MLB 2007 HOF ceremonies

[mr.miracle]

Before everyone accuses me of jumping the gun to next year, let me explain the situation. As a die hard Cal Ripken fan, I plan to be in attendance next year in Cooperstown (assuming that Cal makes it in lol).

I contacted the HOF today regarding tickets to the induction ceremony next year which has free seating on a first come first serve basis however I was looking at reserved seating which is only available at the very highest two membership levels. The membership dept. told me that they have had such an overwhelming flood of calls already about next year and reserved seating that they are not exactly sure what they are going to do. They told me that after the current ceremonies in two weeks leading up to the actual vote in January next year when the inductees are announced they expect this to get out of hand. In talking with a number of people the crowd next year is expected to be off the chart in terms of past attendance.

The membership dept. at the HOF said that at this point, the only way to guarentee reserved seating is to sign up for a two year or beyond membership at the Presidents Circle level (a cost of $850.00 for two years) or the Benefactor Level (anyone have $1750 for two years?). The membership dept. said they would recommend doing this quick however as at some point the many people who are apparently planning a one year upgrade to ensure reserved seating are probably going to be out of luck as they will have to cut off membership sooner than later.

If anyone is planning on heading to Cooperstown for induction weekend next year you might want to think about dropping the $850.00 for the reserved seating unless you plan on staking out a spot at the induction site sometime in early spring next year.


Thanks
Brett Herman
brettherman2131@hotmail.com

[staindsox]

Hi,
I thought I would jump in and offer my advice. I was an intern at the Hall in 2001 and was an usher at the ceremony. I was between the Puckett and Winfield families during the last speech. It is a huge event...but Cal will probably have the biggest draw ever. If you are a diehard Ripken fan, you will be kicking yourself if you don't pay the money for the ticket. It would not shock me if people camp out overnight for a spot at Cal's induction. People were calling for reservations within minutes that Cal announced that he was going to retire. If you join the Friends of the Hall, you'll also get a ton of other VIP opportunites. If you want to be within a mile of the stage, join up with the Hall. You won't regret it.

Chris

[mr.miracle]

Chris:

Thanks for the advice, a couple of questions, is there any difference in the seating arrangement between the Presidents circle membership and the Benefactor membership or do both guarentee seating in the same primary area? How close would you estimate this will get you to the stage like 25 rows or still 100 rows out? Not that I have the money to spend but does the Benefactor level give you any additional advantages other than the extra two tickets to the induction ceremony and the breakfast with a HOF'er and special tour of the HOF? Any additional insights would be a great help.

Thanks
Brett

[cjclong]

Thank you for letting us know about the seating situation at the HOF in 2007. This is one of those many things that makes this forum worthwhile when members are thoughtful enough to share helpful information and advice with the others.

[mr.miracle]

Let me clairfy something I said in my first post, the HOF will not cut off membership, they will probably have to draw a line in terms of the reserved seating for the 2007 HOF ceremonies. I don't think the HOF will ever turn down membership request, they might just have to cut off the number of reserved seats available to people signing up specifically to attend next years ceremonies.

On another note, what is the current feeling in terms of electees next year? Once we get beyond Ripken and Gwynn two locks, what is the feeling of forum members in relation to Big Mac? Do you think he will make it or will all the swirling steroid issues cast enough doubt in voters minds to keep him out. Five years ago he was a first ballot lock along with Ripken and Gwynn, today I am just not sure. Let me know your thought.

Thanks
Brett Herman
brettherman2131@hotmail.com

[staindsox]

Hi Brett,

The Hall has probably changed procedures since I was there. They are constantly looking at new ways to better connect with fans and gain support at the same time. I can only tell you the way it was five years ago...
I don't believe there is any difference in seating between president circle and benefactors. From what I remember, there were three levels of seating. People invited to the ceremony by the inductee were in the first level. Pres Circle and Benefactors were the next group back from the stage. Then there were breakaway softball field fences keeping others out...this is the third level, which is an open field where people would likely camp out to get close...and could easily not be within 500 feet of the stage. If you are a diehard Cal fan, I would join up. You will be pretty close to the stage. When I was there, they also gave pres. circ/benefactors tickets to a Q&A sessions with the Hall of Famers, tickets to trivia game with 6 HOFers, and tickets to the Hall of Fame game. To be honest, if you have the means, I would become a benefactor. The special tour alone is worth the price. You would not believe the things that are not on display. They must only have 10% of stuff on display. So much of the library is kept either upstairs or downstairs, it is quite a rush to go behind the scenes. I am not sure what the breakfast entails, but I'm sure they make it special. They do quite a job rolling out the red carpet for benefactors. Let me know if I can help in any other way.

Chris