Not Meant To Be: Hall Of Fame Game Rained Out

by Al on Jun 16, 2008 3:11 PM CDT in Recaps

COOPERSTOWN, New York -- While I was standing under the overhang of a souvenir tent trying to stay dry during one of the drenching downpours that hit upstate New York this afternoon and cancelled what's supposed to be the final Hall of Fame Game, I heard one of the T-shirt vendors say, "The baseball gods are angry", apparently referring to MLB's decision to cancel the game after this season.

And if that's true, there never will be a "final" Hall of Fame Game, although it wouldn't surprise me to see them try it again next year just so they can say they had one last game. It won't involve the Cubs, of course, and I was thinking of coming to Cooperstown to see the Hall of Fame anyway after the Toronto series (I'm going to go tomorrow morning, after meeting some friends who also made the trip here for dinner tonight), so it wasn't completely a waste of time to come. In fact, despite the heavy rain, wind and hail, there was some fun to be had this afternoon, as you'll see in the photos below.

About the game itself: as I hinted in the game thread this morning, if you think doing something like this is a waste of time, I think you're wrong. Yes, Cooperstown isn't where baseball was "invented" -- and if they really wanted to honor a place where something resembling modern baseball legitimately got started, the Hall of Fame should be in Hoboken, New Jersey, where a game with codified rules was played on June 19, 1846.

But it's not there and not going there. Despite the non-origins of baseball at Cooperstown, it is undeniably true that the rise of baseball's popularity in this country was in large part because of all the small-town teams that rose up in the last part of the 19th Century and the first part of the 20th. To ignore that heritage is denying and destroying our history, which, unfortunately, is something that we do far too often in this strip-malled, big-boxed nation. There's an old saw that asks, "What's the difference between England and America?" To which the response is, "In England they think 100 miles is a long way, and in America they think 100 years is a long time." That's undeniably true. Playing this game is, inconvenience aside, a nod to our history. A group called Save The Fame Game would like to see the game saved, perhaps by making it a regular season game, rotated among the teams so that they lose one home game every 30 years, and the logistics could be worked out to make it easier. They marched during the pre-game parade:

That's one of the fun things about this game, and the sun was shining while the following, among others, passed down Main Street in Cooperstown, past the Hall of Fame on their way to Doubleday Field, before everyone went into the park for the eventual rainout:

The "Fish People" were fun, but I'm not sure I totally understand the concept

Ivy Man. Not sure I get this one either.

Cubs minor leaguers ride past the crowd on a trolley

After that, most of us went into Doubleday Field -- slowly, because there are only a couple of entrances -- and there were several PA announcements updating the weather, at one point asking everyone to leave because of severe weather in the area, including hail (which got to about large pebble size). They did manage to play the national anthem, do a tribute to the late NBC newsman Tim Russert, and have Greg Maddux present a ball from his 350th win to the Hall of Fame, before they finally called it about 2:30 pm.

Finally, I did get a chance to meet Martin Gandy, who runs the SBN Atlanta Braves blog Talking Chop, who was in town to see this game as part of what he said was a driving trip up and down the East Coast to see baseball.

Martin Gandy & me (I like the concept on his T-shirt, the back of which says "talkingchop.com")

Which is part of what baseball is all about: seeing friends, enjoying good times, and places you wouldn't otherwise see.

Tomorrow, back to the business of winning.

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first

You lose!

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Jun 16, 2008 3:16 PM CDT 0 recs

That jumped out at me and I posted in the game thread that I was holding on to wait for this to go up to be first so it was almost like you were specifically targeting me.

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:34 PM CDT up 0 recs

Perish the thought.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Jun 16, 2008 3:34 PM CDT up 0 recs

My post came out wrong. Dang that boss and wanting me to work!

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:55 PM CDT up 0 recs

Too bad

Sorry it got rained out. I was hoping Lou could give Marmol a few innings of much-needed work in this one!

