Only a four hour drive from Long Island, I’m grateful to live so close to Cooperstown. I spent the weekend covering the inductions of Barry Larkin and Ron Santo into one of the most exclusive clubs on the planet, the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tim McCarver and Bob Elliott were also honored with the broadcast and baseball writers awards, respectively.
Santo, who died in 2010, was inducted with a speech from his wife Vicky, while Larkin gave a speech largely about the people who helped shape his career from an early age.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame held its annual Baseball Hall of Fame Classic in Cooperstown on Saturday, June 16.
Multiple hall of famers and former big league players were on hand to swing the bat and pitch once again. Among the top names were Carlton Fisk, Ozzie Smith, Tony Perez, Bert Blyleven and Eddie Murray.
A handful of players took part in a hitting contest first, then teams squared off in a regular game on the diamond at Doubleday Field, the birthplace of baseball. Dmitri Young was named the Bob Feller Player of the Game for hitting a walk-off, two-run single.
To read coverage and view photos from the weekend, check out the Topps Pennant blog by scrolling to the hall of fame entry.
