O/T-- What's your favorite thing in "The Hall"?

[Deertick]

But the two things that stuck with me above the general awesomeness of the place was the Babe Ruth statue carved from wood, and this Ted Williams display. It shows his average within the stikezone of I believe his .406 season.

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by Deertick

But the two things that stuck with me above the general awesomeness of the place was the Babe Ruth statue carved from wood, and this Ted Williams display. It shows his average within the stikezone of I believe his .406 season.

He actually set that up as an example of what he thought he would hit by swinging at pitches in certain locations. It wasn't exactly a specific time frame, but just a tool to help him and others decide what pitches to swing at. That display is a cool item I always check out there

[sdkammeyer]

I'm glad this thread has struck a chord with many of you. So nice to converse with like-minded people.

Are there places in the Hall that do not allow cameras?

I just started planning my trip and I am looking at a drive of:
Distance: 579.55 miles — Time: 9:22 h

I would just fly but then I gotta go through the hassles of the rental car and all that ..... plus the drive is right along Lake Erie so I don't think it will be too boring.

I'm going during the summer, and leaving on a Thursday morning, and I will start my journey home on Monday. So I should have 3 FULL days there. Hopefully that will be enough time.

I don't think I want to go on induction weekend. I know it would be the visit of a lifetime, but I would rather not mess with anymore of a crowd than necessary.

No clue who will be going with me .... as of now I will be going alone (which is just fine with me) but as the time nears I am sure I can wrangle one of you who live closer to Cooperstown than me to meet up and enjoy a day reliving history.

Yup, I'm getting all geeked about it now!! THANKS!!

[sdkammeyer]

Originally Posted by sdkammeyer

Are cameras allowed throughout the whole thing?

Originally Posted by sdkammeyer

Are there places in the Hall that do not allow cameras?

Maybe I just gotta word it differently.

Is camera use permitted throughout the entire facility?

[bigtrain]

Cooperstown is a great place to visit. My two favorite restaurants in the village are Nicolettas (very good Italian) and Alex and Ika, both on Main Street. Another nice place to eat is the Blue Mingo Grill at Sam Smith's Boatyard. Its about 4 miles up on the west side of the lake. You can sit within a few feet of the water. Great view. You can also rent a boat there and cruise on the lake. Fishing on Otsego Lake is very good, although better in the spring and fall than in the heat of the summer.

[sayhey24]

Camera question: yes cameras are allowed at all displays in the Hall and museum, with the exception I think of the theatre.

Greg

[sdkammeyer]

Originally Posted by sayhey24

Camera question: yes cameras are allowed at all displays in the Hall and museum, with exception I think of the theatre.

Greg

ahhh thank you very much. I was about to give up and start searching the FAQ on their website

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by sayhey24

Camera question: yes cameras are allowed at all displays in the Hall and museum, with exception I think of the theatre.

Greg

How did you not get the memo to "group ignore" his camera question no matter how many times he asked?

[sdkammeyer]

Originally Posted by z28jd

How did you not get the memo to "group ignore" his camera question no matter how many times he asked?

I was starting to wonder too. I mean I know I'm still new around here and all but geez.

I thought maybe you all were playing that "silent treatment" game they play in the dugout after a rookie hits his first major league homer

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by z28jd

He actually set that up as an example of what he thought he would hit by swinging at pitches in certain locations. It wasn't exactly a specific time frame, but just a tool to help him and others decide what pitches to swing at. That display is a cool item I always check out there

Thanks for the clarification. I was going on memory from over 20 years ago. I can't believe its still there! I think the Babe statue is gone, no?

[z28jd]

Originally Posted by Deertick

Thanks for the clarification. I was going on memory from over 20 years ago. I can't believe its still there! I think the Babe statue is gone, no?

I'm pretty sure it is still there..can't say for certain. They move things from time to time and rotate things in and out of public view, so maybe you caught them on an off-day?

I remembered one thing that I loved/hated seeing at the same time, the Buck O'Neil statue near the front door. It's great that they put the statue there for him and named the lifetime achievement award after him, but at the same time, I remember how mad I and about a few thousand others were when they named all the Negro League inductees and he wasn't among them.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Deertick

Thanks for the clarification. I was going on memory from over 20 years ago. I can't believe its still there! I think the Babe statue is gone, no?

If this is the Babe Ruth statue you are thinking of, it was on display when I was there in December of 2011:



As for the camera question, flash photography was allowed...which I found unusual for a museum.

And, for the person who commented that you have the place to yourself during the winter, this is certainly true. For me, that added to the appeal.

