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• Founded in 1936, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Cooperstown, New York. There are currently 286 baseball players in the Hall, and each year, members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America and the Hall's own Veterans Committee vote on future inductees.

• Fast Facts

  1. On January 12, 2009, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice were elected to the hall of Fame
  2. First five inductees, 1936: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson
  3. Hall of Fame opened in Cooperstown in 1939
  4. Located in Cooperstown because Abner Doubleday originally believed to have invented game near there
  5. Ten players in Hall only played in Negro Leagues
  6. Lou Gehrig and Roberto Clemente only players to bypass 5-year waiting limit
  7. Hall open everyday of the year except Christmas

• Rules

  An individual can be elected to the Hall of Fame in one of two ways. The Baseball Writer's Association considers those players who have played at least ten seasons and have been retired from the sport for at least five years. The Veterans' Committee of the Hall of Fame considers anyone whose time in baseball ended at least 21 years ago, and their voting is not restricted to players, but can include umpires, executives, and managers.

• 2008 Inductees

  In 2008, eight individuals were inducted into the Hall of Fame: pitcher Rich "Goose" Gossage, managers Dick Williams and Billy Southworth, owners Walter O'Malley and Barney Dreyfuss, and former Commissioner of Baseball Bowie Kuhn.

  On December 8, 2008, Joe Gordon was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the veteran's committee of the Hall of Fame. Other players that were considered by not selected include Gil Hodges, Ron Santo, and Joe Torre. Gordon received 10 votes from the committee. Yahoo! News: Joe Gordon is elected to baseball Hall of Fame(December 7, 2008)

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Cooperstown Hall of Fame Discount | | Hall of Fame Tickets | Museum Tickets | Cal Ripken, Jr. | Tony Gwynn | Bruce Sutter | Wade Boggs | Ryne Sandberg | Babe Ruth | Lou Gehrig | Roberto Clemente | Hank Aaron | Willie Mays | Mickey Mantle | Duke Snider | Sandy Koufax | Tom Seaver | Reggie Jackson | Joe DiMaggio | Ted Williams | Major League Baseball | MLB Draft | MLB All-Star Game | MLB Playoffs | World Series | Joe Gordon | Ron Santo | George Kell | How to Throw a Curveball

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