Cooperstown, New York : The wonderful eleven days I spent
- Makio Mukai
- Jul 18
- 7 min read
July 20, 2016. I was so excited to leave Japan and head to the US. The time had finally come to realize my long-held dream. Being old, I just didn't think I'd get another chance.
The US mainland is roughly rectangular in shape. I had been dreaming for a long time to drive through all states on the four sides of that rectangle, that is, all the states on the edge of the US mainland over the course of six weeks. Obviously, there was no deeper meaning to this. I just thought I might be able to get a feel for the vastness of the US.
After arriving in Houston, Texas, at the southern tip of the US mainland, I rented a car and drove east along the Gulf of Mexico (now the Gulf of America). When I reached Florida, at the southeastern tip, I headed north. I drove through one state after another on the east coast. And on July 29, I arrived in Cooperstown, New York. The city is also known as the sacred place of baseball, with the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Up until this point, things had gone just as I expected.
Ichiro had hit a double as a pinch hitter the day before, leaving him just two hits away from reaching 3,000 hits in his major league career. It is said that if a major leaguer achieves 3,000 hits, he will surely be honored with being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the future. As an avid Ichiro fan, I wanted to be in Cooperstown to witness the moment Ichiro achieved his 3,000th hit.
I had been making drives to realize my long-held dream, anticipating the day when Ichiro would achieve his 3,000th hit. It was fantastic that I had come to Cooperstown just as I had predicted, with just two hits left. I was sure I could resume my drive trip after spending two or three days in Cooperstown.
But things didn't go so well for me. It seemed like days were passing without Ichiro achieving 3,000 hits. I thought, "I can't achieve my long-held dream and Ichiro at the same time." It seemed to be true that "He who chases two rabbits catches neither," so I had no choice but to choose one. I was wondering which one to choose. I chose Ichiro and ended up spending 11 days in Cooperstown. During that time, I went to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum every day.
Although I gave up on my long-held dream, I don't regret it. The 11 days I spent in Cooperstown waiting for Ichiro to achieve his feat became wonderful memories.
Days passed with only two left. During that time, I became familiar with all the vast amount of exhibits in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. I also took lots of photos.
On July 31, the third day of my stay, I noticed that if I operate the record display device on the third floor, it displays the total number of hits of active major leaguers. Of course, Ichiro's total number of hits was displayed as 2,998.
When I wasn't in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, I wandered around the town of Cooperstown and ate and drank at restaurants in Cooperstown. I was so sure that I had eaten and drank at every restaurant in Cooperstown. I felt like I had changed from a tourist to a local. Something happened that made me feel even more like a local. It was on the afternoon of the sixth day of my stay.
I was sitting on my butt on the road near the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, staring blankly at the people walking around town. I was dressed casually (or, more accurately, dirty and shabby?). I had a big paper cup of coffee between my open legs. Then, a cute white girl of about 7 or 8 years old suddenly appeared in front of me and held out her right hand to give me something. I casually took it, and the girl quickly disappeared as if running away. What? What on earth had happened? I realized when I saw what she had given me, because it was a one dollar bill. I'm sure you all understand by now. Yes, the girl thought I was a poor beggar with a paper cup for "receiving alms" and gave me the one dollar bill. Don't you think no one would do something like that to a tourist?
On August 6th, the ninth day of my stay, Ichiro hit an infield hit as a pinch hitter, leaving him one hit away from 3,000 hits. After the game, it was announced that "Tomorrow, Ichiro will be in the starting lineup for the first time in a while." When I heard this announcement, I immediately thought, "Tomorrow will be the day he achieves this great feat."
Then, on August 7th, the tenth day of my stay. I went to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and immediately operated the record display device on the third floor to display the total number of hits of active major leaguers. Ichiro's total number of hits had changed to 2,999.
That day, I had brought my computer to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The game started at 4:10 pm EDT, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which had an internet connection, closed at 9 pm. In other words, I could watch the game from start to finish inside the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum via internet broadcast. So, where in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum should I have watched the game? There was a room on the first floor with plaques honoring the Hall of Fame inductees on the wall, but part of the wall has blank plaques for future inductees.
I sat on a bench nearby and opened my laptop. I thought to myself, "Today, it will become to be almost certain that one of those blank plaques will be replaced with one honoring Ichiro in the future."
Well, the moment Ichiro, who had been out for three at-bats, hit a triple in his fourth at-bat in the top of the seventh inning, achieving a great feat, I shouted, "Yay!" But I immediately became worried. "I wonder if Ichiro will get another turn at bat and get another hit?" The display on the third floor didn't change after each at-bat, but instead changed the next day. So if Ichiro got another hit, the next day's display would suddenly change from 2999 to 3001. I wouldn't be able to take a photo of the memorable 3000.
In the top of the ninth, it was Ichiro's turn to bat. I shouted, "Ichiro, don't hit a hit! Please be out! I've been waiting in Cooperstown for 10 days, so please be out !" The result? It wasn't a hit. But it wasn't an out either. It was a walk. I was relieved, but at the same time I felt ashamed of myself. "I'm such a terrible guy for asking to be out."
The next day, August 8th, the 11th day of my stay. I operated the record display device on the third floor to display the total hits of active major leaguers, and Ichiro's number had changed from 2999 to 3000. I was so happy that I casually touched the column for Ichiro's name, and lo and behold, a large column introducing Ichiro appeared. It even had a photo of him. Wow, so that's how it was set up.
By the way. I went to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum every day, and on the second day a male staff member spoke to me. "You were here yesterday, weren't you?" How could he have known even though there were so many visitors there. Was it because I stood out because of my strange appearance? But that didn’t really matter. I answered, "Yeah. I'll come every day until Ichiro hits 3,000 hits."
The number of staff members who noticed me and spoke to me increased day by day. By the tenth day, it seemed like almost all of them had noticed me and spoken to me.
On that tenth day, after I paid the admission fee at the entrance counter (incidentally, it was $23 for adults, but since I'm old I'm a senior so it was only $15), the staff member, Ms. S (a slim, beautiful and dignified woman who seemed to be in her 30s) spoke to me with a stern expression and in a stern tone. "You come here every day, don't you? Be sure to come to me tomorrow with all your tickets. I'll make sure you become a member here with no registration fee. If you become a member, you'll have many benefits. For example, the admission fee is..."
And then, on August 8th, the 11th day of my stay, Ms. S took me, with my 10 tickets in hand, to the registration desk and immediately returned to her work at the admission counter. As I was leaving the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, I called out to Ms. S, who was sitting in a chair at the admission counter, "Ms. S!". When Ms. S turned around, I showed her my membership card and said, "I got it," and Ms. S leaned over the counter and asked for a handshake, with the most beautiful smile.
Every time I see my membership card, I always remember that kind and wonderful Ms. S.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown was a wonderful place. The staff were also wonderful.
The 11 days I spent in Cooperstown are the best memories for me.
Ichiro has been selected for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the ceremony will soon be held in Cooperstown. I would love to rush down to Cooperstown as well, but due to my age, I have no choice but to give up. There will surely be many people who rush to the ceremony, but among them, there will surely not be anyone who was in the Baseball Hall of Fame when Ichiro achieved the 3,000th hit, ensuring his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I was. I will be satisfied with that.
( I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)