After spring training, every game will count,
beginning in 2009.
The last in-season exhibition game will be played
on June 16 in Cooperstown, N.Y., between the Cubs
and Padres. After that, The Baseball Hall of Fame
Game
will cease to exist.
The first game was in 1940, the year after the
Hall was founded. It's sad for a tradition to end,
but you know what? Who paid attention to it anymore,
outside of the Cooperstown community? The game
didn't count, teams called up their minor-leaguers
to pitch in the game, and the big-league hitters
barely played at all.
Since teams rarely play doubleheaders anymore,
days off in the season are precious. And while the
players likely are happy about the decision, it was
Major League Baseball that pulled the plug.
Hall of Fame officials say Major League Baseball
decided keeping the game was too difficult because
of the complexities of the major league schedule and
"all its inherent challenges," according to the
Associated Press.
And the players didn't have a say,
according to the Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union.
"We were not involved in this decision," Players
Association spokesman Greg Bouris said. Tickets for
the final game go on sale March 8, but only in
person or by phone to Hall of Fame members.
In the future,
here's a good suggestion. How about an
old-timers game? Cooperstown could attract the best.
Photo: A man takes a photo outside Doubleday
Field in Cooperstown, N.Y., the site of the annual
Hall of Fame Game. This year will mark the final
year of the game.
