A group of friends gathered last Friday night at a rain soaked campground just outside the village of Cooperstown, NY for a weekend that had been in the works for over a decade. All of us, just north of 30 and pals since high school, grew up in D.C.’s Maryland suburbs and were in town to celebrate the induction of Cal Ripken, Jr. into baseball’s Hall of Fame. The event was so much more than a weekend with the boys or a three day vacation. It was a pilgrimage of sorts, a chance for longtime friends to celebrate the career of our childhood hero. It might be of interest that one member of the gang brought along his family, which includes a 13-month old son named Cal.

Our story was far from unique as thousands of Orioles fans joined us in honoring Baltimore’s Iron Man. Cooperstown’s Main Street was teeming with orange and black throughout the weekend. Many Padres fans also made the cross-country trip to celebrate Tony Gwynn’s induction, but they were vastly outnumbered. As the weekend progressed, it became clear that the event was a pilgrimage not only to us, but to every one of the thousands that made the trek.

Photo from Hall of Fame website