The Baseball HOF yesterday revealed its Class of '15 -- Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Craig Biggio -- and since the players "each have a large fan base, that could mean a large crowd" for the July 26 induction ceremony in Cooperstown, according to Mark Boshnack of the Oneonta DAILY STAR. Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce Interim Exec Dir Matthew Hazzard said, "I wouldn’t be at all surprised if we got close to last year’s attendance (of about 48,000). It should ensure we have another good summer ahead of us." Cooperstown Bat Company President Tim Haney said that Red Sox fans "should be well-represented" with Martinez' induction, but he was "unsure whether other fans would travel." He said that "even if they don’t, people may come to the Hall later in the year to see the players’ plaques" (
Oneonta DAILY STAR, 1/7). In Houston, Jose de Jesus Ortiz notes the Astros have "already blocked a set of rooms in Cooperstown for induction weekend." Biggio is the first player from the team to be selected to the HOF (
CHRON.com, 1/6).
COIN OPERATED: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Eric Fisher reports the Baseball HOF in '13 "posted a net loss" of $1.46M, the 10th year "in the red over the past 12 years" for the museum. However, the HOF is "looking forward to a sizable influx of revenue from its highly successful commemorative coin program with the U.S. Mint." The HOF's fiscal loss "during the year ended Dec. 31, 2013," narrowed by 52% in comparison to a $3.06M net loss in '12. The '14 return will include $7.8M generated in surcharges thus far from "the first set of curved coins issued in U.S. Mint history, a series of gold, silver and clad coins marking the hall's 75th anniversary." That sum "is nearly equal to a year's revenue" for the HOF. The museum also has started to "reverse an extended attendance slide that will be reflected in future tax returns." Last year's induction weekend, which was highlighted by Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Frank Thomas and Joe Torre entering the HOF, was the "third-highest such draw ever for the event and the largest" since '07 (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/5 issue).
