—
The late addition of slick fielding shortstop Ozzie Smith to the Hall of Fame line-up for its second annual Hall of Fame Classic this Sunday should add some pizzazz to this year’s game.
Smith, a 2002 Hall of Fame inductee, was nicknamed ``The Wizard’’ for his legendary fielding exploits. He set the tone early in his career in San Diego when he made one of the best fielding plays in history, ranging far to his left to field a sharply struck line drive, which hit the dirt and bounced hard to his right. Smith fielded the ball with his bare hand and threw the runner out at first.
He earned a record 13 straight Gold Glove Awards, and also developed into a tough out at the plate, finishing with 2,460 hits and 580 stolen bases.
But as much as Smith was one of the game’s best showman during his career, he has turned into one of its best spokesman since retiring. He is currently the Hall’s Education Ambassador, and routinely speaks with students about the importance of education.
This summer, he will participate in the ninth annual ``Play Ball’’ event at Doubleday Field on the Friday prior to this year’s Induction Ceremony on July 25. The event raises money for the Hall’s education department.
``Play Ball is all about giving back,’’ Smith said in a conference call on Monday. ``It’s an interactive event and it’s all about the people.’’
Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson said Smith can ``still pick it’’ and has been one of the Hall’s best ambassadors since his Induction in 2002.
Smith is just one of seven Hall of Famers scheduled to play Sunday along with 20 former major leaguers, including Jeff Kent, a likely future Hall of Famer.
Smith is still in great playing shape as is third baseman Mike Schmidt, who will also participate. The others include Gary Carter, Harmon Killebrew, and pitchers Phil Niekro, Bob Feller, Rollie Fingers and Rich ``Goose’’ Gossage.
The Hall is to be commended for putting together not only a great line-up of former players, but also an entire weekend of events around the game.
Our Opinion
Our Opinion: From showman to spokesman
- Our Opinion
-
-
Our Opinion: Enjoy the carnival
It does not look like there will be much snow, if any at all for this year’s Cooperstown Winter Carnival. Although many events are weather-dependent, that will not spoil all the festivities. As far as getting out your hats and mittens, you might want to dig them out. At least it does not look like the weather will be as abnormally warm as it has been so far this winter.
-
Our Opinion: Roses
Roses to Cooperstown sixth-grader Tom Knight, who once again might have the chance to compete in the state level geography bee. He won his school district’s competition for the second year in a row this year and will be taking a written test to see if he qualifies. One could wish him luck, but Tom said he feels more confident taking the test this time around the now knows what to expect. He also said he feels more comfortable answering questions on paper that out loud in front of an audience.
-
Our Opinion: Buying locally is right
We are happy to report this week that buying locally made products appears to be on the upswing in the Cooperstown area. We have long been a proponent of shopping locally. It stimulates the local economy, returns more sales tax to the county and is more environmentally sound. Buying locally made or grown products takes it one step further.
-
Our Opinion: Confused much?
As if figuring out one’s tax bill isn’t mind boggling enough. Now, with a two percent limit on property tax increases, there will be more brains flustered. It is not a simple calculation at all. In fact, the tax cap will affect each school district’s levy in various ways. So don’t think you will be able to take your bill from last year and just increase it by two percent. The process uses a much more complex formula eight steps, as a matter of fact.
-
Our Opinion: We’ll miss Nicols
Cooperstown Police Chief Diana Nicols will be leaving her job shortly and will be missed by the community. She is being retired by the New York State and Local Retirement System that notified her last week that she is “permanently incapacitated for the performance of duties.” The incapacitation is the result of a knee injury she received in 2008 during a training class.
-
Our Opinion: Roses and Raspberries
Roses to Cooperstown Central School graduate Molly Pearlman for putting off her college plans for a year to serve a 10-month term of service in the National Civilian Community Corps, an AmeriCorps program. She said her inspiration to participate in the program came from her father and brother.
-
Our Opinion: Looking forward
While many will spend the next few days reminiscing about 2011, we at the Crier are looking forward to next year. We are ready to ring in a new year and look forward to the events to come. Of course there are those events that happen annually such as the Cooperstown Winter Carnival,The Goodyear Polar Bear Jump, the Farmers’ Museum’s Junior Livestock Show, The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Father’s Day Classic and Induction weekend, the Pumpkin Festival and Regatta and many more.
-
Our Opinion: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus
At this holiday season, we take great pleasure in reprinting one of the classic newspaper editorials of all time − perhaps the best Christmas editorial ever written. It has survived the test of time and seems particularly fitting and poignant this year.
-
DEC should not dismiss findings
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the findings in a draft of a new federal report that links hydraulic fracturing for natural gas in Wyoming with groundwater pollution. Hydraulic fracturing is a process that pumps millions of gallons of chemically treated water into gas wells to fracture the rock and release the gas.
-
Our Opinion: Who would have guessed?
Much has been revealed during the baseball winter meeting in Dallas this past week. The Miami Marlins seem to be in hot pursuit of all the big name players to fill their new stadium, Manny Ramirez announced he would like to return to Major League Basbeall, Pedro Martínez announced he plans to officially retire, elections have been held and it appears former Red Sox manager Terry Francona is swapping places with the franchise’s new manager Bobby Valentine.
- More Our Opinion Headlines
-
Our Opinion: Enjoy the carnival
