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It will be heavily (and emotionally) SoCal when the baseball Hall of Fame inducts its new honorees this weekend. Former Angels pitcher Bert Blyleven goes in, and that means that Los Angeles blogger Rich Lederer will be on hand. His logical and unceasing case over seven years is the reason Blyleven was elected to the hall, and the pitcher invited the blogger to stand beside him in Cooperstown, N.Y. Forget the "Moneyball" movie, these guys could make a great baseball buddy flick — and they only met this year. Lederer's pre-flight post today:
My wife and I are leaving for Cooperstown this morning for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday. We will be joined by our son-in-law Joel and my brother Tom and his wife Jeannie this weekend. If not a baseball trip of a lifetime, it should prove to be an unforgettable memory for not only the honoree himself but all of us as well.
There will be a lot of baseball fans and bloggers applauding Lederer along with Blyleven.
Also, longtime baseball executive Pat Gillick will be inducted too. Gillick came out of the baseball hotbed of the San Fernando Valley in the Don Drysdale era, playing for Notre Dame High, Valley College and USC. He never made it as a pro, but he became one of the sport's most respected and successful general managers. Nice locally flavored story on Gillick and Valley baseball by Tom Hoffarth in the Daily News.