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July 24, 2010

Hall workers' weekend a 'labor of love'

By Mark Boshnack Staff Writer

Baseball fans bring a lot of emotion to the game they cherish, so it should come as no surprise that for many of the people who have some part in this year's National Baseball Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown, their job has special meaning, too.

About 15,000 to 20,000 people are expected at the ceremonies in Cooperstown this weekend, as eight-time All-Star outfielder Andre Dawson, longtime umpire Doug Harvey and six-time division-winning manager Whitey Herzog are inducted into the Hall of Fame, Hall President Jeff Idelson said. About 47 other past Hall of Famers are expected in town, with Yankees great Yogi Berra among those unable to make the trip for personal reasons, officials said.

More than 200 staff and hundreds from the community work together to make the weekend a success, he said.

"Baseball has been a passion of mine since I could walk," Idelson said. It took him "three seconds" to accept his first job at the Hall when it was offered to him in 1994.

"It was a natural fit for me," he said.

Idelson said he grew up in Boston and went to his first baseball game at age 5 — a double-header at Fenway Park between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.

He also worked as a vendor at the ballpark when he was in high school.

"Baseball has been in my blood for a very long time," he said. This included a combined eight years working with the Red Sox and the New York Yankees before the Hall of Fame reached out to him, he said. He came to work in Cooperstown on his 30th birthday.

"While this is a vibrant institution the year round, the spotlight shines the brightest on Cooperstown this weekend," with planning starting the day after the previous year's event, he said.

"The entire baseball community pays attention," he said. "It gives us a chance to show the world just how special Cooperstown is."

With "a great staff," very capable of running the events, he is "part of the team," headed by Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark that will host the visitors that attend this weekend.

He said he hopes that people appreciate not only the Hall, but other attractions in Cooperstown and the surrounding regions.

Cooperstown resident Lucy Knapp has been the bookstore supervisor at the museum for five years. She spends about half a year working at a similar job in Jupiter, Fla.

She said she starts thinking about Hall of Fame Weekend when she returns to the area around Memorial Day.

"It's the culmination of the whole season," she said.

During the winter, she works at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, where the Saint Louis Cardinals and the Florida Marlins baseball teams play during the spring.

Knapp said what makes induction weekend special is the people who travel to Cooperstown.

"I do enjoy baseball and I like talking to tourists and visitors. ... Everyone is so enchanted with the museum," she said.

A Marlins fan, Knapp said she loves to talk about baseball in general, whether at the Hall or other times during the year.

"People are just so excited to be here," she said.

Catherine Walker of Fly Creek has worked in visitor services at the Hall since 1989. She retired from her full-time job three years ago but still can be found a couple of days a week helping people find their way around the museum.

"It's still exciting," she said. "You meet so many people."

She got involved through her son's participation in high school baseball. When he went to college, she talked with two officials at the Hall of Fame, who offered her a job.

"I like baseball _ but I love people," she said.

This is the first year she won't be working during the big weekend; she said it was time to give someone else the experience.

"It's nice to see people stepping in," she said. "There is a great staff."

At Clark Sports Center, where the induction will be held, several people were getting the grounds ready just a few days before the ceremonies. Ed Rangel, who is in special operations for Maryland Sound International in Baltimore, was working with a crew member to set up two speaker poles _ the same kind used in Times Square for New Year's Eve and at the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, he said.

They are unique to the company, with a narrower design so they can withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour, he said.

Rangel said he has been coming back to the Hall of Fame for 23 years for the job.

It's "one of the nicest places and it's a gorgeous town," he said. "Every person we've met has been extremely nice," including the tourists, he said, adding that, "it's nice to be a part of the event."

Growing up in Guam, baseball wasn't a part of his life, but he is learning over the years, he said.

Fitch Electronics of Pottstown, Pa., provides the sound for the induction. Owner Bill Fitch has been involved with the event for 15 years. His father started the connection several years before that. The Philadelphia Phillies fan said that his son is working with him now.

