Doubleday Field

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - His iPad teleprompter was balking on him, so Bill Conlin did what Bill Conlin does. He told a joke. "I don't want you to think it was hot today," he said, "but Pete Rose was reported down on Main Street selling autographed Slurpees - $5 for the autograph and $20 for the Slurpee. " Several thousand people who were gathered Saturday at Doubleday Field laughed. They were there, just down the street from the Baseball Hall of Fame, to honor Conlin, Marlins broadcaster Dave Van Horne and longtime general manager Roland Hemond for their lifetimes of work in the game.

Where: Cooperstown, N.Y. When: Friday-Sunday If you go: The museum is open Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Parking: Will be extremely limited. Recommended areas are the Blue Lot south of Cooperstown on Route 28, the Red Lot on Route 28 at Maple Street, and the Yellow Lot on Route 80 at the Fenimore Art Museum. Trolleys will be available and look for signs as you approach Cooperstown from the south on Route 28, starting in Milford.

They came in all shapes and sizes, both boys and girls. They were infielders for a day - for 5 to 8 minutes actually - as they got to turn doubleplays with incoming Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. And some of them turned it better than Geronimo Pena. "That's cold," Smith said, laughing. The former Cardinals star shortstop was at Doubleday Field yesterday making doubleplays for charity. Tomorrow, he'll be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame along with legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas and Detroit columnist Joe Falls (1:30, ESPN Classic)

IF THE PHILLIES need an extra pitcher, they can tap Hall of Famer Bob Feller. Feller, who is 90 years young, pitched to two batters in yesterday's Baseball Hall of Fame Classic at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. This is the first year for the game, which replaced the Hall of Fame Game exhibition between teams of active players. Commissioner Bud Selig decided it had become too difficult to squeeze in the extra game each season. Yesterday's game, which included five Hall of Famers and nearly two dozen former big-leaguers, was far more entertaining than a meaningless exhibition.

By this time next week, thousands of baseball fans will be painting the crowded, narrow streets of Cooperstown, N.Y., red. Red as in the color of Phillies caps, Phillies T-shirts and Phillies jackets. With two of the team's greatest players being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, red will be the dominant color in the beautiful village where, it is said, Abner Doubleday invented the game, giving nary a thought to seven- figure contracts and labor disputes. If this year follows form, Phillies fans will descend on the mystical town by private car and chartered bus to rejoice as Richie Ashburn and Mike Schmidt receive baseball's highest individual honor.

Pat Brett won't hit any home runs, strike out any batters, or make any diving catches for the La Salle High baseball team. Chances of those things happening ended when Brett passed out during an eighth-grade basketball practice. Five days later, he received a pacemaker to keep his heart, which had been damaged since birth, beating. So the La Salle freshman - 18 months removed from that heart operation - does what he can for the Explorers. He tends the scorebook. He makes sure the scoreboard is up to date.

Dave Wilshere can be found most afternoons in his small, cluttered office in the Doubleday Field grandstands, the ghosts of baseball whistling in the rafters. "Had a lot of rain here lately," the ruddy groundskeeper says, fingers hooked through belt loops. The son of former Philadelphia Athletics pitcher "Whitey" Wilshere ("my Dad worked for Connie Mack in the mid-'30s," he says proudly), he strides through the aging, elegant grandstands and lets his eyes critically scan the sodden outfield.

End of an era? On Monday, the Padres and Cubs will play what could be the final Hall of Fame Game - an exhibition contest to raise funds for the Hall of Fame - at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. In January, Major League Baseball announced the cancellation of the game, which has been played since 1940. According to Tigers president Dave Dombrowski, the players association bargained for this change. One Cooperstown native, Kristian Connolly, has created a Web site, www.savethefamegame.

