By Ryne Turke
I finally made the trip to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Here’s my story with baseball and why I think you should go.
As a kid, baseball was everything to me. Any free moment I had revolved around the game. I played ball in the backyard with my family until the sun went down, filled hundreds of binders with baseball cards, memorized statistics of every player and watched the stars of the diamond like they were superheroes.
My dream of playing professionally never happened, but life has a funny way of taking you exactly where you’re supposed to be.
Instead of playing the game, I’ve spent the last 15 years in broadcast booths across Illinois, telling the stories of athletes from our hometown.
The Hall of Fame has been on my bucket list for decades, and this summer I finally pulled the trigger on making the journey with my brothers and our respective sons.
Cooperstown is everything a baseball fan could ever dream of. There is so much happening in this town of around 2,000 people. You’ll roll past dozens of vintage shops along the brick roads offering everything from MLB memorabilia to what might just be the best cup of chocolate ice cream in the world.
We popped into Doubleday Field to take in some baseball nostalgia, walked next door to the Wood Bat Factory to take some swings in the cages and grabbed
cowboy burgers for dinner at Cooley’s Stone House Tavern in our rain-soaked clothes. Be sure to put those three spots on your itinerary.
Ryne Turke stands with his son, Cooper, at the replica locker of the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.
From the outside, the Baseball Hall of Fame doesn’t exactly jump off the page — just a standard building. But the second you step through the doors, you’re transported into a scrapbook of baseball history.
The first thing we did, which is an absolute must, was attend a screening of a short baseball film featuring Hall of Famers sharing their baseball memories and what being in the Hall of Fame means to them.
To be honest, I held back a few tears reminiscing about my love of baseball while holding my son. The film is a perfect love letter to the game. Whether you play it or watch it, we can all relate.
The Hall of Fame features four stories of baseball history, and each room is another chapter of the game. We spent hours inside the Hall of Fame and barely scratched the surface.
Walls full of historic uniforms, championship rings and trophies, record-breaking baseballs, vintage cards and plenty of interactive fun for all ages.
One second you’re reliving the home run race between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Then, you’re whisked off to exhibits on Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron.
The main event of Cooperstown is the Plaque Gallery, highlighting the biggest names in baseball history.
Cooperstown has done a tremendous job making the room feel iconic. The pillars, lighting and marble floors make it feel like a cathedral.
Hunter Turke, front, takes a group selfie during their recent trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Behind him, left to right, are Reed Turke, Matthew Turke, Ryne Turke and Cooper Turke.(Right) The Plaque Gallery in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
You hear stories of the greatest players like Cy Young, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig and Roberto Clemente your whole life. When you’re in the Hall of Fame, for a brief moment, it’s almost as if you’re standing in their presence.
For me, it was my time to pay respect to the people who paved the way for generations.
There’s no bigger sports hero in my life than Ryne Sandberg. He’s the reason I love the Chicago Cubs, why I always wanted to play second base and part of the story behind why my name is spelled “Ryne.”
I must have stared at his plaque for 20 minutes.
Thousands of times, I picked up a bat pretending to hit a walk off home run at Wrigley Field. Decades later, I’m standing in front of the place where his career is preserved forever.
This was the reason I made the journey to Cooperstown, and it was oh so worth it.
More than 20,000 players have appeared in a Major League Baseball game. Fewer than two percent have earned a place in Cooperstown. Standing in that gallery makes you appreciate just how impossible greatness really is.
As I reflect on the trip, I think about my four-year-old son.
He’s too young to understand where he was. He was more interested in running his Matchbox cars across the floor and messing with the bobblehead displays.
He’s just a kid.
Maybe someday he’ll love baseball the way I do. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll remember something from our trip. Maybe he’s already forgotten it all.
That stuff doesn’t really matter to me. The older I get, the more I’m chasing moments over possessions. If you share that same philosophy, Cooperstown is the place for you.
Baseball connects us. It has for generations. It brings families, friends and cities closer together through moments of triumph, heartbreak and everything in between.
There’s a reason baseball is referred to as “America’s Pastime.” It’s not just a game. It’s the story of us.
Much like the game, our society has evolved over time. But looking back and honoring the people who made all of this possible is something I’ll always make time for.
If baseball has ever meant something to you, then do yourself a favor.
Go to Cooperstown.
