I Went To COOPERSTOWN!!!

Where to begin?!

After my older cousin's Cooperstown trip being cancelled (#2020), I was understandably bummed at the thought that I might not get to go with this cousin. It looked dicey for a time but in the end I got to go and it was an amazing trip!

I did the most driving I've ever done on a trip! While not consecutively, I drove about 15 hours total there and back. I've been to New York many times in my life but never have taken this route and it was beautiful. It really is a magnificent state.

We stayed in a cute little cottage that my aunt got through Air BnB (the same one they would have used in 2020!) and it was perfect for what we needed. We didn't spend much time there, as we were at the ballpark or off doing other things most days.

My cousin's team played seven games and went 4-3, which is not bad! One of their players won the Golden Arm skills competition and my cousin made a couple of amazing catches in the outfield. The craziest thing was that it was actually quite cool while we were there. No rain during games other than some mist but one day, it was so cold, I actually bought hot chocolate! I've never drunk hot chocolate and watched baseball before :)

It turned out that Cooperstown is only three hours from my other cousins so I texted them and told them I'd be "close" if they had time to come over. One did have a free day and she drove over and we had lunch and got to spend time with each other in-person! We talk weekly, but it's always nice to see their face!

There were several little towns or hamlets in the area we were in and one is called Hartwick Seminary because it is where the first Lutheran seminary in the U.S. was founded and built! That was a fun little tidbit that I'd never heard of before!

Lastly, can you even go to Cooperstown without going to the National Baseball Hall of Fame? I can't! It was very cool and different from what I expected. First, the building was very old-fashioned and elegant. Then, I guess I expected that there would be areas for each team with items and records just about them. But there was a section about the history of baseball and a timeline of major events and then displays for every record you could think of. It is very well done and really cool. There are interactive displays and large screens where they play significant moments in baseball (Cabrera's Triple Crown win and Verlander's no-hitter in Toronto are on there :)

When it comes to the actual Hall of Fame, I did not know that there were people in there other than players! There are commissioners, umpires, broadcasters, other people who were significant to the game.

Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot this part! There is an entire section devoted to photography in baseball!!! That was super cool and special to me. I love both and love them together!

There is a significant photo dump below and you can see more photos in this post. I'm also sharing all the state license plates we saw just at Cooperstown!!!!

New York
Connecticut
Indiana
Florida
Virginia
Ohio
North Carolina
Texas
Missouri
Pennsylvania
New Mexico
Alabama

New Jersey
Colorado
South Carolina
Maryland
Massachusetts
Delaware
Georgia
California
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Michigan
Maine

Our Air BnB. It is actually bigger than it looks but it is small. Still, it was lovely for a vacation home.

Our happy boy! He had so much fun!

The scoreboard for the Opening Ceremonies had the year :)

Surprisingly, we were the only team from Michigan!

Their mascot is a baseball :)

One of my favorite shots of the whole trip!!! This is why you photograph basically every time he moves :)

They had mom and dad volunteers on the field to participate in the Opening Ceremonies. My aunt is the second to the left of the post.

The umpires got a part in the procession of teams.

Baseball tournaments have skills competitions. This is called Around The Horn Plus. The team has to throw the ball in a specific pattern all around the field and the fastest time wins.

You have to catch the ball, tag your base (they put bases in the outfield), and then throw to the next person. You get a penalty for missing the ball but you are allowed to continue.

Every game, I took a photo of the flag to show the weather and lighting. If the weather did not change, or I already had an evening shot, say,  I didn't take a photo. But I have four drastically different flags!

The fences are very short in Cooperstown because they want the boys to be able to hit home runs. Every time a boy hits one, his whole team comes to home plate to celebrate with him!