Editorial of 07/18/2024

Coming Together—United in Celebration

It’s summer, and one thing is for sure: This month at the National Baseball Hall of Fame four singular stars—Adrián Beltré, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Jim Leyland—of our still great American pastime—baseball—will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, before a large national television audience and in front of 52 returning Hall of Famers and somewhere around 40,000 fans, in a ceremony that honors these players’ lifetime achievement in and devotion to the sport. Their plaques will join those of their many talented fellow players in the Plaque Gallery at the Hall. Induction Weekend is right now, and the tiny Village of Cooperstown has, as usual, prepared itself in all ways possible for the annual influx of baseball fans and sports devotees, journeying here from all over the country. Congratulations to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, just 15 years short of its 100th Induction, from “The Freeman’s Journal,” which has been around for all those ceremonies. Please be safe, friendly, thoughtful and polite, everyone, as you navigate through the widely diverse crowd of visitors, all of whom are entirely focused on celebrating the achievements of the four inductees.