The Basketball and Baseball Hall of Fame: Trips to Cooperstown and Springfield
Growing up, I loved watching and playing basketball. There was a long line of basketball blood in my family, starting with my grandfather who had played in the American Basketball Association or ABA. As a young child, my brother and I would spend countless hours at the park, shooting hoops and honing our skills. I used to watch for hours, fliping through all of the channels to find any basketball game that was televised. Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Scottie Pipen, Patrick Ewing; these were the basketball players I marveled at. I practiced their every moves; Malone’s pick and role with John Stockton, Ewing’s post up moves, Jordan’s jumper and the way he flew through the air. My basketball passion was seen by my parents who finally decided to take a vacation for a lifetime for any basketball fan: The Basketball Hall of Fame.
The basketball hall of fame would be one of my greatest vacation’s ever. The trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame was taken by car, (you can also fly by airplane) to Springfield, Massachusetts. Living in New York, the ride was only a couple of hours. When we finally arrived I noticed the most striking feature which has you in awe the moment you approach it; the circular dome shape building of the basketball Hall of Fame. The design of the building is shaped like a basketball and it looks almost like it.
Part 2: Cooperstown
At the door of the building, you get tickets and the line usually isn’t very long. The Basketball Hall of Fame is three floors, each with its own individual and unique features. The top floor contains plaques of all of the members of the Hall of Fame dating all the way back to the start of its history. You can view the achievements of each player or coach along with some form of memorabilia that represents that player such as a jersey. As you move along the long line of hall of famers, you can see how the game of basketball has been transformed throughout its history by the jerseys and basketballs and arenas.
There is a film screen that shows movie clips from famous basketball games such as Michael Jordan’s winning shot against the Jazz or Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game. There is also a section devoted to basketball arenas that have been used by every franchise in the NBA. You can see how the floor of the Boston Celtic’s original arena was built or the transformation of the famous Madison Square Garden in New York City. Downstairs, there are the molded hand prints of basketball stars such as Shaquille Oneal’s giant hand or Mogsey Bones’ small stature. There are basketball hoops to shoot on and there are basketball arcade games. Downstairs there is also a section devoted to each team and the selling of jerseys from the best players of each team. There are also throw-away jerseys of old players who have retired in the NBA.
The basketball Hall of Fame was a very special trip for me and everything in the surrounding area was great. The hotel we stayed at for one night had excellent service and provided us with all the information we needed to get around town and all of the good restaurants to look at. If you are a sports fan or enjoy baksetball, I highly recommend taking a trip down to Springfield.
America’s past time has always been baseball whether you are a sports fan or not. Growing up playing baseball i had always wanted to take a vacation trips to Cooperstown in New York. Depending on where you live in the United States, the drive is only a few hours at the very most. and it is well worth the trip. The entire town of Cooperstown is dedicated to baseball. You will quickly see that every street sells baseball collectables and many of the streets sell Yankee memorablia since it is in the state of New York. The baseball Hall of Fame is very similar to other hall of fame sites in that it has memories from the past of the ancient days when baseball was played. There is glass display after display showing famous relics from famous players. One section contains the first playing days of baseball when men used their bare hands to field the ball and bats were of cheap wood that shattered easily. Umpires wore suits and men like Wagner Doubleday were revered by their peers for getting the game of baseball off of the ground and into the minds of the public. There are many displays to be viewed by the public including one that show cases the transformation of baseball player uniforms and how names were stiched onto the back’s of jerseys and how the yankees’ pinstripes became popular. The change is catcher gear is also shown as the gear became more and more safer over the years. A baseball is also analyzed by its insides of stiching and sewn material.
Another exhibit contains a movie screen with clips from past world series baseball games or inspiring player performances such as Mr. October, Reggie Jackson hits three homers in one game in the playoffs. Another section has all of the perfect games and no-hitters thrown by pitchers throughout the course of baseball. You can see how many CY-Young winners pitched perfect games and against which team it was. You can also view the movie clips of the home run chases by Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa.
The basketball and baseball hall of fames were both exceptional places and i was glad i went to both of them. I recommend you visit them sometime and make a vacation out of it.
