Fifty Baseball Hall of Famers expected in Cooperstown, NY

July 10, 2009 - Gordon, Henderson, Rice to be inducted as Class of 2009

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Joe Gordon, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice will join baseball's most exclusive club at the 2009 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown on July 26.

The greatest players the game has ever known will be there to welcome them.

As of Friday, 50 Hall of Famers are expected to return to Cooperstown to welcome the honorees who were elected last winter by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and the Veterans Committee. The established high of 54 returning Hall of Famers in attendance was set in 2008.

Also being honored are longtime NBC Sports, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees analyst Tony Kubek, who will receive the Ford C. Frick Award for "major contributions to the game of baseball," and former San Francisco Giants beat writer Nick Peters, who will receive the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for "meritorious contributions to baseball writing."

Rice was named on 76.4 percent of ballots, gaining election by a seven-vote margin in his last year of BBWAA eligibility. Rice was named on 412 ballots to become just the fourth player elected by the BBWAA in his final try on the ballot.

Cooperstown native Eric Bliss will deliver the United States and Canadian national anthems.

The 50 Hall of Fame members expected to return to Cooperstown, as of July 10, are:

Sparky Anderson	Orlando Cepeda	Reggie Jackson	Joe Morgan	Tom Seaver
Johnny Bench	Dennis Eckersley	Fergie Jenkins	Eddie Murray	Ozzie Smith
Yogi Berra	Bob Feller	Al Kaline	Phil Niekro	Bruce Sutter
Wade Boggs	Rollie Fingers	Harmon Killebrew	Tony Pérez	Don Sutton
George Brett	Carlton Fisk	Ralph Kiner	Gaylord Perry	Earl Weaver
Lou Brock	Whitey Ford	Juan Marichal	Robin Roberts	Billy Williams
Jim Bunning	Bob Gibson	Willie Mays	Brooks Robinson	Dick Williams
Rod Carew	Goose Gossage	Bill Mazeroski	Frank Robinson	Dave Winfield
Steve Carlton	Tony Gwynn	Willie McCovey	Ryne Sandberg	Carl Yastrzemski
Gary Carter	Monte Irvin	Paul Molitor	Mike Schmidt	Robin Yount

The Induction Ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown starting at 1:30 p.m. ET on July 26, unless severe weather forces the event cancellation. Admission to the event is free, and seating is unlimited. The ceremony will be televised live on MLB Network, broadcast nationally on Sirius XM Radio Home Plate Channel 175 and will be available via a Web cast at baseballhall.org.

The Induction Ceremony highlights an action-packed weekend of events at the Baseball Hall of Fame, highlighted by the induction of Joe Gordon, Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice at 1:30 p.m. on July 26 at the Clark Sports Center. Admission to the Induction Ceremony is free.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Museum observes off-season hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.

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