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Home Page   Local News   Local Sports   Community Calendar   Opinion   Editorials   Columns   Letters to the Editor   Archives   News Archives   Sports Archives	2-28-2007 `Save the Weekend' a better idea Since the announcement last month that this year's Hall of Fame Game will be the last in the nearly 70-year history of the game, there has been an attempt by some to save the Game. Cooperstown graduate Kris Connolly has launched the website, savethefamegame.com, and has been successful in getting politicians to join the fight, and fans to send letters to baseball and Hall of Fame officials asking them to reconsider. While we admire Connolly's passion for the Game and for his hometown, we think his mission and others like it are a little misguided. An effort to "Save the Weekend" rather than the Game itself would be more appropriate. Since the Hall of Fame Game split from the Hall of Fame Induction several years ago, the Hall and village officials have successfully launched a Hall of Fame Game parade to precede the game. The home run derby, which also precedes the game, is hugely popular with the close to 10,000 fans who pack Doubleday Field, as are the pregame autographs that players sign for eager youngsters. But the game itself has grown stale. Actual major leaguers may take one at bat, while the bigger stars leave before the game starts or don't show up at all. The game is generally a showcase of the teams' minor league talent. Cooperstown, and the Hall of Fame, can do better than that. We propose that an Old Timer's Game, featuring Hall of Famers and other retired major leaguers, would be just as popular, if not more, than the current format. This would allow the home run derby and parade to continue; Cooperstown's students to continue running the concession stands and raise money; and take major league baseball out of the equation. The Hall and the village, with input from the public, can plan the event together. So let's stop trying to save an event that is past its prime, and try to figure out together how we can move forward better than ever.
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