Summer of Baseball

Cooperstown--named for James Fenimore Cooper. It was just a little fact that escaped a couple of forthy-something English teachers. We were going there for the Baseball Hall of Fame and discovered a lesson plan. It was where the American version was created by Abner Doubleday. Literature+Baseball=Field of Dreams.

As we stood there taking it all in, I turned to Kegger and said, "It's taken me forty-three years to get here and they still don't have a plaque about the shut-out I threw in the sand lot league..." It got a laugh from the other patrons.

Quick Tips:

The village is quaint. Every shop caters to the baseball fanatic--and their wives. The American Cafe is a great outdoor place to grab a quick meal but it is expensive. It is part of a gift shop/wax museum.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Hall of Fame is right smack in the middle of a neighborhood. We parked in front of it and walked around the rest of the town. Outside of Cooperstown, there was a trolley tour service.

For a couple of Old Slugger beers (the one I'm drinking in my profile picture), a couple of root beers, three hot dogs with chips, a side of macaroni salad, a side of slaw, and an order of nachos, the tab was $45. The only thing missing was the stadium. Seriously, it was a cool place and I didn't mind the cost, We had a super waitress who was sweating her head off on a hot humid day.

When you come around the corner and you step into the Hall of Inductees, there's a certain reverence you feel you must pay. After that moment, you pretty much run around locating all the players you've seen play as a kid or heard of when baseball was the the next most important thing on a summer day next to a red, white and blue bombsicle. (Cherry, Seven-Up, blueberry flavors- am I right?)

The birthplace of modern American baseball. We had just missed the exhibition game between last year's World Series Champion Boston Red Sox (who could only win the World Series on a night when a full lunar eclipse would block 'the curse of the Bambino') and our hometown heroes: The Deeeeetroit Tigers! We also just missed the new indoor exhibit at the Hall about stadiums. We did catch a Triple AAA game on the Doubleday diamond, though, so it was still worth it.

All right, what does it have going for it? Photo ops. It’s a little pricey, a little bit of a tourist trap, but I'm a sucker for these kinds of places, and some of the displays are really top notch. It also has a small memorabilia room with some interesting letters and items.

As for the photo ops, some of the displays you're allowed to step into, but there's a half-inch-thick pane of glass that is very apparent in the shots. Still, it does make for some fun. All though, of all the figures, the Pete Rose one looked more like Jim Neighbors.