Don't Mess with Our Halls of Fame!

My job requires me to rise and shine at the ungodly hour of 3:45am.

A 15-minute shower and gallons of coffee keep my alert for the drive in but it's ESPN's All Night with Jason Smith that keeps me informed and entertained.

On this particular morning, the guest host was questioning why anyone would have trepidations about showcasing Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball in Cooperstown because, in the end, who really cares about the Hall of Fame?

Still blurry-eyed and a little fuzzy, I found it to be an interesting argument although in the interests of honesty, I didn't catch the entire program.

The thrust of the argument, however, was, outside of taking your kids to Cooperstown, is displaying a record-setting baseball and a dusty pair of cleats from some long forgotten shortstop really necessary? And for that matter, do professional sporting leagues really need a Hall of Fame?

Absolutely! And the reason is simple.

It comes down to culture.

Compared to Europe, North America has very little culture to draw on. That's not to say our continent hasn't given birth to some fantastic authors or artists but with Canada having just celebrated its 141st birthday and America entering its 232nd year, both countries are pups compared to England, France and the lot.

Unlike those countries, however, North America does not celebrate its artists like they do overseas. There is no real North American equivalent to The Odyssey or Shakespeare, Monet or Beethoven and few venues to house it all, like the Louvre.

What North America does have, though, is sports. And boy, do we do it well!

Baseball is the national pastime, entrenched in the very fabric of America, just like apple pie.

Hockey is religion in Canada, something we revere even more than the almighty.

THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is our culture.  More so than Norman Rockwell and Tom Thomson.  It our source of pride and we will fiercely defend it, even if we can't stand the Toronto Maple Leafs!

And that is why we have to keep our Halls of Fame, whether it be for baseball, football, basketball, or hockey. Those privileged enough to have been inducted, the history they have created and the fruits of all their labours MUST be remembered and celebrated in the hallowed halls of Cooperstown and elsewhere.

Our Halls of Fame are just as important as the Louvre. Our "artists" are Maurice Richard and Babe Ruth, their puck and ball as vital as the Mona Lisa.  And no one should take it for granted. 

Nor should you take coffee for granted. It really is wonderful at four in the morning. But that's just me.