WEBVTT - Josh Rawitch (5-3-26)

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<v Speaker 1>Well, last weekend was a great celebration weekend for Rick Monday,

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<v Speaker 1>who fifty years ago saved the American Flag at Dodger

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<v Speaker 1>Stadium wearing the Cubs uniform. Not only was Rick celebrated

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<v Speaker 1>at Dodger Stadium, but he's going to be celebrated the

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<v Speaker 1>rest of the summer in Cooperstown at the Baseball Hall

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<v Speaker 1>of Fame as the American flag that Rick Monday brought

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<v Speaker 1>back to Dodger Stadium is now at the Baseball Hall

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<v Speaker 1>of Fame and is going to be part of the

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<v Speaker 1>country's two hundred and fiftieth celebration out there in Cooperstown.

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<v Speaker 1>And right now is a man that was joined at

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<v Speaker 1>the hip with Rick Monday last weekend at Dodgers Stadium,

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<v Speaker 1>and he's the man, a great eight one eight man

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<v Speaker 1>from Chatsworth High School, and he is now the president

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<v Speaker 1>of the Baseball Hall of Fame, the one and only

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<v Speaker 1>Josh Rawitch. Josh, thanks a lot for the time, and

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<v Speaker 1>it was great to see you back at Dodger Stadium

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<v Speaker 1>last weekend.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks David. I love being a love representing the eight

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<v Speaker 2>one eight, but more Inportant. I love being back that

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<v Speaker 2>way and seeing all of you guys, So thank.

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<v Speaker 1>You, Josh. You've been around Rick Monday a long time.

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<v Speaker 1>Had you ever come that close to the American flag

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<v Speaker 1>that he saved back in nineteen seventy six?

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<v Speaker 2>No, I really hadn't. Honestly, It's funny. I was thinking

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<v Speaker 2>about this recently the twenty five years ago when he

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<v Speaker 2>was celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of this incredible moment.

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<v Speaker 2>I was a writer for Dodgers dot Com and I

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<v Speaker 2>wrote about it for the Dodgers' website. So pretty crazy

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<v Speaker 2>that quarter century later. Was part of the team that

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<v Speaker 2>transported it back here, and it's now in our vault,

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<v Speaker 2>getting ready for exhibit here coming up very soon in Cooperstown.

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<v Speaker 1>Can you share with us for baseball fans that are

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<v Speaker 1>coming out for the inauguration weekend for the new class

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<v Speaker 1>of this year's Baseball Hall of Fame and throughout the

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<v Speaker 1>entire summer the celebration of America's two hundred and fiftieth birthday.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean this, and this exhibit is a big

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<v Speaker 2>focal point for that. But all summer long, we'll be

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<v Speaker 2>celebrating America two fifty and it kicks off over Memorial

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<v Speaker 2>Day weekend. Actually going to play in our Military Classic,

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<v Speaker 2>which is a tribute to service and sacrifice. Obviously, he's

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<v Speaker 2>a very proud veteran. So we have several former Big

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<v Speaker 2>leaguers who are veterans that are going to be playing

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<v Speaker 2>in this game, and many players who played in the

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<v Speaker 2>Big Leagues who either had family members who served or

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<v Speaker 2>supported the troops. So it all starts Memorial Day weekend

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<v Speaker 2>and all sorts of cool events here, and we're also

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<v Speaker 2>going to have the opening of a different exhibit that weekend,

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<v Speaker 2>the Rules of Baseball, which go back to eighteen fifty seven,

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<v Speaker 2>literally the document that from the Convention of eighteen fifty

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<v Speaker 2>seven that codified baseball rules. So all sorts of cool

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<v Speaker 2>stuff for people to see here in Cooperstown. And then

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<v Speaker 2>he'll be back again Hall of Fame weekend in late

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<v Speaker 2>July to be honored once again for his dedication to

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<v Speaker 2>raising awareness for military causes and for that move fifty

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<v Speaker 2>years ago that saved the flag at Dodger Stadium.

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<v Speaker 1>That's amazing. And when you talk about having the rules

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<v Speaker 1>of baseball, were those written by Alexander Cartwright? What are

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<v Speaker 1>the rules of baseball? What do they look like?

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<v Speaker 2>So it really is in a way almost like a

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<v Speaker 2>constitution document. If you go to the Smithsonian or you

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<v Speaker 2>go to one of the museums in DC and you

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<v Speaker 2>see behind the really special glass. These were basically about

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<v Speaker 2>about fifteen pages or so that came out of the

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<v Speaker 2>Knickerbocker convention in fifty seven. So it wouldn't have been Kartwright.

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<v Speaker 2>It would have been a group of people who were

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<v Speaker 2>part of the New York Knickerbockers, and they got together

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<v Speaker 2>in February of fifty seven to try to start to

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<v Speaker 2>figure out, Hey, which rules we want to play by?

