The Museum finished strong in June with 2,759 visitors on Saturday, June 30, the best June day since June 10, 1989 when 3,596 visited. Overall in June, 38,081 visitors coming through the turnstiles, the third best June all-time behind 1989 (40,883) and 1999 (39,237).

Overall, Hall of Fame attendance was 90,271 for the first half of 2001, trailing only 1999 (104,851) and 1998 (94,165).

April was another great month for the Hall, surpassed only by April of 1999 when the museum was still feeling the positive effects of the 1998 home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

"April is traditionally a travel month, so the fact we had our second best April this year is a good indicator that July and august will be strong as well," Hall spokesman Jeff Idelson said. "July and August are our make-or-break months and all indicators seem to be tracking a similar attendance figure to last year.

Idelson said the average annual attendance from 1991-2000 was 349,720 and that the Hall drew 344,008 in 2000, its eighth highest total.

Idelson said the retirement announcements of Baltimore's Cal Ripken and San Diego's Tony Gwynn has resulted in hundreds of phone calls and e-mails to the museum already interested in the 2007 Induction ceremony, which is sure to include both of those baseball greats.

"I started here in 1994, and the interest then was already building for 1999's Nolan Ryan and George Brett induction," Idelson said. "But the attention Ripken and Gwynn, and especially Ripken, has generated already makes the Ryan and Brett calls seem minuscule."

Idelson added that Ripken playing his entire career in Baltimore, easy driving distance to Cooperstown, makes it that ,much more likely 2007 could be the biggest induction weekend ever in terms of attendance.

"When Brooks and Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer were inducted, they were all very good years for us," Idelson said. "It's never too early to start planning."

On Aug. 5, Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett, along with Veterans Committee selections Bill Mazeroski and Negro Leagues pitcher Hilton Smith, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

"We've got a strong class this year and some very recognizable names coming up in the next few years," Idelson said.

Next year, shortstop Ozzie Smith, nicknamed "The Wizard" for his defensive acrobatics, longtime Detroit Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell and Andre Dawson, a member of the 3,000-hit club, headline the list of newcomers to the ballot.

A partial list of other stars to join the ballto in the next five years includes: 2003: Eddie Murray; Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith, Fernando Valenzuela; 2004: Joe Carter, Lenny Dykstra, Dennis Eckersley, Jimmy Key, Dennis Martinez, Paul Molitor, Terry Pendleton, Juan Samuel; 2005: Wade Boggs, Tom Candiotti, Chili Davis, Willie McGee, Jeff Montgomery, Tim Raines, Terry Steinbach; 2006: Will Clark, Gary Gaetti, Orel Hershiser.