First Day in Cooperstown

Greetings from Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame! Actually, I shouldn't say that because, technically, I'm not in Cooperstown right now. Rather, I'm in my hotel room more than an hour away. Evidently, most of Baltimore had already booked every hotel room, bed & breakfast, campground, nook and cranny available within 75 miles of Cooperstown. And, according to a couple hotels, Oriole fans started doing this the day after Cal Ripken Jr. retired! In 1999, when George Brett was inducted into the Hall of Fame, there were a record (and estimated) 50,000 people in attendance. They're expecting more than that this year with Ripken, Tony Gwynn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Rick Hummel and, of course, our own Denny Matthews getting their induction into the Hall of Fame. (Another tecnicality -- Denny and Hummel are receiving awards from the broadcasters' and writers' wings of the Hall.)

I did arrive in Cooperstown yesterday in time to walk around the town and tour the Hall of Fame. If you're a baseball fan and you've never been here, I would encourage you to make plans. Although you'll wonder why in the world Cooperstown has the Hall of Fame, it's amazing to walk through the Hall. You'll see everything from Cy Young's jersey to Babe Ruth's bats and uniform to George Brett's pine-tar caked helmet and Frank White's glove. It's a wonderful place. That's not even to mention the town of Cooperstown. It's a great little hamlet here in the middle of New York. The only problem this weekend is the weather. When Brett was inducted, it was sunny and about 140 degrees. Friday, it rained most of the day and night. They're calling for more storms throughout the weekend. If it rains, Sunday's ceremony will be moved inside. Too bad for the 50,000-plus people who are expecting to be hanging out in the grass, watching the ceremony. If it's moved inside, I believe only friends and family members of the inductees, along with the Hall of Famers, will see the event in person.

One of the funniest things about Hall of Fame weekend is the number of people who line the streets to watch a "parade" of Hall of Famers on Saturday night. The former players go down Main Street on their way to a big shindig at the Hall of Fame. In spite of the rain, people and empty chairs (saved, of course) line the streets to get a glimpse of these legendary players. Only thing is, they start lining up days before the event!

Before I make the trek to Cooperstown for a day of "work," I should add this. Be sure to check out http://www.kcmetrosports.com throughout the weekend for complete articles and "Denny's Diary," daily thoughts from Denny on Cooperstown and his big day.

Matt Fulks