A History of the Baseball Hall of Fame Ceremony
In honor of today’s Happy Day for Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven, and Pat Gillick…
There are plenty of books that analyze Hall of Fame elections and debate the merit of those who made it versus those who didn’t, but this is the only book that deals with the actual “party.”
Following a brief history of the origins of the Hall (mythic or not), Corcoran recaps each year, starting with the aforementioned elections, both by the writers and Veterans Committee, plus any special circumstances (e.g., Roberto Clemente’s immediate election following his tragic death in 1973).
He follows that up with brief biographical about the newest members; these are also available elsewhere. The real joy comes from his diligent research in covering the ceremonies, and the speeches. Even the greatest player is humbled by the honor and Corcoran relates the proceedings in a concise manner, without overly flowerly editorial comment.
If there’s one “negative,” it’s that such a book will always be incomplete, as each year — such as today — brings a new group of Hall of Famers into the fold.
is available on Amazon.com,
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