OT: Baseball Hall of Fame Suffers Losses but Says Finances Improving

[raulus]

Probably can’t help that the voters have stirred up so much controversy, dragging the larger institution down with them.

[bandrus1]

The hall is always an amazing place to visit no matter what the occasion

[D. Bergin]

Reading the article. They seem fine. It's just cyclical.

[Belfast1933]

I’m obviously biased but I wonder if they can better tap into the collector energy, and not just vintage… seems like there may be some potential there to grow as well

[BioCRN]

Hall is amazing, but it's in the middle of f'n nowhere.

Even if you happen to be in Albany or Syracuse you're still 1.5 hours away from Cooperstown.

[tjisonline]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

Hall is amazing, but it's in the middle of f'n nowhere.

Even if you happen to be in Albany or Syracuse you're still 1.5 hours away from Cooperstown.

Exactly. I haven’t been there yet. Really want to go but don’t want to drive that distance. They really need to open up a local airport but totally get why the town doesn’t.

At the very least, they should have nice tour buses leaving from major cities w/in a 200- 300 mile radius. They don’t. Only Refer you to a couple tour companies that turned out to be useless for me. I guess that’s why so many friends / local groups end up renting their own tour bus if they can get enough people.

[D. Bergin]

If you wanna bang two things off at once, Howe Caverns is about a 50 minute drive from Cooperstown. It's a neat place for anybody who likes Geology.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

Hall is amazing, but it's in the middle of f'n nowhere.
.

For me, that's one of its greatest attributes. The surrounding area is one of the most beautiful in the country for my taste, especially in the fall.

Now, if they could only get a few more decent places to eat, it would be perfect.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Reading the article. They seem fine. It's just cyclical.

This here. People complaining about who is in and my favorite player isn't, that is irrelevant. Undeserving players have been elected since the 1940s, like Tommy McCarthy and Jack Chesbro, and Shoeless Joe Jackson still isn't in the HOF.

The HOF is a non-profit and they lost money last year for the first time in a decade. A non-profit that makes money 9 of 10 years is doing pretty good. The article explains it. Their investment income was down. I guess everyone has forgotten how bad the markets were the first 9 months of last year. They have also hired more people. Why is that? Could it be that they are preparing for Ichiro being inducted and an influx of Asian visitors? Showing a loss so you can grow your market is good for business.

[Keith H. Thompson]

My son drove up for a two day visit last week with Poppy and Sami (12 years old) and son Thaddeus (7 years old). All three play the game at various levels and were absolutely fascinated by the wealth of memorabilia on display. An additional incentive for them, of course, was to see the gold lined, solid silver cup won by Sam Thompson in a popularity contest in 1895 that I donated to the Hall in 1974. It is a beautiful thing, and the Hall has always displayed it prominently. I grew up with it. My mother kept it on her sewing machine with her sewing materials and Sam's Dauvray Cup Medal.

And as to who is in and who is not, every player's career is a matter of public record that should speak for itself, not the occasion of induction into some institution with some very bad flaws.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by Keith H. Thompson

My son drove up for a two day visit last week with Poppy and Sami (12 years old) and son Thaddeus (7 years old). All three play the game at various levels and were absolutely fascinated by the wealth of memorabilia on display. An additional incentive for them, of course, was to see the gold lined, solid silver cup won by Sam Thompson in a popularity contest in 1895 that I donated to the Hall in 1974. It is a beautiful thing, and the Hall has always displayed it prominently. I grew up with it. My mother kept it on her sewing machine with her sewing materials and Sam's Dauvray Cup Medal.

And as to who is in and who is not, every player's career is a matter of public record that should speak for itself, not the occasion of induction into some institution with some very bad flaws.

That's gotta be a thrill to see an item you donated on display. I'm guessing, based on the names, that Sam is a relative? So very cool.

[Keith H. Thompson]

Originally Posted by Tabe

That's gotta be a thrill to see an item you donated on display. I'm guessing, based on the names, that Sam is a relative? So very cool.

here goes. Yes, Samuel Luther Thompson (Detroit 1885-1888, Philadelphia 1889-1898, Detroit 1906, HOF 1974) was a brother of my grandfather. Sam and Ida had no children, so nieces and nephews were invited to Cooperstown in 1974 for his induction. My sons were 8 and 10 years old. We had special passes, and because I think they were mistaken for Mantle's young boys at times they had many opportunities to mingle with the players. For example: One afternoon my boys were lingering around a small out building where about a dozen old black players were holding a luncheon. Satchel Paige noticed them, put a long hand on each boys shoulder, took them inside and introduced them individually to each player. For myself, one noon I had luncheon and was seated next to Clair Ruth and Eleanor Gehrig.

to answer your question again, yes I, my father, Sam, his five brothers and three sisters all were born in Danville, Indiana. My father knew Sam, of course, and once told me: "we always welcomed Sam's visits, but he never would play catch with us."

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by Keith H. Thompson

My son drove up for a two day visit last week with Poppy and Sami (12 years old) and son Thaddeus (7 years old). All three play the game at various levels and were absolutely fascinated by the wealth of memorabilia on display. An additional incentive for them, of course, was to see the gold lined, solid silver cup won by Sam Thompson in a popularity contest in 1895 that I donated to the Hall in 1974. It is a beautiful thing, and the Hall has always displayed it prominently. I grew up with it. My mother kept it on her sewing machine with her sewing materials and Sam's Dauvray Cup Medal.

And as to who is in and who is not, every player's career is a matter of public record that should speak for itself, not the occasion of induction into some institution with some very bad flaws.

That's gotta be a thrill to see an item you donated on display. I'm guessing, based on the names, that Sam is a relative? So very cool.

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by raulus

Probably can’t help that the voters have stirred up so much controversy, dragging the larger institution down with them.

Impossible for me to agree more.

[sports-cards-forever]

I love that the induction ceremony is still free. Pure baseball americana

[BearBailey]

I would go every 2-3 years but once they instituted the Pete Rose rule and made him ineligible for the Hall of Fame, I would only ever go back when he was inducted and if he was still alive for the induction, since that is no longer possible I will never step foot in the baseball Hall of fame ever again.

As for the comparison with the football Hall of fame, I could spend an entire day in the baseball hall of fame, you can see the entire football hall of fame in 2 hours.