Hall of Fame

I recently attended the Baseball Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, NY.  This is an absolutely wonderful event in a magical place, especially if you are a baseball fan.  It is top to bottom, non-stop, baseball and fans.  Fans from every team are milling around the charming little village and in every store and restaurant as well as the museum.  People of all ages, shapes, and kinds mixed together in a wonderful celebration of a special game and its history.

There is a parade every year where players perch in the back of a pickup truck and one by one, often with their spouse or partner, drive past the throngs of waving, yelling and adoring fans.  You get to stand eye to eye with the best that ever played the game.  Photos do not do it justice.  The feeling of being in their presence makes you admire the game even more.

At the induction ceremony itself I am always filled with emotion, mostly joy, for people I never knew or met in person.  Their stories are always so fascinating as they talk about the challenges they overcame, and more importantly they remember everyone along the way that helped them.  They also pay special attention to mentioning and remembering their coaches.

Life is so much like baseball, but what strikes me the most is that even those that make it to the “Holy Ground” of the hall of fame, that one percent of all players that ever played, all needed help and support along their journey.  We all do.  Gifts and natural talents in anything we do can only blossom fully when we accept and receive the help we need to fulfill our own success.  The Baseball Hall of Fame induction is a glorious reminder.