More HoF Weekend Highlights from Charlie Vascellaro
COOPERSTOWN—Reporter Charlie Vascellaro covered Hall of Fame Weekend this year, including festivities at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and other related activities, in three well-written and informative articles published on Thursday, July 31:
Additional photos taken during Vascellaro’s weekend travels are included below. Thanks for the great coverage, Charlie!
A multi-paneled 3-D display of Hideo Nomo, the second Japanese pitcher to reach the major leagues here in the U.S. After making his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995, “Hideo Mania” soon ensued. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
NBHoF Vice President of Communications and Content Jon Shestakofsky addresses those gathered for the panel discussion at the opening of the “Yakyu | Baseball: The Trans-pacific Exchange of the Game” exhibit. Panel members pictured, from left: HBHoF President Josh Rawitch; former MLB player and manager Bobby Valentine, who also managed in Japan for seven years; and Hall of Famers Jack Morris, Cal Ripken Jr., and Ozzie Smith, each of whom participated in exhibition series in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
From left: former Major League Baseball and Nippon Major League manager Bobby Valentine, Hall of Fame pitcher Jack Morris, and Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. and Ozzie Smith. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
This panel from the Yakyu exhibit features Bobby Valentine. Valentine was a primary consultant on the exhibit and was on hand for the exhibit opening this weekend. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
The Barbed Wire Baseball panel in the Nikkei Baseball quadrant of the Yakyu exhibit explains the important role baseball played in the lives of incarcerated Japanese Americans during WWII. “Amid the harsh conditions and traumatic experiences, baseball inspired hope, preserved dignity, and offered a connection to their American Identity,” the panel reads. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
The historic Zenimura Field home plate, currently on display at the NBHoF, was installed by legendary Japanese American baseball pioneer Kenichi Zenimura at the Gila River Japanese incarceration camp in Gila River, Arizona during World War II. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
This samurai sword sculpture is on display at The Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Road, in the gallery’s “Samurai Baseball and More—A-Fine-Arts Look at Baseball” exhibit. The exhibit will be on view through Saturday, September 13. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
Ichiro Suzuki, the first Japanese-born Hall of Famer, hit .356 for the 1996 Japan Series champion Orix Blue Wave of the Japan Pacific League five years before becoming the first position player from Nippon Professional Baseball to join the major leagues in 2001. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
Cooperstown Brewing Company released a limited-edition Ichi Lager in honor of Ichiro Suzuki’s Hall of Fame induction. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
Cooperstown Brewing Company’s Ichi Lager is described as crisp and clean, perfect for easy drinking, and is available at their taproom. (Photo by Charlie Vascellaro)
Results from the Thanksgiving Day Legends soccer game, a holiday pop-up at the Landmark Inn, a cancelled Otsego Express route and a fundraiser to support Jamaican victims of Hurricane Melissa are among the topics covered in this week's news briefs.…
A presentation on the region's history during the American Revolution with the Town of Maryland Historical Society, the Oneonta Garden Club's Holiday Greens Sale and Luncheon, a collaborative collection by Cooperstown jewelers, and a tick-borne "meat allergy" are among the topics covered in this week's news briefs.…
Coming up this weekend: the Empty Bowls fundraiser; a special launch by Cooperstown Brewing Company to benefit Milford Strong; a pop-up warehouse sale at Muddy Rivers Brewery; the "Fill the Gap" food drive; and more.…
November 12, 2025
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