https://www.detroitathletic.com/blog/2016/05/25/how-baseball-hall-of-fame-plaques-are-made/
How are the Baseball Hall of Fame plaques made?
Detroit Athletic
If there is one feature of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum that visitors are the most curious about, it is the large, cathedral-like room known as the Plaque Gallery. Located on the first floor of the Museum, the Gallery houses the 310 bronze plaques that represent each of the Hall of Fame members. Of those 310, 25 had connections to the Detroit Tigers, either as players, managers, or executives. Among the group of Tigers are the likes of Al Kaline, George Kell, and Hal Newhouser.
The Gallery has become such a natural curiosity that the Hall of Fame conducts a daily tour of the room during the summer months. The tour is meant to answer the questions that surround the process of creating a Hall of Fame plaque, from the logo of the team to the likeness of the player.
So how exactly are these plaques made?
A few days after the results of the Hall of Fame election are announced, Hall officials gather to look at archived photographs of the player (or the manager) in an attempt to find a photograph that best captures the new electee in his prime. Hall officials will then discuss which team?s cap logo is the most appropriate in representing the greatest impact of the player?s career. The Hall will also talk to the new electee to gain his input on which team is the best selection.
Once those decisions have been made, senior officials at the Hall of Fame will compose biographical text for the plaque, usually in the vicinity of 85 to 90 words. All of this information is then forwarded to Matthews Bronze International, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. That is where the sculptor will begin work on the bronze plaque.
From 1983 to 2015, the plaques were sculpted by Mindy Ellis, who retired this past winter after creating 76 plaques for the Hall of Fame. The torch has now been passed to Tom Tsuchiya, who is currently working on the plaques for 2016 inductees Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza.
Working off a primary photo, Tsuchiya uses a soft, malleable clay to form the likeness for the plaque. A mold is then created, with the plaque cast completely in bronze. A few days before the induction ceremony, each new plaque is then shipped to the Hall of Fame, where it is kept under tight security. (A replica plaque, about a quarter the size of the original, is also made and eventually given to the new Hall of Famer.)
Since much of the process is secretive, the plaque is not seen publicly until induction day in Cooperstown, when it is revealed on the stage at the Clark Sports Center. The Hall of Famers themselves do not see the plaques until that moment, as well. Every once in a while, a Hall of Famer will ask to have his plaque redone, as Ted Williams once did, but most come away satisfied with their bronzed image.
Over the years, a few Tiger-related plaques have created special interest. Here are the four most intriguing, based either on their appearance or the choice of a logo.
Cobb Ty Plaque_NBL_0Ty Cobb: Visitors to the Hall of Fame will find Cobb?s plaque at the very end of the gallery, in a special section called ?The First Class.? Surrounding Cobb?s plaque are those of Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, Honus Wagner, and Walter Johnson, who were also elected to the Hall in 1936, the very first election. Cobb?s plaque is in the middle of the five?and for a very specific reason. That?s because he received the highest percentage of the vote among the five, higher even than the supposedly more popular Babe Ruth. (Cobb received 98.2 percent, while Ruth and Wagner checked in at 95.1 percent.) At the time, a number of writers regarded Cobb as the greatest player in history, placing more of a premium on batting average and the ability to reach base, than on the power of Ruth.
Like most of the early plaques, Cobb?s has very little in terms of written text. Early Hall executives believed in brevity. After listing his full name and his major league teams, Cobb?s inscription says: ?Led American League in batting twelve times and created or equaled more major league records than any other player. Retired with 4,191 hits.? That?s fewer than 25 words, in comparison with the 90 or so words that are usually featured on modern day plaques.
In regards to Cobb?s image on the plaque, some say that he resembles a Greek god. He also looks friendly, with a wide smile, but he can also be seen with his eyes squinting, giving him something of a ?Dirty Harry? quality. Cobb looks regal and dignified, a fitting tribute to one of the game?s immortals.
Anderson Sparky Plaque_NBL_0Sparky Anderson: Anderson?s plaque is the subject of some controversy. He is depicted with the logo of his first team, the Cincinnati Reds, and not the Tigers, with whom he managed longer. In actuality, this was Anderson?s choice. He was elected in 2000, the final year that the Hall of Fame gave new inductees exclusive control over the team logos that would be represented on their plaques.
