Hall of Fame Homecoming: A special family experience

By Jose de Jesus Ortiz

If you love baseball, you won’t find a more magical place than the Otesaga Resort Hotel and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum during Hall of Fame induction weekend.

The Hall of Fame is open to the public. The Otesaga Resort Hotel is not. That’s where all the Hall of Famers stay during induction weekend, joined only by select family members and a few exceptions. The president of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America is one of those exceptions, and it’s an amazing treat to be on hand among the game’s immortals.

I had the honor of serving as BBWAA president in 2015, which was a special year for fans of the Houston Astros, which was the team I had covered most of my career. As a Latino and a longtime Astros beat writer, it was special to be on hand the year Pedro Martínez became the second Dominican player inducted.

It was perhaps even more special, though, to be in Cooperstown, N.Y., the year many Houston fans made the pilgrimage to see Craig Biggio become the first player in history to have an Astros cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.

A Legendary Weekend

The BBWAA president’s main role during induction weekend is to present the Spink Award winner during the Awards Presentation night. That was a treat, especially while sitting with Lou Brock and right in front of Sandy Koufax on the shuttle to Doubleday Field.

My entire family joined me in Cooperstown for induction weekend. My wife stayed at the Otesaga Hotel Resort with me. Our daughters stayed at a home nearby with my in-laws. They all had access to the resort, and they made the most of it while seeing all the legends during breakfast.

At one point, Nolan Ryan and his lovely wife Ruth were in the elevator with our family. My middle daughter Maya, who considers Ryan her all-time favorite player, loved how Ryan interacted with them and remembered them from spring training.

“Enjoy the Hall,” Ryan told my girls as we headed to tour the National Hall of Fame and Museum.

A few minutes later, Maya, who was nine at the time, told my wife, “Today is a very good day.”

Family Ties

The chairman’s Gala on Friday was a great reminder of just how close the baseball family is. Thanks to former Astros and Dodgers star Enos Cabell, a good friend, we were fortunate to be invited to sit at a table with Joe Morgan that night.

At one point, Eddie Murray stopped by. “Hey, Eddie,” Cabell told Murray as he pointed at me, “this (guy) is from Compton, too.”

We all then posed for a picture. A few minutes later, Rod Carew and Craig Biggio stopped to say hello to Morgan, creating an awe-inspiring trio of legendary second baseman.

Walk the Line

Life is fragile. Less than a year after the 2015 induction weekend Carew and Brock fought some serious medical issues. I kept thinking of our interactions in Cooperstown.

I’ll never forget the “walk-through” meeting on Friday when all the men who would be inducted and all the people who would participate in the Awards Presentation would sit down to go over their parts in those two events.

I’ll never forget how serious Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, Biggio and Martínez were about their speeches.

There was a twinkle and somewhat mischievous smile as Martínez discussed his plan, which proved to be a rare invitation of another Hall of Famer joining him at the podium during his speech.

Martínez, the second Dominican to earn a place among the immortals, highlighted his speech by bringing Juan Marichal up to the podium. It was a truly special gesture that was a hit for all the fans on hand from the Dominican Republic.

Houston Home Away from Home

Sitting among the Hall of Famers’ families, we also sat in the same row as Jeff Bagwell and his wife. As fate would have it, Bagwell was inducted into the Hall of Fame two years later.

But in 2015, he and Biggio were kind enough to pose for pictures with my daughters inside the Hall of Fame at a reception after the popular parade down Main St.

Since that visit in 2015, I’ve vowed to visit the Hall of Fame at least every other induction weekend. I was back in 2017 for Bagwell’s induction.

There’s no better place to be for a baseball fan than induction weekend, and I’m glad my family was there with me in 2015 for a behind-the-scenes look at the all-time greats.

Featured Image: Jose de Jesus Ortiz

Inset Images: Jose de Jesus Ortiz