Headin To The Hall!!

[kylehess10]

My dad told me last week that we will be driving this summer allllll the way to upstate New York to visit family near Cooperstown and to also go to the Hall of Fame induction! This will be my second visit to the hall, but my first to an induction. Anybody have any tips?....Like when to get there, where to get tickets (if they even sell tickets for the event), how to autographs, and ofcoarse, where it's at (I watch the induction every year and it looks like their on top of a mountain or something).



Thanks,
Kyle

[staindsox]

Since it's Cal's year, I wouldn't surprise me to see people setting up camp at 6am. I would buy the membership for the Hall of Fame to get VIP access to events. It's worth every penny.

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/membership/benefits.htm

Chris

[kylehess10]

Since it's Cal's year, I wouldn't surprise me to see people setting up camp at 6am. I would buy the membership for the Hall of Fame to get VIP access to events. It's worth every penny.

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/membership/benefits.htm

Chris


It costs $500 though :eek:

[Qstick333]

My accountant is heading to the induction and in a conversation last week told me that she made reservations over 1 year ago....and is still staying about 35 minutes away. I suggest you start looking for rooms ASAP...

Zach

[kylehess10]

My accountant is heading to the induction and in a conversation last week told me that she made reservations over 1 year ago....and is still staying about 35 minutes away. I suggest you start looking for rooms ASAP...

Zach


My aunt has a vacation home in the mountains which is about 20 minutes from the hall. That's where I plan on staying

[staindsox]

It's worth the $500. Just don't buy anything game used stuff for the next 6 months. If you want to be within 10 miles of Cal, it's worth the VIP tickets. Otherwise, you'll have to camp out at 6 in the morning. You can also buy tickets for the HOF game, which can be a tough find, depending on the teams and who the teams are playing (they sometimes use minor leaguers instead of their regular players). When I worked there, they also had a trivia session with several HOFers, ESPN Q&A with the inductees, and I believe a few autograph sessions for the kids. You also get two press pins (I heard a person at the Hall sold theirs for $1000 the year Ryan, Brett, and Yount went in). If you're that hard up for the money, you could probably eBay the HOF game tickets and the two press pins and break even, but that's my way of thinking. It really is a steal if you want to make the most of the induction.

[staindsox]

P.S. The very day Cal announced he was going to retire, the Hall was swamped with calls from people trying to determine which weekend the induction was going to be and how to make reservations. Like Cal or not, it's gonna be huge...easily the biggest ever.

[kylehess10]

Just don't buy anything game used stuff for the next 6 months.


uhhhhhh that's not happenin :D

[staindsox]

can't have your cake and eat it too.

[geoff]

I was going to go on one of those bus trips with my dad this year.Had the reservations and everything but after we found out there could be 50 thousand people or so going we cancelled the trip and are going to go up there another time.I went when Brooks robinson was inducted and there was just so many people we could not see anything at all.Good luck if you are going and get there very early.My highlight was meeting Warren Spahn and getting a pic with him.I do remember he smelled like smoke and had a pack off cigs in his front pocket.What a time i had and i was only 12 years old.Geoff

[staindsox]

Hey Geoff,

Believe it or not, the Brooks Robinson induction was the year with the highest attendance. I heard it was a madhouse. Everyone is expecting Cal will shatter the record.

Chris

[mr.miracle]

Just a quick update, when I inquired last July 2006 about the President's circle membership and Benefactor membership for the free reserved seat tickets to the induction ceremonies, I was told that even people joining the HOF at these levels would not be receiving reserved seating for the 2007 ceremonies unless they joined for a minimum of 2 years and even then the HOF would be issuing a cut off very soon. I would check with the HOF if this is even still an option. They basically said that they had so many inquiring that if they continued to allow for all President's circle members and above to join for the reserved seating for the induction ceremonies that they would need thousands and thousands of reserved seats and that was just not an option.

I was told that they were expecting crowds close to 100,000 people for this years ceremonies which is well beyond anything that they have ever experienced before. It is going to be a real zoo in Cooperstown just to give a heads up.

Just an FYI the Baltimore Orioles are playing the Toronto Blue Jays in this years HOF game for those interested.

[mr.miracle]

One other tidbit of info. Hotels are pretty much booked solid within a 75-90 mile radius of Cooperstown at this point. The Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce is now directing people looking for lodging to Albany, Binghamton, and Utica around 85-100 miles away. If you are planning on going I would get lodging now before you end up driving 150 miles on induction ceremony day.

[kylehess10]

One other tidbit of info. Hotels are pretty much booked solid within a 75-90 mile radius of Cooperstown at this point. The Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce is now directing people looking for lodging to Albany, Binghamton, and Utica around 85-100 miles away. If you are planning on going I would get lodging now before you end up driving 150 miles on induction ceremony day.


Thank god my aunt only lives 20 minutes away

[R. C. Walker]

Hey Geoff,

Believe it or not, the Brooks Robinson induction was the year with the highest attendance. I heard it was a madhouse. Everyone is expecting Cal will shatter the record.

Chris

Actually, most will be attending the HOF event for Tony Gwynn. :D

[geoff]

Chris i did not know that about the Brooks induction ceremony but that is why we are not going to go this time even though we are from Baltimore.I want to enjoy myself and not be in a crowd where ever i am going to go.The only reason i wanted to go was not to see Cal but get alot of Autographs of hall of famers because there is going to be over 50 of them there.And of course look around the hall .But i do recall when i did go you had to look over peoples shoulders at most of the things inside the hall.I can't stand large crowds at all unless i am at a concert or sporting event but that still gets on my last nerve.Geoff

[Yankwood]

Just a question: Is this the heaviest combined weight for any two player set ever inducted? I think this could be a record.

[Yankeefan01]

I've been going to the HOF Inductions since '92 or '93, the year Reggie went in.

The HOF game isn't played during HOF W/E anymore. They schedule it for Father's Day weekend now.

The highest attendance record was back when Nolan Ryan and Robin Yount went in a couple of years ago. They said that there were about 50-60,000. 75-100,00 are expected this year.

If you haven't booked a room by now, good luck. It may be too late.

It's worthwhile to get a membership to the HOF as it will give you a couple of benefits worth having for the big weekend. First, you get to go into the Hall without waiting in line with everyone else. They have a special entrance. Also, 10% off at the gift shop.

As for autographs, the HOF'ers are always signing along Main Street for a fee. There's usually several non-HOF'ers there also. Free minor celebrities are a possibility as I've snagged autographs of George Steinbrenner, Bob Costas and Harold Reynolds as they walked on the street. Chance of free HOF autographs are usually at the golf course. Last year I saw Bill Murray, and he did sign a few autographs. However, a Mets fan asked for an autograph and as soon as he saw the Mets cap the fan was wearing, he flung the guys ball onto the golf course and immediately walked away.

If you don't like crowds, don't go. This year the small town is going to be packed.