HOF Induction Weekend advice
 

I'm a life long Braves fan and Hank Aaron collector. Visiting the Baseball HOF is on my bucket list. I missed the chance to see Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux, and Cox be inducted in recent years. Chipper Jones will be my last chance to visit while seeing a Braves player inducted.

Here is my question........... Is it worth it to go on Induction Weekend and stay way out in Albany. ?
I assume the crowds are insane and the weather is hot. On the plus side I assume there are tons of past HOFers present and signing autos. Maybe Hank Aaron even makes the trip to see a fellow Braves hitter be inducted...... as well as Chipper's Braves team mates who have recently been inducted.

Of course I could go on an off weekend, when the weather is cooler, the crowds are lighter, the tickets are cheaper, and I could stay closer to Cooperstown, if not in Cooperstown. I'm a fan of Ommegang Beer and their brewery is in Cooperstown. Hanging out there for a night would be awesome. Of course I would miss out on seeing living legends and getting autos.

Are the autos on Induction Weekend even worth it ? I mean waiting in line all day for 2 autos isn't my idea of fun. What is it really like ? If Chipper, Vlad, and Thome all get in for 2018 then I would expect a sellout crowd.

I'm looking for advice from people who have gone multiple times. What are the pros and cons to Induction Weekend vs. an off weekend. Any advice is very much appreciated.

I would be interested in this, too. My wife's Dominican and her cousin (an ex-minor leaguer) is married to Vlad's niece. So Vlad's family! :)
I'll let you guys know if I get to be part of his entourage. He should definitely get in this year; was very close last year.

This is will probably be very, very crowded. already Trammell and Morris are being honored and maybe ( according to MLB TV ) 5+ more next week. That would be a lot of inductees. Would be great to go.

Do it!
 

Russ--
I've made 10-11 trips to Cooperstown -- at ALL times of year and as recently as this past October with my son. I was there last July for the induction, which was my fourth induction weekend.

In my opinion, the "it's so crowded" argument is very overrated. Are the crowds big? Sure. But with that said, it's not hard to get around at all. The village is easy to walk around. Yes, you might have to pick your spots to eat lunch or dinner, but it's really not a big deal.

The one thing that is tough to do on induction weekend is to actually go into the HOF and spend time looking around comfortably. I've seen that the lines are long and heard it's packed (I don't really go into the HOF on induction weekend because of this). I understand that this could be a big deal for you if you've never been and you want to see the museum.

And I don't think staying in Albany or another similar place will be a problem at all for you. I've known many people who have done it and not had any issues.

My advice is to go this year for the induction -- you're right that you won't likely see another Brave in a while. Do it and enjoy the memories.

And make sure to check out the baseball card show at the VFW!

Regards,
Brad

A follow up thought
 

Russ -- I've told a few people this and they've had great success with it if you can swing it...

If your calendar is pretty flexible AND you don't really care about seeing the parade or the other activities on Saturday (or the VFW card show), then this is a good strategy: Make Sunday (induction day) your first day there. Drive to Cooperstown on Sunday morning, go to the induction in the afternoon, then stick around for dinner on Sunday night. Then spend Monday and/or Tuesday looking around town and visiting the museum.

The crowds are virtually gone by Sunday night and Monday is way less crowded. Plus, you can see the inductees' plaques on the wall in the museum.

A lot of the Hall of Famers do autograph signings on Main Street on Monday, with fairly short lines.

It's just a thought - you can avoid most of the crowds and still get to see a lot of the cool stuff.

I'll be there again this July -- Hope to see you there!!

I go to induction weekend every year. So I'll pass on some knowledge.

You are a little late in the game. Have you called the b&bs? Are you willing to camp? Hotels must be booked already. I camp every year about 10 minutes away. At this point they keep my spot reserved for me but I confirm early enough and leave a deposit. I bet you are still able to get a campsite. There are many in the area.

It's not a good weekend to go and expect to get quality time at the museum. You'd want to be there by Wednesday or Thursday. Friday is crazy and Saturday is crazier. Saturday closes early so the hofers get the place to themselves.

Autos. Free autos can be had at the golf course (I've never tried this but others I've talked to have had success). They definitely all play golf on Saturday morning.

MAB runs the biggest autograph show Fri-Mon. They usually have 40 plus signings. Considering the limited space and volume they manage it pretty well. It's at the Tuncliff Inn. You stand out on the street and they call numbers. You can spend many hours out there waiting. Guys are late sometimes because of golf etc. Guys will also leave early if they arent busy. New hofers don't sign anywhere until Monday. So if you want any of the current guys plan to stay an extra day and pay a premium.

Other places run autograph appearances too. Jacke Burke (in front of CVS) , 7th inning stretch, Safe at Home etc.

There are many card shops which is fun but the best deals can be had at the card show they have there every year.

I don't think this year will be crazier than ever. Maybe the Detroit fans will travel well. Braves fans just had a bunch get in. I bet next year gets worse with Mariano and the year after will break records with Jeter.

Solid strategy but I like the VFW card show. Also the environment is cool with all the people. But the museum experience stinks. So being there earlier in the week or through Mon/Tue is a good plan.

Stephen -- I agree with you about the card show -- I don't want to miss it. The people that I've suggested this strategy to in the past had zero interest in the card show or the Main Street shops in general. They simply wanted to see the induction and tour the museum, so they found it to be helpful.