REFLECTIONS
Everyone should have a “bucket list,” even if it contains only one item.
If you don’t know a what a bucket list is, just imagine picking several items or only one that centers on doing something you always have wanted to do before you kick the bucket.
Calm yourself by picking something that is indeed in the realm of a possibility. Examples could be: 1) take a trip to Europe, 2) go to a Super Bowl game, 3) go to a World Series game, 4) reunite with a relative you have not seen for many years, 5) celebrate a monumental birthday, etc.
High on my bucket list for years has been to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1939. It has served as the spiritual home of the game we love.
Guess what? It has happened.
To my surprise, son Troy and grandchildren Kaley, Jenna, and Ryan said they were going to make this bucket list item come true. Kaley is our family organizer and took this challenge seriously. She checked on airfare, hotel costs and a date that would work for all of us.
Mom Nancy and Grandma Judy helped make the dream come true.
As the days ticked by, it looked like this bucket list dream was going to come true.
I have always loved baseball, am a rabid Minnesota Twins, fan and already have realized two bucket list trips by attending seven World Series games in 1987 and 1991.
This trip in 2024 was necessary because favorite Twin Joe Mauer had been inducted into the HOF just four days earlier. I wanted to sample Mauer Fever.
There was one hangup. I live in Minnesota, and son Troy and the three grandkids reside in Arizona. Kaley solved that problem by booking a trip from Arizona to Minneapolis. I was able to hop on a plane Kaley had booked from Minneapolis to Hartford, Conn.
After arriving in Hartford, we rented a car and began the trek from Hartford to Cooperstown. We crossed three more states: New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.
The Eastern Time Zone put us in Cooperstown at 3:30 p.m.
The rest is history. We were hungry and called for a pizza. We then familiarized ourselves with Cooperstown, a small city with less population than my residence of Blooming Prairie (pop. 1756). We were staying at the Railroad Inn.
We had a good night’s sleep and met (thanks to Kaley) a former Cooperstown mayor, Jeff Katz who gave us some history of the town and of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He also gave us clearance to walk the Cooperstown field.
Now, it was time to tour the three-floor museum. It was suggested that we begin our visit on the second floor, moving to the third floor, and then returning to the first floor.
On the Second Floor, we saw:
• Generations of the Game welcome film; Picturing America’s Pastime; Taking the Field: The 19ith Century; Baseball Timeline; Babe Ruth: His life and legend; The Souls of the Game; Voices of Black baseball; Diamond Dreams: Women in Baseball; Viva Baseball!; and a Whole New Ball Game.
On the Third Floor, we saw:
• Sacred Ground; Chasing the Dream (Hank Aaron); One for the Books; Autumn Glory: A post season celebration; Shoebox Treasures; Your Team Today: new inductees.
On the First Floor, we saw:
• Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award; Personalize your Place; Plaque Gallery
• This is a highlight: Bronze plaques of baseball’s greatest players, managers, umpires and executives line the majestic oak walls of this hallowed hall, the centerpiece of the museum honoring the luminaries of the game.
• The Art of Baseball; Scribes and Mikemen; Baseball at the Movies; Giamatti Research Center; and Sandlot Kids’ Clubhouse.
Hail to Joe Mauer! He is officially a Hall of Famer!
