Born in Illinois and raised in Southern California, Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount feels “right at home” in Cooperstown, New York.
In July, when Baseball Hall of Fame Weekend comes around, new members—the game’s greatest of all time, the crème de la crème—are added to the membership roll. They come from near and far to baseball’s most famous outpost in Upstate New York, a charming Rockwell-esque village that is home to less than 2,000 residents.
Last year, as part of the Hall of Fame’s Class of 1999, Yount celebrated 25 years of membership in baseball’s most exclusive club. Along with George Brett and Nolan Ryan, the Class of 1999 was the largest group of first-ballot inductees. Joining the standout trio of players voted in by the BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America), four others received the nod to Cooperstown immortality in 1999 by the Veterans Committee.
Until the Class of 1999, only the inaugural Class of 1936 had more first-ballot inductees
When contacted by The Epoch Times by phone at his home in Arizona on Wednesday, Yount was preparing for his annual trip to the Indianapolis 500 annual automobile race on May 25. The two-time American League MVP admits that, for him, motorsports and baseball are on equal ground.
However, Yount, 69, has the July dates of Induction Weekend circled in his date book. Seeing familiar faces, former contemporaries from both the American and National Leagues, fellow Hall of Famers, Cooperstown is the gift that keeps on giving.
“It’s such a gorgeous little community. I appreciate the beauty in it. I tell all the people who haven’t been there just how picturesque it is,” says Yount, a star player for 20 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (1974–1993). “Cooperstown isn’t easy to get to, but they couldn’t have found a more deserving place to build the Hall of Fame.”
With two months before the Class of 2025 will have their day in the “Home of Baseball,” Yount recalls planning his acceptance speech. Not fond of public speaking, the former shortstop-turned-center fielder understands the pressures facing this year’s class, which has five members. Having ‘done his time’ at the podium, Yount talks about enjoying a more laid-back visit after making the flight to Albany, followed by a scenic 70-mile drive to Otsego County’s most famous village.
“I sure do appreciate my time in Cooperstown now,” Yount said. “I was fortunate at my induction. I was the first to give speeches back in 1999.”
Yount, who along with three other former Brewers, has a statue on the grounds of Milwaukee’s American Family Field, looks forward to each visit to Cooperstown.
On Induction Sunday, after the speeches have been given and the newest Hall of Famers have been photographed with their plaques, there is an exclusive dinner attended by all returning members at The Otesaga Resort Hotel on Lake Street—a 10-minute walk from the Hall of Fame on Main Street.
The dinner takes on a life of its own. What is said at the Hall of Famers-only gathering, according to Yount, stays within the walls of the dining room.
“It’s a special evening for our group. As I’m getting older, time seems to be going faster. Seeing everyone in Cooperstown is so important to me,” he said.
When reminiscing and looking ahead to the next 25 years among his Hall of Fame brethren, Yount pauses to reflect on other celebrations held in his honor by the Brewers’ organization. Last year, on Aug. 18, 2024, the club flew Yount back to Milwaukee to mark the 50th anniversary of his first MLB season, as an 18-year-old in 1974. Along with throwing out the game’s ceremonial first pitch, Yount and his family once again saw his Brewers Wall of Honor bronze plaque that has been on display since 2014.
As Yount turns to discussing plans for this summer’s visit to Cooperstown, he drifts back to the memory of one summer when he arrived at a favorite eatery, the Blue Mingo, after driving along Cooperstown’s Otsego Lake, but then returned to his hotel by boat.
“It was two or three years ago. I had my grandson with us. It was his first visit to Cooperstown. My family had a wonderful boat ride around the lake. It was a fabulous start to the evening,” recalled Yount, who was one of MLB all-time greats to collect 3,000 or more hits.
“We drove to the restaurant and dined at a table close to the water. While we’re there, a car wreck happens outside the restaurant. The road is blocked. A couple eating near us, who came by boat, offered my family a ride back to the hotel. The water taxi was fun.”
When pressed for a specific, favorite moment from Induction Weekend for Hall of Famers, the Parade of Legends that takes place on Saturday evening is at the top of the list for Yount. With Hall of Famers sitting in the cabs of trucks, the caravan slowly makes its way down Main Street to the Hall of Fame. Baseball fans by the thousands line up on both sides of the street, waving, taking photos, and shouting words of thanks to their heroes of the past.
“It’s better than a ticker tape parade,” Yount said. “The closeness I feel to the fans in the parade is amazing. To know they travel so far to be in Cooperstown for that special weekend, they make me proud of what I accomplished on the field.”
As for this July’s Induction Weekend, Yount feels confident in saying that the Class of 2025’s Ichiro Suzuki could lead the way to a record-setting attendance figure for the ceremonies. Ever since the Hall of Fame building was dedicated in June 1939, baseball fans have been visiting. Yount takes great pride in being among the repeat visitors to baseball’s “perfect little village.”
