A few days in Cooperstown for Hall of Fame weekend is a must for any baseball lover. For me as a Braves fan, anticipation was growing as I waited to board Delta flight on Friday morning flight to Syracuse, NY. People donning their Atlanta Braves T-shirts and hats all excited about our most recent additions to the Hall of Fame – Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Bobby Cox along with Tony LaRussa, Frank Thomas and Joe Torre. Our only wish would be John Smoltz would be joining them in the same year. Alas, we will have to wait one more year Smoltzie’s turn to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Finally boarding the flight, who do I see in first class, Hank Aaron – Hammering Hank, THE Homerun King. Is this real? We haven’t even left Atlanta yet and I’ve already had my first baseball hero spotting. Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown is going to be amazing!
Even with making hotel reservations seven months in advance, we still were an hour outside of Cooperstown. I didn’t care – I’m here and I get to see some heroes be honored for their contributions to Major League Baseball. We dumped our stuff at the hotel and made the hour trek to Cooperstown. As we walked down the street, we saw Jim Leyland outside the ice cream shop. But, I only had one stop on my mind as we entered the street of Cooperstown – where is Pete Rose signing autographs? Pete Rose may never be in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t stop him from making the annual trip to Cooperstown. We found him at Safe at Home Collectibles and I met one of my childhood favorites.
Tip: If you plan to visit Cooperstown during Hall of Fame induction weekend, make your reservations at least one year in advance in order to be closer. While I was happy to be there, it would have been easier to be closer to Cooperstown.
We then made our way to the Hall of Fame & Museum. We knew it would take several trips to see everything, so we may as well get started.
After spending several hours at the Hall, it was dinnertime. No more hero sightings – but will we see anyone at dinner? We elected to eat at Nicoletta’s Italian Café. It was a beautiful night and the weather was a distance from the hot and humid weather of Atlanta, so we sat outside to enjoy the break from the humidity. The food was excellent but what I really remember about that night was Pete Rose, Tony Perez and friends were seated right behind us. I was a little obsessed that one of my favorite all-time baseball heroes was sitting right behind me!
Dinner was extended with dessert but it was finally time to make the one-hour trek back to our hotel. As we walked out, there was Tommy Lasorda! Now, I was a Braves fan and we did not like the Dodgers or Tommy Lasorda. But, how can you deny he’s a hall of famer and we are eating at the same restaurant. This weekend is only getting better!
Our Saturday plans were to finish seeing the Hall of Fame, see Doubleday Field, more autographs and be ready to stake out our spot for the Hall of Fame parade in time for a good spot.
Doubleday Field is pretty nondescript but there is history in these fields. While the field is now used for little league tournaments, it was pretty cool walking around thinking “this is where it all started”.
Autographs from current and future Hall of Famers are everywhere around Cooperstown. I opted for some Braves favorites of Don Sutton, Leo Mazzone and John Smoltz. I had an opportunity to chat with Leo about my love for the Braves and he was generous to give me some extra love on the baseball signing. I’m still wishing Smoltzie was going into the Hall of Fame this round but he was there supporting Glav and Mad Dog. I rounded off the autograph signing by waiting in line for Don Sutton. By this time the lines were long and they were not allowing any pictures.
Tip: If autographs are your thing, get autograph schedules in advance from all the collectible shops in Cooperstown prior to your visit. This will allow you to plan in advance. We did this on the fly and while it worked out for us, we could have been a little more efficient with our time.
As the parade time drew near, we decided to stake out our spot on the road. We want to see the past and future Hall of Famers as they drive by. As it was about to start, the crowds grew thicker many sporting their Glavine #47 and Maddux #31 jerseys. Anticipation continued to grow and it was finally time – here they come! Hank Aaron! Johnny Bench! George Brett! Phil Niekro! Tom Seaver! Ozzie Smith! And the newest additions – Bobby Cox! Greg Maddux! Tom Glavine! Tony LaRussa! Joe Torre! Frank Thomas!
Tip: We liked our spot near the exit from Doubleday Field which was the beginning of the route. It isn’t quite as crowded as the main street through Coooperstown or near the Hall of Fame. However, if you want to be near the Hall of Fame you must claim your spot in the morning as it gets much more crowded.
By the time it was over, we saw 50 Hall of Famers and it was time for dinner. It had been a long day and we opted for the casual and quickness of New York Pizzeria. What a great place seeing many Braves fans and everyone continues to be excited and having a great weekend.
Sunday morning we get up early; make the usual stop for breakfast at McDonald’s before making the hour trip to Cooperstown. We started the day making the last tour of the Hall before going over to Clarks Sports Center field where the actual ceremony will take place. The Baseball Hall of Fame has a special exhibit for the current inductees with special memorabilia provided by the player.
It was finally time for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I decided it was worth joining the Hall of Fame in order to have 2 seats for the ceremony. The field was packed with non-ticket holders waiting to see their favorite players. It was hot but not quite as humid as Atlanta. We found a good spot and waited for the ceremony to start. It was estimated 48,000 fans were in the crowd to see their own heroes enshrined into the Hall of Fame.
There were several people who spoke (but we were really there to hear our boys. Glavine was his usual polished self, Maddux was the witty one and Bobby was well, Bobby.
It was a surreal moment thinking about them being elected into the Hall and how special it was I got to share it being an Atlanta Braves fan.
After the ceremony was over, we packed up and headed back to town. Later that evening, the Hall of Fame was being opened up in order to have first view of the newest members plaque. We waited in line with all the other anxious fans wanting to see their heroes in this very special place.
The weekend was coming to a close but not until we got to see our heroes one more time. Since I had joined the Hall, we also got 2 tickets to Q&A Roundtable on Monday. It provided a smaller group of fans an opportunity to ask questions to the newest members. It was fun (& interesting) hearing them talk about their weekend experience and what it meant to them and their families.
Last stop – we had purchased tickets to see Tom Glavine and get autographs. This was the grand finale seeing one of my long time favorite Braves as the newest elected player into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Congrats Tommy!
After arriving at the Syracuse airport, we had time for a drink and dinner with some new friends. We rehashed the weekend and everyone agreed it was a lifetime experience none of us will ever forget.
