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8-02-2007 By MICHELLE MILLER Staff Writer And, with a record crowd that was estimated at 75,000 by Hall of Fame officials, it certainly felt that way as Baltimore's Cal Ripken Jr. and San Diego's Tony Gwynn were ushered into the Hall of Fame. For many, this was their first trip to Cooperstown. Jessalynn Strauss of Oregon and her father Marty Strauss of Baltimore fit that category. "This is a once in a lifetime happening. This is Cal," said Marty, who has been a fan since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954. The Strauss's said they were anticipating a gigantic crowd for the Induction ceremony, but said nobody could really anticipate what "this many people would look like." Even though the Strausses said they were prepared for the crowds, they wish they could have a "do over." They said if they were to come again, they would have reserved seating by putting their chairs on the field before heading to Main Street to visit the Hall of Fame and shops. They said they did not realize people could do that. The Strauss's met up in Baltimore and flew to Albany where they stayed for Induction Weekend. Although they could not find seating close by, and had to sit in the field across from the ceremony, they were happy to be there. The Strauss's said they may never have another chance to see an Oriole player inducted. It was also Laura Thrush's first time and her husband Chuck's third time at the ceremony. They drove 9 1/2 hours to see their hero, Cal Ripken, inducted into the Hall and said it was "absolutely worth it." The couple said it should have taken them about six hours, but they hit traffic. Laura grew up in California, but became a Baltimore fan when she married her husband. She said her trip to Cooperstown was great and said, "Main Street was awesome." Chuck, 33, said he is a Ripken fan because he is from "his generation." He said he can remember watching him in the minor leagues. The couple have seen Ripken during many ESPN interviews and said they particularly like him because he is "a really good guy." Chuck said he believes Ripken and Tony Gwynn are two of the last "good guys" left in baseball and that is what made this year that much more special. Twenty-two-year-old Matthew Arbaugh said he and his dad Steve decided to make the trip from Baltimore to Cooperstown without a plan. Although Steve has been to every ceremony when an Orioles' player has been inducted into the Hall, he and his son decided to drive to Cooperstown Saturday afternoon and test their luck, and they got lucky. Matthew said they came up expecting to camp out, but they found a vacancy at a hotel abut 20 minutes out of the village. This was Matthew's first time at an Induction Ceremony and he said it was a "big deal" because he was a huge Ripken fan as a kid. Even though he does not make it to as many games now that he is older, Matthew said this year's Induction was expected and something he and his dad have talked about doing since he was a little kid. "I have been promising to take him for 10 years now," said Steve. Matthew said his dad normally gets seats pretty close to the stage, but this year there were more people than they expected so they had to sit across the street. "It feels so good to see the fans supporting Cal the way they do," said Steve. "He is just loved here." Brian Barnes, a Gwynn fan from Florida, flew to Albany and stayed in Johnstown for his first trip to the Induction Ceremony. He said he has been a Gwynn fan for about 20 years and told himself his first trip to Cooperstown would be when Gwynn was inducted into the Hall. Barnes said he was shocked at the number of people who gathered at the Clark Sports Center. "My trip to Cooperstown has been pretty cool," said Barnes. However, the 33-yearold said he didn't realize how small the village actually is. The Tederick family, who live in Howard County in Baltimore, drove five hours Friday afternoon to see their hero Cal Ripken inducted into the Hall. The family said they were at the Ripken's 2,130th consecutive game and at the game when Ripken retired. Garrett and Murphy Tederick came prepared with signs and were excited because they were able to get Ripken's and Jim Palmer's autographs. The family said they planned for three years to come to the Induction. Cathleen Noel, of Hanover, Penn., said she made reservations over a year ago so she could come to the ceremony. She said she had confidence that Ripken would be inducted even though nobody knew for sure. Noel said she visited Cooperstown in May and that is when she realized "anyone and everyone" would be in Cooperstown for the 2007 Induction. She said that Ripken fans do not just come from Baltimore and she was expecting a large crowd. She even came prepared with tarps and blankets in case of bad weather. Noel said even though the Orioles have not had much success on the field in recent years, the fans have a hero in Ripken. "The numbers tell how committed the fans are," Noel said. Rob Tracy of York County, Penn. said he has been coming to the Induction Ceremony every year for the past 16 years with Kroust Travel, but said this year was special because his family absolutely loves Ripken and his wife June is originally from Baltimore. He said the family even named their black lab Ripken in honor of the ball player. Rob said there were obviously more people at this year's Induction compared to in the past. "Most of the people here are pure baseball fans," said Rob. "They will show no matter how many come." |
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