Cooperstown, NY is the center of the universe.
Greg Harris, a former vice president at The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, revealed that maxim to me at our first meeting. Greg is now a VP at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH, where he now undoubtedly holds Cleveland in the same esteem. Back in ’99, baseball had thrown us together. John, Elizabeth, and I were frantically making our newly purchased Bryn Brooke Manor ready for that year’s huge Induction Weekend. Greg was patiently and diligently (as is his nature,) taking on the daunting chore of finding premium housing for thousands of America’s Game VIPs in a village of minimal bed space.
It was an offhand remark, and glib; one he doesn’t even remember making, but the more I travel the more credence his sentiment gains. Whether I’m in state or on the road, answering “Cooperstown” to the common and ungrammatical question, “Where ya from?” proves an excellent icebreaker.
Even non-baseball fans know of the not-so-readily accessible village Upstate. While some people show no glint of recognition, far more respond with “Really?” when I call it home, and then launch into memories of favorite baseball games, players, plays, and stadiums. Mention “Cooperstown” in Oklahoma, for example, and practically everyone has a story about favorite sons Mickey Mantle, Johnny Bench, or Bobby Murcer. Greg also once said that Cooperstown is a small town with long reach and, while “the center of the universe” comment was said facetiously, he is absolutely factual about that.
Not only do all baseball roads lead to Cooperstown, so do most opera avenues and, through its exposure in feature films and other media lanes, the Village of Cooperstown is a cultural icon. “Cooperstown” provides a comfortable starting point for the taxi driver, the CEO, the restaurateur, the farmer, or the teacher and I to connect our six degrees of separation. If they don’t recognize even The Babe, I can detour to Puccini. If there is still no nod of recognition, I jump to Natty Bumpo and Daniel Day Lewis. Do you know we have gorgeous golfing in Cooperstown, nestled as we are between the Adirondacks and the Catskills? Cooperstown is the headwaters of the Susquehanna River, you know. If nothing else, there’s the weather. I love watching Southerners try to fathom the answers to “It gets HOW cold? Y’all get HOW much snow?”
To all diligent Cooperstonians, from the high profile museum executives to the Mom-and-Pop shopkeepers, bed and breakfast owners, and all those who make and keep Cooperstown an enviable destination, you have my respect and gratitude. Your efforts provide an unparalleled letter of introduction that opens doors for me nationwide.
Great story Brenda. I don’t know about you, but I always feel a sense of pride, when someone on the national news, or on prime time t.v., or on ESPN mentions Cooperstown. It’s a good feeling. Maybe Greg was right.
Brenda, you have an excellent way of putting feelings into words. I love being in Cooperstown, during the holidays or during the rush of summertime some of us still get that feeling of something special that most of us can’t put into words.