HOF: A Fan’s Dream Weekend

SEE ALSO: Get Your Copy Of The 2016 Hall of Fame Almanac

SEE ALSO: Get Your Hall of Fame Commemorative Magazine

SEE ALSO: Mike Piazza Hall of Fame Flashback

SEE ALSO: Ken Griffey Hall of Fame Flashback

SEE ALSO: Scout Had Eye On Griffey From Start

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Induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame is every player’s dream come true. Taking part in the occasion, surrounded by the game’s all-time greats, can be a fan’s ultimate experience as well

One of the unique inductions in Hall of Fame history is slated for Sunday, July 24, when Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza take their place among baseball’s all-time greats.

Griffey is the first and only No. 1 overall draft pick (Mariners, 1987) elected to the shrine, while Piazza, a 62nd-round choice of the Dodgers in 1988 (1,390th overall), is the lowest selection ever to reach Cooperstown.

“I just never gave up,” Piazza said. “They say catching is the fastest way to the big leagues. I finally found a home behind the plate. It shows the diversity of this game. It shows that there are so many aspects of this game you can excel at. I tell kids all the time—if you can do one thing very well, refine that; try to bring up your weaknesses.
“I just believed in myself. I had a unique ability to hit.”

He holds the major league record for most home runs by a catcher (396) and hit 427 overall.

Griffey, a 13-time All-Star with the Mariners, Reds and White Sox, retired sixth on the all-time home run list with 630. He won 10 straight Gold Glove Awards, the 1997 American League MVP Award, and had a .284 career batting average including 2,781 hits, 1,662 runs scored and 1,836 RBIs, which are ranked 15th all-time.

He and his father, Ken Griffey Sr., also produced one of baseball’s most enduring memories by blasting back-to-back home runs as Mariners teammates on Sept. 14, 1990 against the Angels, the only pair to accomplish this family feat.

As a young rookie, Griffey Jr. never could have imagined sharing the spotlight in Cooperstown some day. “It’s something that you can only dream of,” he said. “I knew I could play baseball, but I didn’t know at this level until later in my career what I was able to do. At age 19 it’s pretty much trying to survive day in and day out.”

This year’s inductions are sure to be a well attended as both superstars are extremely popular with fans. Piazza in particular holds a special place in the hearts of Mets faithful after leading the “Amazins” to the 2000 World Series against the cross-town rival Yankees.

Piazza also hit one of the most dramatic home runs in Mets history.

On Sept. 21, 2001, the first game in New York following the World Trade Center terrorist attacks 10 days earlier, he blasted a two-run, eighth-inning shot to defeat the Braves before a packed house at Shea Stadium. More than a home run, it renewed hope for a city that desperately needed something to cheer for.

“That was the most patriotic night in my life. It was incredible,” said John Finger, a former New Yorker and longtime Mets fan who was there that night.

Early this spring, Finger and his wife, Cynthia, made a special trip to Cooperstown when Piazza made a “preview tour” of the Hall of Fame, a chance to experience exhibits and see where his plaque will hang without the hustle and bustle of a huge Induction Weekend crowd.

“My wife just had her picture taken with Mike. Her life is complete now,” Finger said smiling. “That’s her favorite ballplayer. This was the chance of a lifetime.”

The couple, who now live a short distance away in Little Falls, N.Y., are expected back when Piazza and Griffey join the Hall. They know exactly how to navigate Cooperstown, an idyllic small town at the south end of Otsego Lake, in the midst of rolling Central New York farm country.

But for first-time guests, or who those who haven’t visited for a while, the busy weekend can be somewhat challenging. Planning and preparation are key to an enjoyable experience at the Birthplace of Baseball.

The focal point is Sunday’s 1:30 p.m. Induction Ceremony held outdoors at the Clark Sports Center, just outside of town. Admission is free, but parking is not allowed there.

“Trolley lot parking is your best bet, or parking at private homes,” said Craig Muder, Hall of Fame communications director. “Free shuttles run all day between Doubleday Field and the induction site.”

The all-time attendance mark of 82,000 people was set in in 2007, when Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken were inducted. This year’s crowd probably won’t be that big, but it’s always best to arrive early to secure a good viewing spot. Be sure to wear caps and sunscreen, and bring binoculars, a folding chair and umbrella. Ceremonies are held rain or shine and last about three hours.

Induction Weekend activities begin early Friday when Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith hosts PLAY Ball, a fund-raising event held in the museum’s Plaque Gallery and on a local baseball diamond. Smith will be joined by fellow Hall of Famers Craig Biggio, Goose Gossage and John Smoltz. Proceeds benefit the museum’s educational outreach.

This event is free and seating is open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis.

This year, in line with Piazza’s induction, the Hall of Fame is paying special tribute to baseball’s role in the healing process that followed the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. During the Awards Presentation at Doubleday Field, New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief Vin Mavaro will share his thoughts and memories about how baseball helped New York City, and the nation, begin to recover from the 9/11 attacks.

In late September 2001, Mavaro found a baseball in the rubble of the World Trade Center. Upon donating it to the Hall of Fame and Museum, he explained at the time that the ball offered an unexpected, almost visceral, reminder of the ideal so many Americans learned as children, the notion that a game—and its immortals—can have melding, communal power.

