Jasper, Indiana : Baseball Hall of Fame on the university campus
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I have visited several museums commemorating MLB players on college or university campuses around the United States, and I have published my visits to these museums on this website. ...In the United States, museums commemorating MLB players are often located on college or university campuses, which I believe is completely different from Japan. I am not aware of any examples of museums commemorating professional baseball player on Japanese college or university campuses.
Some U.S. universities have baseball halls of fame on campuses, which sometimes honor MLB players. ...This, too, is completely different from Japan. I am not aware of any Japanese university campuses with baseball halls of fame that honor professional baseball players.
This column is an account of a visit to a baseball hall of fame on a university campus in the United States that also honors MLB players.
In June 2013, while driving around the United States, I stopped in Jasper, Indiana. In this city, there is Vincennes University, and its campus houses the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame.
The campus of Vincennes University was so beautiful that it made me envious. Beautiful buildings, including school buildings, were scattered across the lush green grounds, making me feel like I had entered a fairy tale land.
The Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame was also located in a beautiful building. Entering the building, the Hall of Fame’s small entrance was immediately on the right. Unfortunately, the shutters were down, so I couldn’t get in. Oh dear, I’d come all the way here, and it’s closed? As I was at a loss, two middle-aged white women happened to pass by. I explained the situation to them and begged them if they could open it for me. At times like these, middle-aged women in the United States can be incredibly kind.
"Oh dear, that’s a shame!"
The two women said, and went to the Hall of Fame’s management office to discuss the matter. After a while, they returned with smiles on their faces and told me,
"Don’t worry. They say it opens at 11 o’clock."
So that’s how it was. It only took about an hour to wait. When I thanked them, the two of them left with happy smiles on their faces.
I went into the large cafeteria inside the building and ordered a coffee. The middle-aged white woman working there smiled and asked,
"Are you a teacher here?"
"No, I’m a tourist from Japan."
The woman looked surprised.
When I returned to the entrance to the Hall of Fame at 11 o’clock, a middle-aged white woman working as an admissions attendant smiled and said,
"I think you’re the first person here from Japan."
She opened the shutter for me. ...It was my lucky day when middle-aged women treated me kindly, anytime, anywhere.
I went inside the Hall of Fame. I later learned that visitors had to pay an admission fee. But I got in for free. ...Was the middle-aged white woman treating me specially because I was from Japan and didn’t charge me an admission fee?
The entrance to the Hall of Fame was small, but once inside, it was quite spacious. The first thing that caught my eye were the numerous reliefs on the walls. Each relief is shaped like a person’s face, and underneath it is the person’s name and achievements. I began to look at each relief, wondering, "Were there really that many famous major leaguers from Indiana?" After looking at them for a while, I realized my mistake.
Those honored in this Baseball Hall of Fame are selected by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association, so not only major leaguers but also high school baseball coaches, umpires, etc. are selected.
At the very back were two special corners, one for Don Mattingly and one for Scott Rolen, major leaguers from Indiana. These corners featured dolls that bore no resemblance to the players themselves, uniforms believed to have been worn by them, and device that displayed videos of their achievements.
Both Don Mattingly and Scott Rolen were great players. During his 14 years as a player, Mattingly led the league in batting average and RBIs once each. Rolen is known as a highly skilled defensive third baseman and has been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
As I toured the hall of fame, I wondered: Is there a baseball hall of fame in Japan where the high school baseball organization selects the people to be honored, regardless of whether they are amateur or professional? I don’t think there is one, whether it’s on a university campus or not. This difference between Japan and the United States may reflect the different levels of maturity, popularity, and establishment of baseball culture in the two countries. Am I overthinking it?
(If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)