My 5 Favorite Baseball Hall of Famers.....

The Baseball Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown, New York. It is part museum, part church of baseball, and part fantasyland. It is a small town in upstate New York that is so picture perfect that you think you're in a baseball movie. It's not just the museum. The whole village is dedicated to baseball.  Any baseball fan would be thrilled to visit.

Cooperstown , NY. As pretty as a picture.

In a couple of weeks it will be induction weekend. That's the highlight of the year in Cooperstown. Former Cleveland Indian Jim Thome will be part of the induction class. I am hoping to go to that. But it's a busy time of the year so we'll see if that works out.

The Baseball Hal of Fame is, in my opinion, far and away the best major sports Hall of Fame. Part of the reason is because Baseball is such an old sport. Abe Lincoln knew what baseball was. Statistics have been kept since those days. While the game has changed somewhat, fans love to argue the statistics to compare Hall of Famers. Also for who is deserving, and who is not.

My personal rating system relies mostly on the eye test. Maybe I've seen them play.  Maybe I've seem film of them play. Maybe I've just read the stories. But I have my own favorites. Here is a list of my 5 favorite Baseball Hall of Famers.

Ken Griffey, Jr. was one smooth ballplayer.

• 5. Ken Griffey, Jr. - CF Played 1989-2010: Griffey was the closest thing to "The Natural" of the movies that I've ever seen. during his prime he was the most dominant player in baseball. He was a slugger, finishing with 630 HR's. In the field he would glide all over the field chasing down fly balls. I also liked him because he played the game with a smile. But he was human too. The last part of his career was injury riddled. That was sad to watch.

• 4. Yogi Berra C Played 1946-1965: Yogi did not look like an athlete. But his quick bat overcame any deficiencies. He was a 3-time AL MVP. But that's not why I like him. He was also a 10-time World Champion. But that's not why I like him. I like him because he was hilarious. His funny quotes are more famous than he was. He invented "It ain't over till it's over". And "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

A portrait of Babe stares at me when I go downstairs.

• 3. Babe Ruth P-RF Played 1914-1935: I tried to leave him off this list because he is such a cliche. I think the term "larger than life" was invented for him. The greatest slugger the game has ever seen. American legend. If there was only one member of the Hall of Fame - he would be it.

• 2. Ted Williams LF Played 1939-1960: A lanky guy who was hard to like. But he was the greatest hitter in the history of the game. He made it a science and even wrote a book about it. The last guy with a .400 batting average for a season. Another interesting thing about his career, and others of that era, was that he missed 5 season due to wars. He wasn't just signing autographs in the service. He flew jets in Korea as a Marine fighter pilot.

• 1. Willie Mays CF Played 1948-1973: He had it all. The definition of a 5-tool player. Another guy who played with a smile. Nobody loved the game more than Willie. He's the only HOF'er I had a dream about. In my dream I was playing catch with Willie on the sidewalk of my old house. One of my throws went bad. But Willie just went a few steps and snagged it. In my dream I told him, "You can still go get 'em , Willie!"

There are other I like, but those guys stand out to me. If you are even a casual fan of Baseball, and you ever get the opportunity to visit Cooperstown, you will love it.