Through Hell and High Water

(and New Jersey)

Fulfilling a Lifelong Dreamto See Cal Ripken’s Hall of Fame

Induction at Cooperstown

• 7 a.m.: Flight to Cleveland delayed at LAX

• 12 p.m.:Too late to connect to Albany

• 3 p.m.:Depart LAX for Newark instead

• 11 p.m.:Arrive at Newark,drive to Albany

TRAVELPLANS?

On Our Way

• With our luggage inexplicably stuck in Newark, we arrived in Albany at 5 a.m.

• After two hours of sleep, we headed west to a dreary-skied Cooperstownfor the ceremony.

8 miles to No. 8

INDUCTION DAY

75,000 strong

(Enough for a rousing ‘O!’ during the National Anthem)

The Guests of Honor

AP photo

Around Cooperstown

Doubleday Field

“Sandlot Kid”

THE MUSEUM

Study for Rockwell’s“Bottom of the Sixth”

Photographic art using figurines,

recreating Gibson’s homer and Jackie’s steal of home

An Oriole weekend

Handkerchief commemorating1894 Baltimore Orioles’

NL championship

Modern Orioles Hall of Famers’ exhibit

Another Baltimore boy

Advertisement forBabe Ruth’s 1934 tour of JapanBabe Ruth’s Yankees locker

1908 Cubs World Series program

1919 World Series programs (White Sox, left; Reds, right)

Kid Gleason’s cap and patriotic stockings during 1917 World Series

Black Sox exhibit

Ted Williams’Strike Zone Display

(the averages representwhat the Splendid Splinter thought his average would

be on balls pitched overthat part of the plate)

Props from “A League of Their Own”

Diamond Dreams exhibit:merchandise marketed

toward women

Caps worn byNolan Ryan

in each of hisseven no-hitters …

… and baseballs from the first four

Ryan no-hitters(four corners)

The Hall of Fame collection includes a baseball used in

every no-hitter since Bob Feller’s on Opening Day,

1940.

See, Pete Rose really is in theHall of Fame

(well, sorta …)

The greatest card set in the world:1987 Topps

… and a slightly more valuable card: a 1909T206 Honus Wagner,

recently sold at $2.35 million

Life and liberty

The pursuit of happiness

Shoes and (Bloody) Socks

Tom Glavine’s 1995 World Series spikes Curt Schilling’s famous Red Sox

Left: career and active home run leaders

(note: this picture was takensix days before Bonds tied the record.)

Above: Career and active wins leaders (note Glavine at 298.)

Right: Career and active ERA leaders (Eddie Cicotte, Pedro Martinez)

The Gallery

New Mexico’s only Hall of Famer No. 21’s revised plaque(it used to say Roberto Walker Clemente

before it was corrected)

Then again …

First female Hall of Famer

The Holy Grail

Line to see the newly installed 2007 plaques

Been waiting25 years

to take my picturestanding next to

Ripken’s plaque …

Fin

Slide 47 of 47 -- which reminds me, we’ll be back here againfor the inevitable Hall of Fame induction of Thomas Michael Glavine.

Selah …