Halls of Fame

Today marks the start of the Memorial Day Holiday weekend here in the USA, a holiday observed in remembrance of all the nation's fallen heroes in the various branches of the armed forces. While observed as a solemn holiday, Memorial Day has certainly changed over time to be known as a unofficial start of the Summer season, and parties, parades, barbecues will be in full force over the next few days.

While Memorial Day is about fallen heroes, we know that the idea of just what makes a 'hero' is kind or personal and even fluid. Heroes can and are found in all kinds of places - in homes, schools, community centers, and yes even in profession sports stadiums.

I'll be spending the first part of Memorial Day weekend on a short road trip to visit one of the most iconic and historical, (and uniquely American) places in the country - The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. The Hall is a kind of gathering place for those of us who (at least at some point), looked at baseball and baseball players as some kind of heroes. Now I know full well that sports figures can't be compared to 'real' heroes in the military, in public service, or those that bravely and anonymously do much more important work. But as a kid, those kinds of heroes, while I certainly was aware of them, were quite a bit more remote and inaccessible compared to the baseball stars I looked up to as heroes. And in some ways, when I go back to the Baseball Hall of Fame and look at the pictures and memorabilia of some of those players, for a moment I can see and feel really clearly back to my 10 year old self, when the results of meaningless mid-July Mets game meant the world to me.

Do sports hold too exalted a position in American society? Probably. Do we compensate too highly people that can hit a ball or throw a pass better than anyone else? Definitely. Do we go a little overboard by erecting museums and mounting plaques and statues in honor of ball players? For sure.

But I think the best part of these Halls of Fame are how they help us remember, even for a short time, the reasons why we played or watched the games in the first place, before we became consumed with 'important' things, and when anything, really anything was still possible. They are a look back, not only into the history of the game, but into our own lives in a way.

The Hall of Fame is a very cool place, and I highly recommend it to any baseball fan, or even any student of American History. The story of baseball is intertwined and essential to the complete understanding of the American experience in the last 150 or so years. And the little village of Cooperstown, NY is one of America's most beautiful places.

I hope you have a great Memorial Day Weekend!