Best Regards,

Eric

[Moonlight Graham]

I love everything about the museum. It really connects me with my baseball cards. I think it's really cool to see a display and know that I have a card or two of that particular person. Heck, occassionally I'll even bring some of my cards with me to the Hall just so I can say they were there too. That's something a 10 year old would do but I'm 45! And of course when I'm there, I get the fever and go back to the hotel and start shopping for baseball cards after hitting all the local shops. Of course that's after buying Yankees apparel for my 2 year old boy-and I MAKE my wife wear yankees stuff too

Steve, you're going to have a great time. Like you, I'm from Ohio, and the drive there is very enjoyable and hassle free.

Joe

[albrshbr]

Lots of great responses, but I tend to like some of the more oddball displays. The uniforms made for just for the first games played under lights (made of silk?), the display of stadium give-aways, the evolution of bats and balls, and the no-hitter displays jump out to me. The whole museum is great! Enjoy your trip.

[tedzan]

The privilege of talking with the HOFer's and many well-known BB players is my most enjoyable experience in Cooperstown.
Too many to list here, but some of my most memorable are......

Ted Williams
Yogi Berra and his wife Carmen
Johnny Mize
Don Larsen
Jim Bunning
Carl Yastrzemski
Ernie Banks
Frank Howard
Bill White
Robin Roberts
Reggie Jackson
Roger Clemens

I have been going up to Cooperstown every HOF weekend since the early 1980's; and, setting up at the Cooperstown BB
card show.


TED Z

[sdkammeyer]

Originally Posted by Moonlight Graham

Heck, occassionally I'll even bring some of my cards with me to the Hall just so I can say they were there too.

At least I know I'm not alone
I already thought about taking a few with me. A Cobb for sure.

I guess, in a strange way ..... to me ....... it's like "taking them home" for a visit.

Nobody has mentioned a Ty Cobb display in this thread ..... but I'm sure there is one and I plan to spend some serious time there.

[sdkammeyer]

Originally Posted by Eric72

As for the camera question, flash photography was allowed...which I found unusual for a museum.

Great!
Thank you very much.
The reason I asked (over and over ) is because photography is a second hobby of mine. A much cheaper one too

I'm definitely looking forward to sharing my pics from The Hall with all of you.

[dealme]

Loved reading these replies as I was back in Cooperstown for my third time this past summer. If you happen to be in the Hall in the afternoon (I want to say it was around 3:00 PM...maybe they do it at other times), a couple of museum workers will bring some items out from the Hall's collection to allow for closer inspection. I was there with my girlfriend a week or so after Memorial Day, so this particular showing had a military theme. They showed Hank Greenberg's military ID, Charlie Gehringer's military dress hat, and the kicker for me as a Red Sox fan, Ted William's bat from the 1957 All Star game. You aren't allowed to touch, but it's still a great chance to see some incredible items up close.

They made announcements about every 10 minutes starting about a half hour prior to the presentation. I was there mid-week, so I don't know if the fact that there wasn't a huge crowd helped. One thing I found amazing was that the gentleman giving the presentation noted that at any given time, only about 15% of the Hall's memorabilia is on display. Incredible. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your trip. As a beer lover, I would also second the earlier recommendation to check out Ommegang Brewery. It's maybe 8 or 10 miles southeast of town, and well worth the trip.

Mark

[Deertick]

Originally Posted by Eric72

If this is the Babe Ruth statue you are thinking of, it was on display when I was there in December of 2011:



As for the camera question, flash photography was allowed...which I found unusual for a museum.

And, for the person who commented that you have the place to yourself during the winter, this is certainly true. For me, that added to the appeal.

Best Regards,

Eric

That's it! I can't find my photo, but I'm pretty sure at the time it was at the entrance of an exhibit. A much darker location. I just remember being amazed. Thanks for posting that.

[rainier2004]

Originally Posted by Deertick

That's it! I can't find my photo, but I'm pretty sure at the time it was at the entrance of an exhibit. A much darker location. I just remember being amazed. Thanks for posting that.

When I was last there in May 2010 the Ruth statue was opposite a Ted Williams statue made the same way...cool stuff

[Hot Springs Bathers]

I loved my visit to to the Hall of Fame so much I became a real sucker for any books that offered photos of the collections!

Most were so-so but a couple of year's ago the best of all came from an unlikely source, Bert Sugar. I usually found of his stuff to be run of the mill, common phots etc. but not his last book. BERT SUGAR'S BASEBALL HALL OF FAME BOOK. It gives a first class tour of the Hall with wonderful photos of the exhibits.

Also the DVD of the television series Great Museums is wonderful. Their tour can also be seen on YouTube. Just search for Great Museums Home Base the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

If the piece near the end where the museum staff finds the note under a display doesn't choke you up then you are heartless.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by rainier2004

When I was last there in May 2010 the Ruth statue was opposite a Ted Williams statue made the same way...cool stuff

Steven,

They were both in the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery, if I am not mistaken. Here is a picture of The Bambino and Teddy Ballgame, side-by-side:



Best Regards,

Eric