The Baseball Hall of Fame

We visited the Baseball Hall of Fame on Induction Weekend and found it to be a wonderful place. On Sunday six new inductees will be added - Goose Gossage, Barney Dryfuss, Walter O'Malley, Dick Williams, Bowie Kuhn and Billy Southworth will be added. Oddly only the closing ace Gossage was primarily a player. But each of the others made a contribution to the game. Two managers and three executives are in that group. Dryfuss was a Pirates owner who came to the US in 1885 from Germany. He owned the team when Honus Wagner played on it. Branch Rickey is said to have argued that Dryfuss was "the best judge of players he had ever seen."

I am especially appreciative of O'Malley (naturally) who brought vision to the Dodger organization for a long time. O'Malley helped to bring the Dodgers to LA but his real gift was the management of the team. Dodger stadium which is now almost 50 years old - was one of the first modern stadiums. He understood the value of a farm system. From everything I have read he was also a very gracious man. One quote said the first thing he would have done, were he alive, when finding out about his selection, would have been to call all the people who worked with him to thank them.

Cooperstown is not exactly in the center of an easy to reach venue but it is well worth the trip. The ride to it from NYC is through some farm country which at this time of year is verdant. There are lots of things to do while you are there. The Hall of Fame is laid out to bring you to the plaques first but then there are three floors of exhibits including a good section on the Negro Leagues and the World Series. Outside there is a park which is very pretty. I was particularly struck by the statues of Satchel Paige, Johnny Podres and Roy Campanella.