Commentar y
Baseball Hall of Fame echoes rich history of game
MATT KRUEGER Sports Reporter

This is the third in a series of columns on sports Halls of Fame. Others will follow throughout the summer. Tucked away in a small, rural town, the Baseball Hall of Fame is humble, but at the same time spectacular, just like many of the greats enshrined inside the museum.

Were it not for the countless shops and restaurants in Cooperstown named with baseball themes, like The Shortstop Restaurant and the Triple Play Cafe, one could easily walk right past the museum unaware of the nation-shaping history standing just 50 feet away. From the sidewalk, it looks like an old post office or maybe a school. It doesn't exactly jump out at you and yell "look at me!"

The drive to the Baseball Hall of Fame takes about three and a half hours, with the final 45 minutes of that being a winding trek through miles of farmland. For a sport so heavily in the focus of mainstream America, its hall of fame is far removed from any main highway. But what you see inside the hall is worth the drive.

The tour begins with an odd display, the Holy Cow. Yes, in reference to famed New York Yankees shortstop and broadcaster Phil Rizzuto, there is a life-size cow dressed in a Yankees uniform.

The plaque room is amazing with bronzed faces marking the game-changers and perfect strangers. It is probably the most striking room in any hall of fame, as tradition holds true through the decades. The plaques from the late 1800s look just like the ones used for the most recent inductees. The wealth of knowledge contained in the room can overwhelm. Yes, even the most diehard baseball fan would learn a thing or two in this shrine.

For instance, Mel Ott was the first player to jump straight from high school to the major leagues, a feat that seems impossible in today's game. Cy Young's first name is Denton. Joseph McGinnity pitched two games in one day five times in his career.

But here's a trivia question for you Western New York fans. Who is the only Hall of Famer to play for the National League Buffalo Bisons? Give up? It's James "Pud" Galvin, who ranks sixth all-time in wins for a pitcher with 361. Galvin pitched for Buffalo from 1879 to 1885, racking up a 188-179 record. He had a career record of 361-308 and threw 646 complete games. Galvin was the game's first 300-game winner, but there is another distinction that could bring his name back to the forefront of baseball, 105 years after his death. Galvin is credited as the game's first user of performance-enhancing drugs. Somewhere, Barry Bonds is pointing his finger. Yes, Galvin reportedly injected himself with monkey testosterone before a game, because it "rejuvenated" him.

Western New Yorkers will also want to check out the plaque for one of the best left-handed pitchers ever to toe the rubber, Buffalo native Warren Spahn. His profiled face looks toward the plaques on the far wall, like he's still standing on the mound looking for a sign.

Throughout the three floors of memorabilia, you can see championship rings, bats, balls, uniforms, record lists, cleats, pads and just about anything else you can imagine, a treasure trove of the national pastime.

Just make sure you don't drive by and miss it.

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com