The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York is a very special place!
2024 – Joe Mauer’s Induction
Joe Mauer was born and raised in Saint Paul MN and was a multi-sport athlete, drafted #1 by his hometown Minnesota Twins in 2001. He played his entire career with the Twins, earning 3 batting titles, one MVP, six All-Star Game selections, five Silver Slugger Awards and three Gold Glove Awards as a catcher. He was elected to the HOF on the first ballot and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in July 2024. Click here to read more about his impressive career.
As soon as he was elected, my brother Tim, buddy Jon Hilstad and I made plans to attend the induction ceremony and all of the events on Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Jon Hilstad had a nasty bike accident, so he dropped out. I met Tim at our cousin Jeff Westra’s house in Lodi WI. We left Tim’s truck with Jeff and took off in our Chevrolet Tahoe. We made it to Toledo OH before stopping for dinner and sleep in Maumee OH.
Friday, July 19, 2014
We made it to the Lake House in Richfield Springs NY and checked into our cabin along beautiful Canadarago Lake.
Drove into Cooperstown and enjoyed a tour of the Hall of Fame. Twins fans were everywhere! Ran into former Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire and long time TV announcer Dick Bremmer (who I met in Spring Training) on the sidewalk in front of the Hall of Fame.
It is so impressive to read about the greatest players in the history of baseball.
Spent extra time on the former Minnesota Twins players that were already enshrined in the HOF. Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Bert Blyleven, Tony Oliva and Jim Kaat.
It is amazing to think that Joe Mauer became the 4th player from St. Paul MN to be inducted into the HOF! The others are Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Jack Morris.
The Joe Mauer display was very impressive.
Saturday July 20, 2024
Tim and I played golf in the morning. A beautiful day!
Had lunch at the Red Shed Brewery. Fun place with good beer and two food trucks.
Drove into Cooperstown and tried to find a place to park before the parade. Negotiated a lower rate to park on a lawn. Carried our lawn chairs a few blocks and setup just across the street from the beautiful Hall of Fame building. Great spot!
Saw several former Twins players, families and TV personalities. Justin Morneau is easy to pick out.
We had a great spot to watch the Hall of Famers get out of the trucks. Tony Oliva, Jack Morris, Bert Blyleven, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield and Rod Carew while Jim Thome worked the crowd.
Joe Mauer and his family were the last truck in the parade. Joe worked to get his wife, son and twin daughters organized and into the Hall.
Went back to the Lake House and enjoyed listening to a talented group of young people performing a mix of songs on the stage at sunset.
Sunday, July 21, 2024
We had breakfast at a little dinner in Richfield Springs. Nearly everyone in the place were Twins fans. Mom dressed us for the day.
Drove to Cooperstown, parked at a funeral home and walked to the Clark Sports Center to setup our lawn chairs to watch the induction ceremony. Tim’s outfit was a big hit! Love the shorts.
We were in the general seating area, quite a distance from the stage, but we could see the video board clearly. We watched a great video introduction from Justin Morneau – click here.
Joe’s speech was typical of his kind, appreciative, low-key approach. Click here to see a video of the speech. Twins fans made up the vast majority of the crowd.
It is great to see Joe have his plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame!
We went back to the Red Shed Brewery for dinner and listened to a talented duo play music that we knew the words to. Went back to the Lake House and enjoyed listening to a small band perform on the stage at sunset.
Cooperstown Dream Park – 2023 – Will Pelton – New Berlin
Grandson Will Pelton and his team from New Berlin WI played a tournament at Cooperstown Dreams Park. They run a tight operation! Organizing 90 teams of 12 year old boys from all over the country is a huge job!
2017
Our first trip to Cooperstown was in August 2017 after we dropped off our granddaughter Brianna in college at George Mason University in Fairfax VA, suburban Washington D.C.
Steve Pelton 