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<v Speaker 2>We all had There's a lot of different ways the

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<v Speaker 2>game is being played. And there's a gentleman in San

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<v Speaker 2>Diego named Hayden Trubet who bought these rules about ten

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<v Speaker 2>years ago or so and is loaning them to us

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<v Speaker 2>for the next five years. So rick flag is only

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<v Speaker 2>on display this summer. The rules of Baseball will be

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<v Speaker 2>out for the next five years here in Cooperstown, alongside

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<v Speaker 2>all sorts of other really cool stuff to come see

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<v Speaker 2>and do.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, of course, the Baseball Hall of Fame is definitely

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<v Speaker 1>a pilgrimage every baseball fans should take at some point

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<v Speaker 1>in time in their lives. And we're joined right now

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<v Speaker 1>by the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Josh

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<v Speaker 1>Rawitch and Josh Gosh. Obviously, the country's two hundred and

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<v Speaker 1>fiftieth birthday did not sneak up on you. How long

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<v Speaker 1>did it take to work with Rick and his wife,

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<v Speaker 1>Barbara Lee to plan on getting the American flag to

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<v Speaker 1>honor not only America's birthday but the anniversary of him

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<v Speaker 1>saving the flag fifty years ago.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, you're right, it's not an easy process, and they've

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<v Speaker 2>been very careful. It really has never left their possession

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<v Speaker 2>since this happened fifty years ago. So I think I

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<v Speaker 2>may have first mentioned it to him maybe three years

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<v Speaker 2>ago or so, I think when the Dodgers had the

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<v Speaker 2>All Star Game maybe, or at some point a couple

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<v Speaker 2>summers ago. And then it was last spring training. We

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<v Speaker 2>sat down for dinner and I kind of explained to

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<v Speaker 2>him the care and the tension of detail that our

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<v Speaker 2>team puts into making sure that it's safe, it's secure,

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<v Speaker 2>that it's in proper humidity and light and temperature controlled casing.

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<v Speaker 2>So once I think he realized he and Barbara Lee

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<v Speaker 2>understood just how closely we'd look after it, they started

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<v Speaker 2>thinking more seriously about it. And then just I guess

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<v Speaker 2>it was late last fall, Rick was honored by the

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<v Speaker 2>Bob Feller acta valor foundation in DC, and I went

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<v Speaker 2>to that event and they let us know that they

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<v Speaker 2>were on board. They were going to let us bring

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<v Speaker 2>this thing to Cooper's town. And honestly, everybody here is

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<v Speaker 2>so excited because it's just it's so rare to have

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<v Speaker 2>something that unique. I mean, it's just such a We

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<v Speaker 2>have an incredible collection of baseballs and bats and gloves

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<v Speaker 2>and all these amazing things from Dodger history and baseball history,

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<v Speaker 2>but this is this is about as singular and artifact

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<v Speaker 2>as you can get. There is nothing else like this,

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<v Speaker 2>and to have it here this summer is going to

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<v Speaker 2>be really cool.

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<v Speaker 1>When can fans start to see it? When can they

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<v Speaker 1>start to see this exhibit that you and the Hall

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<v Speaker 1>of Fame have put together this summer? What's the first

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<v Speaker 1>date of you know, fans wanting to plan a trip

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<v Speaker 1>out there to see all this.

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<v Speaker 2>So the Memorial Day weekend in May May twenty second, third, fourth,

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<v Speaker 2>We'll open the exhibit on Friday night in a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit of a private event, and then Saturday, which is

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<v Speaker 2>the day of the Classic fans are still tickets available

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<v Speaker 2>for that, So if people wanted to make a trip

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<v Speaker 2>for a Memorial Day weekend, I highly recommend it. It's

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<v Speaker 2>a really cool time and it'll run all the way

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<v Speaker 2>through Labor Day weekend. That's usually our kind of busy

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<v Speaker 2>season here in Cooperstown, and then we'll eventually return it

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<v Speaker 2>to him as we get into the fall. But if

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<v Speaker 2>you want to see the flag, you got to come

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<v Speaker 2>this summer. And then there's all sorts of other amazing

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<v Speaker 2>Dodger stuff here. I mean you can imagine every year

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<v Speaker 2>we collect artifacts from the World Series. So there's a

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<v Speaker 2>whole exhibit focused on the twenty five championship with all

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<v Speaker 2>sorts of cool things from Miguel Rojas and Otani and

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<v Speaker 2>Freddie and then you just go back and timed Jackie

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<v Speaker 2>Robinson and Campanella, Drysdale, Cofax, just artifacts from Dodger history

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<v Speaker 2>that would really blow Dodger fans' minds if they came

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<v Speaker 2>out here to see it.

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<v Speaker 1>And to get tickets to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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<v Speaker 1>It's simple. Baseballhall dot Org is where you can make

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<v Speaker 1>all your plans. And you brought up last year's World Series.

