When Ichiro arrives in Cooperstown for the first time as a Hall of Famer, there may still be snow on the ground. Many storefronts will be closed for the season, and Main Street will be scattered with snowman-bedecked “Winter Wonderful” signs, which mean nothing until you blink one late spring day and see they’ve been replaced with two hour paid parking signs. He’ll skip the wide, main entrance to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and walk up three narrow stone steps to the administrative entrance, stepping inside and wiping his shoes on the carpeted logo in the entry before climbing two marble steps to the executive offices.
Ichiro and the Hall of Fame, where he belongs
