Where is the one place that every baseball enthusiast should visit before they are laying on their death bed?  No clue?  Let me give you a hint. 

It’s located in a town outside of Albany, and is full of artifacts from yesterday and today, that make up America’s Favorite Pastime as we know it.

If you guessed the National Baseball Hall-of-Fame, then you were right.  Finally I was going to take the voyage to see what should be the eighth wonder of the world. 

When working in retail, it’s a guarantee that sometime throughout your career, you are going to have to deal with some pretty arrogant people and there’s nothing you can do about it.  Now this was at the end of my shift, so I was already tired and aggravated.  My last customer approached my register sporting “the dark side” merchandise (AKA Yankee stuff), and of course, he was buying yet another Yankee hat and a Yankee shirt.

I was just making conversation when I said, “Wow.  Yankee stuff?”  Now, when I said this, he must have sensed the disgust in my voice because his next line sure didn’t catch me by surprise. 

“Don’t tell me,” he said.

I didn’t let him say anymore, and I blurted out that I, myself, am a devout Red Sox fan.  I then went on to tell him that I was to be going to the Baseball Hall-of-Fame in a few days.  This man was already disappointing me to the fullest, but I guess he really wanted to see how far he could push me. 

“You know, they should change the name of that to the Yankee Hall-of-Fame,” he said.  “It’s full of Yankee things.”

Being knowledgeable about the game and all, I knew he was right.  I had the set idea that I needed to prepare myself for what was going to happen.  Was I ever going to be ready though? 

I really have to make myself clear and I hope nobody misunderstands me.  I will ALWAYS support one team, and one team only, and that’s my Red Sox.  Now, forever, and always.

But when you start talking about people like Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantel, and the great “Babe,” you can’t pick sides anymore.  I appreciate those guys to the fullest.  If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I would have a sport to love so much. 

I wish there were still players like them around.  Now-a-days all you see is money hungry, arrogant athletes.  That’s in all of professional sports too, not just in baseball.  Yes, I will also admit it’s also not limited to the Yankees.

As we are making this trip out to Cooperstown, writing this article, I’m thinking, what is passion of the game all about? 

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