COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Todd Zeile zeroed in with his camcorder and called over Ivan Rodriguez for a closer look.
They kept staring at the old, beat-up pillow — actually, the catcher’s mitt used by Hank Gowdy on Boston’s 1914 Miracle Braves — and could not believe their eyes.
“You would have to be perfect to catch with that,” said Rodriguez, a seven-time Gold Glove winner.
“I feel like I’m using that sometimes,” said Zeile, shaking his head.
Hours after the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Sunday, baseball’s present met its past when players from the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals took a late-night stroll through the shrine.
“You people are a part of it,” Hall curator Ted Spencer told the Texas contingent. “This is where all of you would like to end up.”
On Monday, they were to meet in the annual Hall exhibition game two blocks away at cozy Doubleday Field, the birthplace of baseball. Those teams were picked to come to Cooperstown to honor two of the newest inductees, Nolan Ryan of the Rangers and George Brett of the Royals.
But on this night, with the doors closed to the public, a lot of these players looked like little kids.
Two-time MVP Juan Gonzalez and his Texas teammates studied Babe Ruth’s bat and looked at Stan Musial’s locker. They marveled at the short-pants uniform the Chicago White Sox wore in the 1970s and stared at a picture of Eddie Gaedel, the midget who once batted for the St. Louis Browns in 1951.
A couple of Royals coaches pointed at turn-of-the-century, heavy-wire catcher’s masks and laughed.
“That looks like something Hannibal Lecter would wear,” one said.
Rafael Palmeiro stood at the far end of the main gallery, gazing down the long row of bronze plaques.
“It kind of inspires me, to see all of them hanging there,” he said.
At 34, the All-Star Texas first baseman has 2,096. Every eligible player with 3,000 has been elected to the Hall.
“I kind of walk through these halls and think, `maybe.’ It’s like a vision, it’s out there and I can see it,” he said, waving his hand as if casting a spell. “It’s way out there, but it’s within reach.”
Rangers reliever Danny Patterson held no such illusions.
“I can’t imagine being here, I’m in awe,” he said. “The only way I’ll make it is by giving up somebody’s 3,000th hit or something. I thought I might get a chance to do it against Wade Boggs.”
The Rangers played Sunday at Tampa Bay, then flew to Utica, N.Y., about 45 miles from Cooperstown. About 20 Texas players took the bus ride for a 75-minute visit to the Hall, and Ryan was there to greet them.
“I was kind of hungry when we got in, and I thought about going to get something to eat and not coming here at all,” Patterson said.
“It’s more amazing than I ever thought,” he said. “This might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.”
Kansas City played extra innings at home Sunday and then traveled to Utica. The entire Royals team made the trip to the Hall, arriving shortly before 11 p.m. EDT and leaving after midnight for their Utica hotel.
Texas was to play Tuesday night at Baltimore, and the Royals returned home to play Seattle.
Royals rookie pitcher Tim Byrdak brought his camcorder. He lingered in the new home-run exhibit, hovering over a case showing Roger Maris’ bat and uniform.
“It gives you an appreciation of the game you play,” he said. “It brings back the excitement of playing baseball.”
Royals pitcher Jay Witasick saw the one display that mattered most. In an exhibit on amateur baseball, there’s an MVP trophy of a youth tournament with his name on it.
“I knew it was here, but I forgot to bring my camera,” he said.
He remembered, at least, to stop by the gift shop on the way out. Along with several other Royals and Rangers, he picked up some shirts and hats as souvenirs.
Zeile narrated his own tour as he filmed — “there’s a picture of Babe and his car” — and soaked in the whole experience.
“To most guys, the history of baseball is what happened 15 or 20 years ago, things they can relate to,” he said. “I think players today are more interested than they would be perceived, but you don’t get a lot of chances to delve into it. It’s nice to be here and see the pioneers.”
One day, some of these players might wind up with a spot in Cooperstown.
Palmeiro and Rodriguez posed for a picture in front of Ryan’s plaque.
“It’s special knowing that I caught him,” said Rodriguez, an eight-time All-Star. “I’m trying to play hard, too, to make it here.”