Cooperstown's biggest weekend of the year is here, and it's a celebration of all things baseball — and many things Yankees.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame will induct its latest class Sunday, which includes longtime Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. He was the Hall's first-ever unanimous selection. He'll be joined by:

  • Mike Mussina, who pitched for the Orioles and Yankees;
  • the late Roy Halladay, who pitched for the Blue Jays and Phillies;
  • Edgar Martinez, longtime Mariners designated hitter;
  • Harold Baines, himself a longtime DH for five teams, most notably the White Sox;
  • and Lee Smith, a legendary reliever for eight teams over almost two decades.

How to get around

With strong New York connections, traffic could be even more congested this weekend, so it's important to note parking restrictions in and around the town this weekend.

The Hall of Fame and Museum opens at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, closing at 5 Saturday and 9 p.m. Sunday. The main event of the weekend, the induction ceremony, takes place at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Clark Sports Center. Shuttles to the grounds, from the corner of Main and Fair streets in Cooperstown, begin at 8 a.m. If you're sitting on the lawn for the ceremony, it's free of charge.

From the Hall's website, here is more information for fans headed to the ceremony:

  • Access to the Induction Site closes at 4 p.m. on Saturday and re-opens at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Chairs and blankets can be left at the Induction Site during the day Saturday before 4 p.m.
  • No coolers, backpacks or large items will be permitted until the site re-opens on Sunday morning.
  • Vehicular traffic on Susquehanna Avenue from Walnut Street to Bowerstown Bridge/County Route 52 and on Brooklyn Avenue will be limited to permit/local traffic only beginning at 8 p.m.
    on Saturday until the end of the Induction Ceremony on Sunday.
  • Use of drones is not permitted in the area of the Clark Sports Center and Induction Site.
  • All items carried into the site should be in a clear, see-through style backpack/bag. All packages are subject to search.

Aside from the induction ...

The baseball activities go beyond the six men being honored Sunday.

Saturday, the Hall will hold a series of "Conversations at Doubleday Field," talkin' baseball and beyond from noon to 3 p.m. at the stadium near the Hall. Former J.G. Taylor Spink and Ford Frick Award winners will speak at noon; Hall of Famer Bob Feller's commitment to the United States military will be honored at 1; and former Mariners players and broadcasters will reminisce about Edgar Martinez's career at 2.

Speaking of the Spink and Frick awards — given in recognition of excellence in baseball writing and broadcasting, respectively — they will be handed out at the field at 4:30 p.m. Jayson Stark of The Athletic is this year's Spink Award winner, while the late Al Helfer is the winner of the Frick Award.

 

 

Monday, even though the crowds have largely gone home, the inductees will still be around in the morning for a Legends of the Game Roundtable at 10:30 a.m. at the Clark Sports Center. Tickets for the event are $10, and $5 for children younger than 12. They're available at the Hall of Fame's information desk.