No question people are taking this induction ceremony seriously. Yesterday afternoon, exactly 24 hours before the proceedings were to begin, about 3,000 chairs had been placed on the Clark Sports Center lawn.
It looked like a pristine version of a Preakness infield party.
At 1:30 p.m. yesterday, a group of four guys from Eldersburg arrived in time to stake out their own spot, 15 rows deep on the lawn - about 60 yards or so from center stage.
"This is better than we thought it would be," said Mort Shuman, a 37-year-old business analyst.
His buddy Jody Madron, 36, organized the trek from Maryland. He was going to be part of a bus trip, but his wife was due with twins about this time.
He had to pull out of that trip, but when his wife delivered two weeks early, his voyage to Cooperstown got new life. Shuman and Dave Burrows, 34, joined, even though Burrows had to drive back from a family vacation in South Carolina on Friday.
Then, late Friday night, they added Tony DiVenti, 40, to the road trip. Within 12 hours, he had to be ready to go, and by 8 a.m. yesterday, they were on the highway.