"We have worked for a lot of musicians," including Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks, Fitch said, adding that he was more impressed with the caliber of the sports stars he has seen over the years at inductions.

"This is pretty prestigious," he said.

Senior Communications Director Brad Horn said that the preparations for the weekend are "a labor of love."

For about a week, beginning the previous Tuesday, "it is like a marathon at a sprinter's pace," he said.

But "when you have the opportunity to do what we do, the word 'work' doesn't come into play," he said. "It is a privilege to play an important role, along with the rest of the staff, in executing an event that brings so much joy to so many people."

Horn has been on a path to the Hall since he was a kid growing up in Houston, he said.

He grew up going to Astros baseball games every weekend with his father when the team was in town. When he realized at age 12 that he was not going to be a professional baseball player, Horn took a different path to becoming part of the game, he said.

When Horn attended Texas Christian University from 1994 to 1998, he pursued sports writing and graduated with a degree in journalism. While at college, he first got an internship with a minor league hockey team and then an internship with the Texas Rangers baseball team. When he graduated, he became an assistant director of public relations with the Rangers and in 2002 joined the Hall of Fame.

"Its been a dream job every day that I've been here," he said.

Ken Meifert, senior director of development, oversees departments such as membership and corporate sponsorships, so he will be busy this weekend. He came to the Hall in 1994 with a background in retail operations.

"I was into baseball _ big time," when he was working in a Utica department store. His boss showed him an ad for the job opening, saying, "this is the job for you," Meifert said.

"It was a life-changing experience," he said. "We have a wonderful staff that works well together. I for one feel blessed to be here," he said.

Meifert grew up in northern Ohio and supports the Cleveland Indians but added that he is "a fan of the game ... I enjoy baseball."

No matter who is inducted, there is always a pretty substantial crowd for the Hall's big weekend, Meifert said.

"The energy is amazing. To be a part of that is very cool," he said.

He said he enjoys the friendships he develops with people who come every year, comparing it to a reunion.

On Tuesday, when the induction events are over, "there is always a feeling of relief that we made it through, but there's a little sadness that all those friends have gone home," he said.

Anna Wade, director of museum education, said her background included eight years as a first-grade school teacher in Washington, D.C. She spent a couple of years at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in museum education before coming to the Hall in 2008.

Wade said she "fell in love with Cooperstown," and loves working at the museum. "Seeing people light up (when they come to the museum) makes your job rewarding."

Hall of Fame Weekend is when the history literally comes alive, she said. "The tradition of the induction ceremony is so strong."

Wade said she loves hearing all the stories from those involved with the game during the weekend, during which she will participate in a variety of events.

"You couldn't think of a better way to be involved with what you do," she said.

The Maine native follows baseball but doesn't have a favorite team, she said. "I enjoy learning about all the teams. You are always learning new information," she said.

Tim Wiles is the director of research, and during the year he can often be found in the museum library. But for this weekend, he has a variety of jobs. The most notable will be dressing in an old-time baseball uniform and becoming "Casey at the Bat." He will recite the Ernest Thayer poem before Saturday's minor league game.

He came to work full time at the Hall in 1995 and started playing the part the following year, at the encouragement of the local postmaster promoting a postage stamp for the legendary figure from the poem.

Being a part of baseball goes way back in his family. His great-grandfather Ben Caffyn played 30 games for a major league team in 1906, he said.

That has been a big influence on his whole family, he said.

Wiles was working as a reference librarian at the University of Iowa in the 1980s when he saw an article about the Hall's head librarian, Tom Heitz.

Until he read the article, he never thought there was such a job that combines "the two things I really love," he said.

He interned in 1990 and got the full-time spot five years later.

"I don't want any other job," Wiles said. "Everyone here enjoys what they are doing."

Growing up in Illinois, he is a Chicago Cubs fan, but like other staff members, he shows no favorites.

"There are very few people who work in a place where everyone wants to be there," he said. Whether it's staff or visitors, "we are all into this."

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