BaseballGuru.com Home Page

Baseball Analysis  John Holway


FROM THE SHORES OF OLD LAKE GLIMMERGLASS

By John B Holway

My friend, Gabe Schechter, a research associate at the Hall of Fame, sent an exciting detailed report of how the little village of Cooperstown (pop: 2,100) parked, fed, seated, and cooled 75,000 visitors to see Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn inducted. The town met the challenge heroically. But it seems clear that the annual ceremony has grown until it has monstrously overwhelmed the little town.

If Baltimore can swamp the town, what will it be like when Derek Jeter is inducted? You know New Yorkers aren't going to let Baltimore beat them. Or Manny Ramirez? And it rains?

One solution is to get a corporation to build a huge covered stadium, perhaps in conjunction with New York’s next Olympic bid, with 25,000 seats and room for 50,000 temp chairs on the field.

I've long advocated satellite Halls in major tourist cities, The first would be New York or Washington. Historian John Thorn would say Hoboken, New Jersey, across the Hudson river, site of the first "real" game by the Knickerbockers in 1845; it could share the honor with a Frank Sinatra Museum. Next candidates would be Chicago or St Louis, then Los Angeles, and eventually Atlanta/Miami and Dallas.

And Tokyo!

I'm sure these questions are being bruited about in the halls of the Hall.

From the Halls of old Hoboken

To the shores of Tokyo Bay,

We will crown our game’s immortals

In our new millenium way.

HomeGuru's Baseball Book StoreLink to UsBraintrust & Mailing ListsEmail the GuruContact InfoBaseball Analysis Home