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<v Speaker 1>We did see you during the World Series last year.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you have from Miguel Rojas since he was

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<v Speaker 1>the hero to save the season.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's actually an amazing story. We really were a

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<v Speaker 2>little hesitant to ask for his bat, and had Freddie

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<v Speaker 2>had already confirmed that he was giving us his bat

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<v Speaker 2>from the eighteen eighty Games. So we actually asked Rojas

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<v Speaker 2>for his batting gloves and he had said, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I promise these to the patron saint in Venezuela. And

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<v Speaker 2>I said, well, we can't possibly ask you to take

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<v Speaker 2>it back from that promise, and he said, what if

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<v Speaker 2>I gave you the bat, which is really pretty special.

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<v Speaker 2>So we do have here on display Miguel's bat, alongside

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<v Speaker 2>jerseys from Shohey and Dave Roberts, and the glove that

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<v Speaker 2>Mookie used to turn the final double play off, all

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<v Speaker 2>sorts of cool stuff from not only that World Series,

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<v Speaker 2>but obviously the one before it, all of the Dodgers Championships,

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<v Speaker 2>the last out ball from nineteen eighty eight, all just

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, honestly, a Dodger fan who comes here is

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<v Speaker 2>going to have an amazing time and play some golf,

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<v Speaker 2>get on the lake and see America's most perfect village.

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<v Speaker 1>No doubt, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New

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<v Speaker 1>York is certainly a destination spot for every Dodger fan,

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<v Speaker 1>especially since history has been made seemingly every night the

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<v Speaker 1>last few years. And Josh, how about the two guys

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<v Speaker 1>that are going into the Hall of Fame part of

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<v Speaker 1>this year's class, Andrew Jones, but specifically Jeff Kent, who

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<v Speaker 1>you were around a lot when you were working for

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<v Speaker 1>the Dodgers. Is it surreal to be in contact with

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<v Speaker 1>Jeff Kent and be the guy that is the president

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<v Speaker 1>of the Baseball Hall of Fame when he's being inducted.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, that's a good word for it. I'm more than anything,

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<v Speaker 2>We're just happy for these guys. I mean, you spend

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<v Speaker 2>your whole career and in Jeff's case, arguably, if not

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<v Speaker 2>the greatest offensive second basement of the last fifty years,

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<v Speaker 2>certainly one of the top two or three to see

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<v Speaker 2>him get get elected. And he really wasn't expecting it.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, he really honestly was very surprised when we called.

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<v Speaker 2>And I think that makes it even more special. He

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<v Speaker 2>had kind of moved on to totally different life in

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<v Speaker 2>Texas and now all of a sudden, he said. All

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<v Speaker 2>these baseball memories come rushing back from the Dodgers and

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<v Speaker 2>the Giants, from the Astros, the Mets, the Indians. He

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<v Speaker 2>played for a number of teams, and Andrew obviously is

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<v Speaker 2>really well known in Atlanta, but he did spend that

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<v Speaker 2>one year in Los Angeles, and these guys are just

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<v Speaker 2>thrilled as well as Carlos Speltron. Lots of great memories

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<v Speaker 2>for him in the game and one of the better

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<v Speaker 2>center fielders and switch hitters of all time. So it's

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<v Speaker 2>gonna be a great class, it's gonna be a great

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<v Speaker 2>summer out here, and truly just honored to be a

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<v Speaker 2>part of it.

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<v Speaker 1>It'll be more surreal for you when number twenty two

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<v Speaker 1>is inducted into the Hall of Fame. Josh, that's when

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<v Speaker 1>life will really collide for you.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I've had a lot of friends who've already told

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<v Speaker 2>me they've started making plans and they want to stay

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<v Speaker 2>at our house. But yeah, being there the day that

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<v Speaker 2>he was drafted and now potentially seeing him in a

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<v Speaker 2>few years make his way into the Hall of Fame

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<v Speaker 2>here would really be pretty special, pretty unique.

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<v Speaker 1>No doubt I will be there, but I won't stay

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<v Speaker 1>at your house.

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<v Speaker 2>Josh, thanks buddy. We'll work on a hotel room for

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<v Speaker 2>you somewhere far away.

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<v Speaker 1>That sounds good. That's exactly the way he would want it. Josh,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks a lot for the time. Looking forward to seeing

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<v Speaker 1>how this exhibit comes together beginning Memorial Day weekend. Rick

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<v Speaker 1>Monday the American flag that he saved fifty years ago

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<v Speaker 1>part of an incredible exhibit at Baseball's Hall of Fame

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<v Speaker 1>in Cooperstown. And the man that has the vision for

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<v Speaker 1>all this is the President of the Baseball Hall of Fame,

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<v Speaker 1>Josh Rawitch. Josh, thanks a lot, and we look forward

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<v Speaker 1>to seeing you soon.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks Dave being on and talking to you guys. Take

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<v Speaker 2>care all right.

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<v Speaker 1>Baseballhall dot org is where you can get all your tickets,

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<v Speaker 1>set up your whole trip for the Baseball Hall of

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<v Speaker 1>Fame