"Hey hey, kiss it goodbye! That one's in Milwaukee! Man oh man did he hit it. Isn't that something?" - Lou Boudreau, May 17, 1979

by danimal15 on Jun 16, 2008 3:19 PM CDT 0 recs

LMAO

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jun 16, 2008 3:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

Were your seats in the LF bleachers for the game?

They should have the game the Monday after the inductions like they used to as well.

Or make it one of the minor league all star games.

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

Or make it a regular season game after the All Star break.

By scheduling days off both before and after the game, the HoF Game could be relatively easy to schedule without creating a large disruption. (Choose teams that are going to play in the NE, for instance. They can play the first game of their series in Cooperstown)

by Fraggin Judge on Jun 16, 2008 5:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

That might work.

Thought about that myself this afternoon.

My seat was right where those photos were taken from.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jun 16, 2008 5:45 PM CDT up 0 recs

Great place.

I haven’t been there in 9 years. My sister-in-law lived a 30-minute-drive from Cooperstown. She doesn’t live there anymore. I recommend the place to every baseball fan. You can spend hours in that HoF museum and not see it all. And the baseball field is a historic relic.

by Fraggin Judge on Jun 16, 2008 10:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

I agree, he's getting rusty.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on Jun 16, 2008 3:22 PM CDT up 0 recs

I heard he was going to start him

but was going to limit him to 100 pitches….

by LT on Jun 16, 2008 3:22 PM CDT up 0 recs

You missed it he was a guest on Maury, Steve Wilko and the killer on Matlock!

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

He and Kerry were the possible fathers in a Not the Daddy episode of Maury and the father turned out to be

MARK PRIOR!

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

Small town baseball

Have you ever read “The Glory of Their Times” by Lawrence Ritter, Al? It’s a tremendous collection of interviews with players from around the turn of the 20th Century. A lot of them reminisce about playing Town Ball and how it was a big part of rural American life in those days. It’s fascinating reading and I would recommend it to any fan of baseball history.

BTW, the Ivy Guy is great! What’s not to get about him?

by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Jun 16, 2008 3:25 PM CDT 0 recs

There's no doubt that townball was prevalent in a lot of agrarian communities.

But the history of baseball and its rise to popularity seems to be largely a product of increasing urbanism and industrialism. There’s a great article in the Journal of Sports History that I’d recommend to anyone with more interest on the subject.

I has a blog.

by cwyers on Jun 16, 2008 4:32 PM CDT up 0 recs

I would also recommend

buying Ken Burns “Baseball.” I can hardly believe anyone here hasn’t seen it already, but if one hasn’t, it is a wealth of baseball history. I watch it every spring to fire me up for the season.

by soonerbered on Jun 16, 2008 5:08 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yes, I have read "The Glory of Their Times".

Would highly recommend it to everyone here.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jun 16, 2008 5:46 PM CDT up 0 recs

Even better

Is the Audiobook. They dug up some of the old tapes from the original interviews and made a compilation of everything. Really good if you’ve already read the book since it’s not as complete.

by GSG on Jun 16, 2008 6:43 PM CDT up 0 recs

+1

One of my favorite baseball books.

"Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America had better learn baseball." - Jacque Barzun

by Bump Bailey on Jun 16, 2008 9:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

I love books on tape/cd

I will have to keep that in mind next time I go to library

by Madison Cub Fan on Jun 16, 2008 9:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

try audible.com

digital versions of books on tape. I love them.

Restraining the urge to get giggly....

by halfblindcubbiegirl on Jun 16, 2008 9:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

Thanks for the link

cwyers. Excellent read.

"Just because you've had enough/ doesn't mean you wanted too much." -Dean Young

by Kegler on Jun 17, 2008 9:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

To clarify my thoughts on the HOF game...

...I don’t think it’s a waste of time. In fact, I think it’s a fine idea. However, I think holding an exhibition game between two major league teams in the middle of the regular season is patently ridiculous.

Granted, maybe I wouldn’t feel this way if my favorite team wasn’t fighting to win its division but, in any case, I don’t think any team should have to deal with the inconvenience and injury risk of having to play a ceremonial game like this while real games are underway.