It’s one of many artifacts displayed in a new “Baseball After 9/11” exhibit case the Hall of Fame unveiled on June 18. The centerpiece is the jersey Piazza wore when connecting for his dramatic home run at Shea Stadium on Sept. 21, 2001. It will be on exhibit in Cooperstown through Labor Day, with the exception of July 29-Aug. 2 when it will be Citi Field in New York for the Mets’ celebration of Piazza’s induction.

Additional artifacts are the “NYPD” hat worn by Mets manager Bobby Valentine and the “FDNY” hat worn by Mets pitcher John Franco on Sept. 21, 2001, as well as a game ticket to the scheduled Sept. 11 game at Yankee Stadium between the Yankees and Chicago White Sox.

The Awards Presentation is followed by one of Cooperstown’s most colorful spectacles, the 6 p.m. Parade of Legends down Main Street, which starts at Doubleday Field and ends at the Hall of Fame. Dozens of Hall of Famers, including the Class of 2016, take part. In some respects, former inductees look forward to revisiting Cooperstown as much as the newest members, as they enjoy each other’s company and camaraderie.

“It’s like a big fraternity here in a way,” Piazza said. “I can’t wait to get to the hotel (Otesaga Hotel, where Hall of Famers gather) and sit on the deck, have a cigar and talk with these guys.”

“The home runs I hit will get a little longer,” he joked. “Those big moments will take on a Paul Bunyanesque-type of feeling.”

Just like follow-through is important to a good home run swing, Induction Weekend activity doesn’t stop when Hall of Famers get their plaques. On Monday, July 25, Griffey and Piazza will take part in a 10:30 a.m. Legends of the Game Roundtable at Doubleday Field, where they’ll talk about their induction experiences and careers in a relaxed give-and-take format. This program is open to participants in the museum’s Membership Program only.

Even for the most die-hard baseball fans, there’s plenty of other things to see and do around town in addition to official Hall of Fame events. Cooperstown is a place frozen in time, from its colorful quaint Main Street, reminiscent of 1950s small-town America, to beautiful Otsego Lake whose shores are surrounded by picturesque scenery.

Reaching Cooperstown from any direction takes travelers through some of upstate New York’s most beautiful rural scenery, like something right out of “The Natural” or a “Field of Dreams” movie set. It’s widely accepted now that Abner Doubleday didn’t invent baseball, and its invention did not take place in Cooperstown.

However, the country landscape and small-town atmosphere spawns romantic images of early versions of the game, like barefoot boys running through lush green grass to catch a fly ball, or knocking a home run over a knothole-filled wooden fence.

Doubleday Field brings to life the spirit of legends past such as Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle who once played in this cozy ballpark when the Hall of Fame Game was held there. Each year, two big-league teams came to Cooperstown for an exhibition contest from 1940-2008, when it was discontinued for scheduling reasons.

Or fans may simply stroll down flower-adorned Main Street, get a bite to eat at a corner café whose walls are lined with baseball memorabilia, or buy souvenirs at one of many baseball collectibles shops.

Otsego Lake is only two blocks away. Its pristine water is where the mighty Susquehanna River gets its start, the longest waterway east of the Mississippi. From a stone bridge, just down the street from the Hall of Fame, visitors can see the river begin its 444-mile voyage to the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace, Md.

Relax in Lakefront Park and admire the views that inspired some of early American author James Fenimore Cooper’s most famous writings such as “The Deerslayer,” the last of his Leatherstocking Tales.

The Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum is one of three highly-acclaimed museums in Cooperstown. The others are the Fenimore Art Museum and the Farmer’s Museum, which captures this area’s early American heritage.

Obviously, no Induction Weekend visit is complete without touring the Hall of Fame and Museum. The Autumn Glory exhibit features artifacts used by Kansas City Royals stars in last year’s World Series.

The list includes the dark-blue cap, with white KC lettering, worn by Royals relief pitcher Wade Davis, World Series MVP Salvador Perez’s catcher’s glove, bats from Mike Moustakas and Alcides Escobar, and the dirt-caked spikes worn by outfielder Lorenzo Cain.

Piazza had fun viewing articles in the Hall of Fame’s collection during his visit to Cooperstown this spring. It was a big thrill for the Pennsylvania native to hold the bat used by his boyhood hero, Phillies Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt.
Memories also came flooding back for Griffey, upon being elected to the Hall.

“Playing with my dad, watching guys hit monster home runs, watching Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn, all these guys that played—Dave Winfield, Eddie Murray, Kirby Puckett,” he said. “I look at those guys more than anything because, you know, I remember them as a little kid and I wanted to be—I thought, man, if I just hang around and play maybe I’ll get a chance to play against those guys and I was able to do that.”

Hall of Fame officials encourage fans to maximize their visit by purchasing a museum membership in advance of Induction Weekend for free admission to the museum over multiple days. Membership has several other benefits such as a special members-only entrance to the Hall of Fame, exclusive early access to the museum on induction weekend, reserved seating at the awards presentation and the induction for Benefactor and President’s Circle members, and exclusive access to the Legends of the Game Roundtable program on Monday.