A Sea Of Red

Wow and double wow! My wife and I were up in Cooperstown, NY (http://web.baseballhalloffame.org/index.jsp) from July26-July30...and being the die hard Oriole fan that I am (since I was 8 in 1968)...these last few days have been baseball heaven for me. We did a bit of sight seeing while we were up there, but the theme was baseball...and when my wife was all "baseballed out"...she would stay in our room and I would drive into town and walk the streets and visit the baseball shops (and there are many of them). My wife had a co-worker who was also up there with his brother and we hung out with them and as they were members of the hall of fame....we were able to get some pretty neat stuff. When my wife would stay behind...we would tend to hang out at Cooleys (http://www.cooleystavern.com/)....I do have a fondness for all things Irish. I took about 3 rolls with my trusty old Canon SLR and maybe 45 with my digital Canon. There are a few stories to tell, so let me know if you're interested. You need to experience this at least once if you call yourself a baseball fan.
This was so much funI felt like I was 12 again.

Brother, here is my thread about Cal: http://www.flamefans.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5359

I've been an Oriole fan since 1971 (when I was 10), and I love Cooperstown (been there twice), but I absolutely hate crowds, and I heard Cal had something like 60,000 fans there who came in 200 buses, so I stayed away, though I was in Baltimore for an O's game last Thursday.

Still, tell me about your memories of seeing Cal at Cooperstown. How long were you seated and in attendance before Cal began his speech? And how far were you away from the stage?

It was closer to 75,000+. I've even heard from other folks that it may have been close to 100,000. My wife took me into town before 7am on 07/29 and I walked down Main St. to get a bite to eat at TJs Place. It was there that I got autographed baseballs from Yogi Berra, Bob Feller, Paul Blair, Frank Robinson and Jim Rice (for one of the co-pastors at our church who is a long time Red Sox fan).
I walked to the unduction ceremony and was there before 9am. I sat in the back on a blanket. I was on top of a ridge, so I could see pretty much everything. I could see the stage, but I watched most of it on the jumbotron. Everytime the MC introduced a former Oriole HOFer...I was on my feet and I went crazy when they got to Brooks Robinson as he is my all time favorite player. What I really enjoyed was how the Padre fans cheered wildly for Cal and the Oriole fans did the same for Tony. They both know class when they see it.
There was one thing that I thought was very rude, and it seemed to be from Oriole fans judging by the sea of orange and black that exited the place when Cal finished his speech. Due to the threat of rain, the format was turned around. Cal was supposed to be the closer for the induction. Instead it started with Tony's speech, Cal's speech, a little on Red Sox HOFer Bobby Doer, and then the writer and broadcaster...I forgot their names. Once Cal was finished, a sea of orange and black started to leave and head back into town and I just thought that was rude. More to come.