I’d love to see the HOF game tradition continue in a more reasonable format—maybe either during spring training or simply involving minor league players (after all, who better to honor baseball’s past than its future).

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Jun 16, 2008 3:27 PM CDT 0 recs

One thing is for sure...

... it can only be revived by giving it some meaning. Playing a bunch of minor leaguers who will never make the majors really doesn’t do justice to the idea.

Make it a regular season game between teams that are playing somewhere logistically close (New York, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Boston) and play it the day after the All-Star Game. That’d make a three-day midseason baseball festival.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jun 16, 2008 5:47 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yeah, that's a really good idea actually.

Again, I’m not opposed to the idea, just the execution. Giving the game some meaning and playing it around the All-Star break would make it a lot more palatable.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Jun 16, 2008 7:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ivy Man

Maybe the new official mascot of the Chicago Cubs. Eat your heart out philly phanatic

A ugly win is better than a pretty loss-Lou

by NIUcubbie on Jun 16, 2008 3:27 PM CDT 0 recs

Ivy Man scares the hell out of me.

I’m not sure I could sit anywhere near the field if I knew that thing was going to be lumbering around between innings. On the bright side, it may freak out opposing teams just as much.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Jun 16, 2008 3:32 PM CDT up 0 recs

He seriously gives me the creeps.

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:33 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ivy Guy

Looks like he could be the Swamp Thing’s cousin. Maybe he was looking for Adrian Barbeau…

by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Jun 16, 2008 3:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

Ivy-Man On the Prowl!

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Jun 16, 2008 3:51 PM CDT up 0 recs

SWL

That is tremendous. Wonderful.

The Ivy Man reminds me of a thing I saw in some early-70s, B-movie horror flick. Something about vines kinda taken over everything, turning people into plants? Maybe it was a Twilight Zone episode. I can’t remember…. Freaky but sweet!

"Just because you've had enough/ doesn't mean you wanted too much." -Dean Young

by Kegler on Jun 17, 2008 9:21 AM CDT up 0 recs

Looked Like

something Peter Gabriel wore in concert 30 years ago.

by CaliCub on Jun 16, 2008 10:33 PM CDT up 0 recs

You didn't get it, Al?

An obvious tribute to Wrigley, with the ‘368’ sign. Looks like those green leafy dancing things on that Alison Goldfrapp video. Somebody’s been smoking green leafy things to come up with some of those parade costumes; wish I coulda been there!

by NWIowaCubFan on Jun 16, 2008 5:44 PM CDT up 0 recs

Well, of course I "got" it...

... I just didn’t quite see the point.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jun 16, 2008 5:48 PM CDT up 0 recs

I'm for Ivy Man

Ivy Man would be the greatest thing ever. Wonder who’s idea it was for today’s parade? Just think of how the ordinary mascot occasionally freaks out small children… this creature would be a true terror to all the tots who need to be at home with a baby-sitter anyway.

Hey, if your kid’s too small to wear his glove, and too young to pay attention, give him to the wife or the nanny ‘til he’s ready for the bigs.

Maybe Ivy Man could just hang out on the warning track the whole game, blocking the Under Armor logo.

by harrylives on Jun 16, 2008 10:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

There was a guy

that dressed up like that at the 7th Inning Stretch Competition last summer, so it’s not all that original. I didn’t think it was fair considering they said no props. Turns out it didn’t work and a good guy won it. Wonder if they are going to do another contest this year.

Geovany Soto you're my Hero

by love the ivy on Jun 17, 2008 1:50 AM CDT up 0 recs

OT: Is anybody having problems with auto-refresh?

It doesn’t appear to be working for me, even though I have the little box checked.

Old Style is the nectar of life.

by Mordecai on Jun 16, 2008 3:29 PM CDT 0 recs

Mine seems OK.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Jun 16, 2008 3:33 PM CDT up 0 recs

It seems to work itself out

Old Style is the nectar of life.

by Mordecai on Jun 16, 2008 3:34 PM CDT up 0 recs

Today should be a national holiday.

