The Annual Hall of Fame Game -- something that always piqued my interest because of the mental image of Major League ballplayers plying their trade at Doubleday Field -- will be played for the 68th and final time this June, as Major League Baseball has opted to end the tradition. The Hall of Fame game was the last standing in-season exhibition played during the Major League Baseball schedule, and -- in my opinion -- it's kind of sad to see it go... 



Tickets for the 2008 Hall of Fame Game will go on sale Saturday, March 8, with approximately 2,500 seats available through a one-day walk-up sale at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, while Museum members can purchase tickets by phone starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The 2008 Hall of Fame Game will be played on Monday, June 16, and will feature a pair of National League rivals, the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres. The Game will begin at 2 p.m. , with pre-game festivities starting at 12 noon with the Hall of Fame Game Day Parade on Main Street, presented by the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and the Hall of Fame. The always-popular Home Run Derby will commence at 1 p.m. at Doubleday Field.  

The 2008 Hall of Fame Game, an exhibition game and Cooperstown tradition since 1940, has remained the only in-season exhibition game for the last several years, and has been held independently of Hall of Fame Weekend since 2003. Major League Baseball has announced that this will be the final Hall of Fame Game.

Ticket prices are $12.50 for first and third base seats and $11 for outfield seats. Chicago will be the home team and will occupy the first base dugout at Doubleday Field. The Padres will occupy the third base dugout as the road team. Doubleday Field has a seating capacity of 9,571. Tickets will not be available for Internet purchase this year, due the commemorative nature of the event.

On-Site Ticket Sale: Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, approximately 2,500 tickets will be available through a one-day, over-the-counter sale at the Museum. Tickets are limited to six (6) per customer. Patrons will first be permitted to line-up beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, though access to the Museum will not begin until 9 a.m. Patrons must hold their place in line. Tickets will be sold until the allotment has been exhausted or until 5 p.m. ET. All visitors purchasing tickets to the Hall of Fame Game during the first-day sale will be admitted FREE to the Museum on Saturday.

Hall of Fame Members: Hall of Fame members will have an exclusive opportunity to purchase a maximum of six Game tickets per membership beginning Saturday by calling the mail order department at 888-425-5633, option 2, beginning at 10 a.m. Phone orders will be accepted until the supply has been exhausted or 4 p.m. EST, whichever comes first. Valid membership numbers are required for purchase. No member discounts apply to this sale. Should tickets remain after 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, members will have the exclusive chance to purchase tickets by phone from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. EST from March 10-14.

General Purchase: Only in the event any tickets remain following the one-day sale and member-exclusive period, those quantities will first be available beginning Monday, March 17 by calling the Museum’s mail-order department at 888-425-5633, option 2, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., EST, Monday through Saturday.

The Padres will make their third appearance in the Hall of Fame Game, going 0-2 in their previous appearances. In 1979, they lost to the Texas Rangers, 12-5, though future Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Ozzie Smith both saw game action for the Padres.  In 1997, Bill Russell’s Dodgers outlasted Bruce Bochy’s Padres, 16-8. Rickey Henderson, who becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2009, saw game action and central New York native and fan favorite Archi Cianfrocco won the Home Run Derby.

The Cubs will make their seventh Hall of Fame Game appearance, bringing a 3-2-1 record in six previous tilts to Cooperstown. They last played in 1995 and beat the Tigers 8-6.  Sammy Sosa won the Home Run Derby.  In 1988 they tied the Indians 1-1 with the lone Cubs run coming on future Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg’s first inning home run.  Appropriately the Cubs are playing the final Hall of Fame Game, having also played in the inaugural contest in 1940, beating Boston 10-9.  Both managers – Joe Cronin and Gabby Hartnett – went on to become Hall of Famers.  Ted Williams hit two home runs in the game, with other future Hall of Famers Jimmie Foxx and Billy Herman seeing action.

The 2008 Game marks the sixth consecutive year that it has been held independently of Hall of Fame Weekend, which is scheduled for July 25-28. Prior to 2003, the Game was held in con junction with Weekend ceremonies, as a stand alone game on the Monday following induction ceremonies since 1977.

Hall of Fame Weekend 2008:  Hall of Fame Weekend will be held July 25-28 in Cooperstown and feature the induction of BBWAA electee Rich “Goose” Gossage, along with Veterans Committee electees Barney Dreyfuss, Bowie Kuhn, Walter O’Malley, Billy Southworth and Dick Williams. Induction Ceremonies will take place on Sunday, July 27 at the Clark Sports Center, at 1:30 p.m. ET. There is no admission fee for the Induction Ceremony. Dave Niehaus, the winner of the 2008 Ford C. Frick Award, along with Larry Whiteside, the 2008 J.G. Taylor Spink Award recipient, will also be honored. Additionally, the first Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, named in memory of baseball’s great ambassador, will be recognized, with a statue of O’Neil to be unveiled during the weekend.

Open seven days a week the year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, the Hall of Fame is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. after Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. Summer hours are from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily.  Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children six years of age or younger, active and retired card-carrying military personnel. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.