famer, Ken Proctor, whose love affair with baseball began in 1928 when his father gave him his first baseball.
Open seven days a week the year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, the Hall of Fame is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily through Labor Day. Ticket prices are USD16.50 for adults (13 and over), USD 11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and USD 6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children six years of age or younger, active and retired card-carrying military personnel.
2008 HappyNews.com
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