By Justin Woodard ‘19
The most fabled room in the Baseball Hall of Fame is the plaque room, which marks enshrinement of all the great legends of baseball history. It is the only room in Cooperstown that does its best to appear grand and all-inspiring with marble pillars, marble flooring, bronze plaques, and 
approximately a twenty-five foot tall ceiling. The first induction class of 1936 is located on the far wall directly across from the entrance, in a way eternally watching those who enter their hallowed halls. Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, and Walter Johnson are ensuring that their room stays a pure sanctuary, where those who violated the game’s rules are not allowed a plaque and the honor of calling yourself one of the greatest. In the hall you will only find players such as Lou Gehrig, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson who succeeded through hard-work, perseverance, and natural talent alone. Joining those great players this year were Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, and Craig Biggio, who all embody the great values of hard-work, perseverance, class, and natural talent.
In addition to the plaques of the legendary baseball players there are two sculptures of Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, constructed 
in 1984 and 1985. These sculptures were constructed from a single piece of laminated basswood without any other materials. The detail in these two pieces of art is extraordinary as everything is recreated in the sculptures, from wrinkles in the jersey to the pupils in the eyes of both players. I was very impressed by the amount of detail and the overall dedication to excellence that is presented in the plaque room. The plaque room was a great way to demonstrate how the positive values of hard-work and dedication are represented in the many great ballplayers throughout the game’s history.