Funny things happen when two high school teams play in the shadow of the Baseball Hall of Fame. For one, La Salle High's C.J. Tuman tried to get permission from head coach Joe Parisi to point to the outfield stands - a la Babe Ruth - before he strided to the plate to pinch-hit in the sixth inning of yesterday's game against Hudson Catholic (N.J.). "He throws righthanded," Parisi said before Tuman struck out, "but he bats lefthanded and thinks lefthanded. " Junior pitcher Scott Beard strolled to the mound in the fifth inning to the chants of "Let's go, Babe" from La Salle fans.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - His iPad teleprompter was balking on him, so Bill Conlin did what Bill Conlin does. He told a joke. "I don't want you to think it was hot today," he said, "but Pete Rose was reported down on Main Street selling autographed Slurpees - $5 for the autograph and $20 for the Slurpee. " Several thousand people who were gathered Saturday at Doubleday Field laughed. They were there, just down the street from the Baseball Hall of Fame, to honor Conlin, Marlins broadcaster Dave Van Horne and longtime general manager Roland Hemond for their lifetimes of work in the game.

Where: Cooperstown, N.Y. When: Friday-Sunday If you go: The museum is open Friday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Parking: Will be extremely limited. Recommended areas are the Blue Lot south of Cooperstown on Route 28, the Red Lot on Route 28 at Maple Street, and the Yellow Lot on Route 80 at the Fenimore Art Museum. Trolleys will be available and look for signs as you approach Cooperstown from the south on Route 28, starting in Milford.

SOMEDAY SOON, maybe not this year but certainly by next summer, a busload of Phillies minor leaguers will take a field trip. Destination: Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. When they arrive, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Reading Phillies will be given a personalized guided tour of one of baseball's special places. And this will be about more than taking a break from the daily grind. The Phillies, as an organization, realize the value of having their young players connect to the history of their sport.

IF THE PHILLIES need an extra pitcher, they can tap Hall of Famer Bob Feller. Feller, who is 90 years young, pitched to two batters in yesterday's Baseball Hall of Fame Classic at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. This is the first year for the game, which replaced the Hall of Fame Game exhibition between teams of active players. Commissioner Bud Selig decided it had become too difficult to squeeze in the extra game each season. Yesterday's game, which included five Hall of Famers and nearly two dozen former big-leaguers, was far more entertaining than a meaningless exhibition.

End of an era? On Monday, the Padres and Cubs will play what could be the final Hall of Fame Game - an exhibition contest to raise funds for the Hall of Fame - at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. In January, Major League Baseball announced the cancellation of the game, which has been played since 1940. According to Tigers president Dave Dombrowski, the players association bargained for this change. One Cooperstown native, Kristian Connolly, has created a Web site, www.savethefamegame.

They came in all shapes and sizes, both boys and girls. They were infielders for a day - for 5 to 8 minutes actually - as they got to turn doubleplays with incoming Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith. And some of them turned it better than Geronimo Pena. "That's cold," Smith said, laughing. The former Cardinals star shortstop was at Doubleday Field yesterday making doubleplays for charity. Tomorrow, he'll be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame along with legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas and Detroit columnist Joe Falls (1:30, ESPN Classic)

Funny things happen when two high school teams play in the shadow of the Baseball Hall of Fame. For one, La Salle High's C.J. Tuman tried to get permission from head coach Joe Parisi to point to the outfield stands - a la Babe Ruth - before he strided to the plate to pinch-hit in the sixth inning of yesterday's game against Hudson Catholic (N.J.). "He throws righthanded," Parisi said before Tuman struck out, "but he bats lefthanded and thinks lefthanded. " Junior pitcher Scott Beard strolled to the mound in the fifth inning to the chants of "Let's go, Babe" from La Salle fans.

Pat Brett won't hit any home runs, strike out any batters, or make any diving catches for the La Salle High baseball team. Chances of those things happening ended when Brett passed out during an eighth-grade basketball practice. Five days later, he received a pacemaker to keep his heart, which had been damaged since birth, beating. So the La Salle freshman - 18 months removed from that heart operation - does what he can for the Explorers. He tends the scorebook. He makes sure the scoreboard is up to date.

By this time next week, thousands of baseball fans will be painting the crowded, narrow streets of Cooperstown, N.Y., red. Red as in the color of Phillies caps, Phillies T-shirts and Phillies jackets. With two of the team's greatest players being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, red will be the dominant color in the beautiful village where, it is said, Abner Doubleday invented the game, giving nary a thought to seven- figure contracts and labor disputes. If this year follows form, Phillies fans will descend on the mystical town by private car and chartered bus to rejoice as Richie Ashburn and Mike Schmidt receive baseball's highest individual honor.