6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog: Induction Time At The <i>Other</i> Hall Of Fame

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Tuesday, January 04, 2005

Induction Time At The Other Hall Of Fame

Unlike the shrine at Cooperstown, the Baseball Reliquary toils anonymously, with a much lower budget. However, what it lacks in financial clout it makes up for in eccentricism; instead of Bobby Thomson's bat, the Reliquary offers instead a half-eaten hot dog and a partially smoked cigar used by Babe Ruth. (The latter Ruth notably consumed while being entertained at a bordello; in those days, baseball stars had a great deal more latitude when it came to horizontal refreshments.) Dodger-related items include -- and, actually, are limited to, so far as I can tell -- the Walter O'Malley tortilla bearing a likeness of the former Dodger owner, and a Jackie Robinson icon, an oil painting of the former Brooklyn great.

The Reliquary also sponsors touring exhibits, such as the Baseball Ballistic exhibit that closed Sunday in Pasadena. Focusing on anger in baseball, the presentation showed the efforts of four artists representing the finest in fury on the field, and included a piece about the infamous fight between Dodgers catcher John Roseboro and Giants pitcher Juan Marichal. No doubt but that Dodger Blues would have loved to have been there, and taken notes.

Induction for the 2005 class at the Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals is due on July 24, 2005. Unlike Cooperstown, "statistical accomplishment is not the principal criterion for election" but instead focuses on "the distinctiveness of play (good or bad); the uniqueness of character and personality; and the imprint that the individual has made on the baseball landscape." Voting is available to the general public, with "[c]omplete election procedures and rules ... available from the Baseball Reliquary upon request." I, for one, can't wait.

// posted by Rob @ 10:14 PM link // 0 comments