After all it’s Kerry Wood’s birthday!

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:32 PM CDT 0 recs

EL, IL, NY-PA for HoF Game?

Having an Eastern League or an International League regular season game might make more sense for the Hall of Fame Game. Having a game at Cooperstown to start the New York-Penn League season in June could be a good idea.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Jun 16, 2008 3:35 PM CDT 0 recs

They play a minor league game on HOF Weekend

At least they did the year Sandberg was inducted. Two teams from the NY-P league.

In the middle of a good time, Truth gave me her icy kiss. Look around, you must be joking. All that way, all that way for this -Oysterband

by Ross on Jun 16, 2008 5:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Oops I forgot. Doh!

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 6:03 PM CDT up 0 recs

Can you guys believe Kerry Wood is 31 today?

It seems like yesterday he was a 20 year old phenom.

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 3:54 PM CDT 0 recs

Ivy Man may seem strange at first

but…

[wait for it]

...after awhile, he grows on you.

Hey-ohhhhh

Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."

by ballhawk on Jun 16, 2008 4:02 PM CDT 0 recs

LOL, I wish you would leaf jokes like that alone.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Jun 16, 2008 4:16 PM CDT up 0 recs

...maybe try branching out a bit.

by hokie316 on Jun 16, 2008 4:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

I tried to come up with a joke, but I face-planted.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on Jun 16, 2008 4:31 PM CDT up 0 recs

You guys are really out on a limb here.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Jun 16, 2008 5:48 PM CDT up 0 recs

Are you guys vine-ally finished?

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Jun 16, 2008 5:53 PM CDT up 0 recs

Well actually, I thought the discussion was only starting to blossom.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on Jun 16, 2008 5:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

OK, this is getting ex-seedingly silly.

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Jun 16, 2008 5:58 PM CDT up 0 recs

Is that your vinal thought?

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 5:59 PM CDT up 0 recs

Well we're all responsible for watering it.

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on Jun 16, 2008 5:59 PM CDT up 0 recs

The guy walking

next to ivy man was singing “I walk the vine”.

A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings. ~Earl Wilson

by tucsoncubsfan on Jun 16, 2008 6:02 PM CDT up 0 recs

I vinely got the joke

by Emelie on Jun 16, 2008 4:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

That's posion Ivy Guy

by bubbamike the one and only on Jun 16, 2008 4:29 PM CDT up 0 recs

You know what would be good?

Have Marmol not used the weekend before or after the ASG and him not pitch in it giving him basically a week off mid season.

We are all waiting for that glorious October night when we finally win it all. Until then we will continue to cheer, never do the wave and hope.

by cubstoseriesby100 on Jun 16, 2008 4:22 PM CDT 0 recs

ATTN: digitalbenjamin (or anyone else)

I’ve posted video by request of the Edmonds game-tier and Reed Johnson HBP walkoff with the WGN RADIO calls instead of WGN-TV. Rock on. or click for a [new window]

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on Jun 16, 2008 4:24 PM CDT 0 recs

(scroll down to the bottom of the comments)

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on Jun 16, 2008 4:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

Attn: digitalbenjamin

As I've told you before, I never repeat myself.

by santoswoodenlegs on Jun 16, 2008 4:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

looks like he's got a new avatar!

Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager

by northsider on Jun 16, 2008 4:27 PM CDT up 0 recs

beware

I still say beware the redbirds. They play winning baseball. True, they don’t have the “talent” teams like the Phils & Mets have, but they play similar to the A’s & Twins of recent years. They never seem to stray from an even keel. Perfect example this week-end. Giving up 20 runs in a game did nothing to destroy their confidence. Losing Pujols would get most teams making excuses, but not them. It’s like they always EXPECT things will still work out. I hope I’m wrong, but I’ve seen this unpleasant act before.

"It's a funny old world. Man's lucky if he gets out of it alive." W.C. Fields

by KedzieKid on Jun 16, 2008 4:26 PM CDT 0 recs