That policy changed the next year, 2001, when the Hall decided that it would make final decisions on plaques based on where players and managers had the most impact. The reason? The Hall of Fame became aware that some potential Hall of Famers were signing contracts that contained clauses dictating what their cap logo would be years down the road. In other words, a veteran player would receive a bonus from his team for promising to put that logo on the plaque. Concerned that some players and managers might make decisions for financial reasons, and not based on what is truly representative of history, Hall of Fame officials decided to step in and change the process. Inductees would still be allowed to have input, and could make an argument for one team over another, but the final decision would rest with the Hall?s administration.
Anderson?s choice of the Reds is understandable. They were the first team to hire him as a major league manager, rescuing him from the relative obscurity of the San Diego Padres? coaching staff. With the Reds, Anderson would establish his reputation as one of the game?s great skippers, while also earning his ?Captain Hook? persona. Managing the franchise for nine seasons, he won four National League pennants and two World Series titles.
In contrast, Anderson won just one pennant and one World Series with the Tigers, as memorable as that might have been. His tenure in Detroit lasted double his time in Cincinnati?18 seasons to be more precise?but based purely on success, Anderson?s decision make perfect sense.
Visually, Anderson?s plaques is one of my favorites, from the lines that show his premature aging to the wide smile that characterize his role as an unofficial ambassador. In contrast to Cobb, Anderson?s plaque features 92 words, a reflection of the change in policy that was adopted during the 1990s.
Bunning Jim plaque 87_NBL_0 (1)Jim Bunning: Like Anderson, Bunning?s plaque does not feature the Tigers, but instead showcases his ?other? team, in this case the Philadelphia Phillies. Again, this was a decision that was left up to Bunning himself. His 1995 election and induction predated the Hall of Fame?s rule change regarding the plaque logos and who controls them.
So why did Bunning select Philadelphia over Detroit? After all, he spent nine seasons with the Tigers, and only six with the Phillies. Also, his lone 20-game season came with the Tigers.
On the other hand, one could make an argument that the most memorable moment of Bunning?s career was his perfect game, which came as a member of the Phillies. Beyond that, I suspect the answer has something to do with the latter stages of his career. After being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bunning found work with the Phillies, who were willing to take a chance on the aging veteran. Bunning finished up his career with two seasons in Philly before retiring on his own volition. When a franchise lets a player make that decision on his own, he tends to remember the gesture. Also, the Phillies remained loyal to Bunning by giving him a job as a minor league manager. For the next five seasons, he remained with the Phillies? organization, working his way up to Triple-A Oklahoma City, before parting ways at the end of the 1976 season.
Cochrane Mickey Plaque 183_0_0Mickey Cochrane: In some cases, the Tigers? logo has won out. ?Black Mike? played the majority of his career with the Philadelphia A?s (nine seasons total), while playing a scant four years with Detroit. And half of those Tigers seasons amounted to partials?44 games in 1936 and 27 games in 1937. Mickey?s career was ended (and his life nearly too) when he was hit in the head by a pitch in 1937.
So why did Cochrane select the Tigers? His managerial career probably has something to do with it. Those four seasons he played for Detroit he also served as manager. And then after retiring as a player midway through 1937, he continued to manage the team in 1938 before stepping down. Cochrane did well as a skipper, winning a pennant and a World Series before scoring four consecutive second-place finishes. That title was the first ever for the Tigers, surely a big reason he is so revered by Detroiters.
Cochrane?s image on his plaque is one of the more visually accurate representations of a Hall of Famers. The sculptor captures everything from his oversized ears to his long nose to the creases stretching down to his mouth.
A number of other Hall of Famers have connection to the Tigers, some memorable and some a bit more obscure. There are plaques for Earl Averill, Ed Barrow, Sam Crawford, Larry Doby (who played with Detroit toward the end of his career), Charlie Gehringer (who is turning to his left and thus the insignia on his cap can?t be seen), Billy Evans (who served as Tigers GM), Joe Gordon, Goose Goslin, Hank Greenberg, Bucky Harris (who appeared in all of 11 games for Detroit but also managed them), Harry Heilmann, Whitey Herzog (who played briefly for the franchise), Waite Hoyt, Hughie Jennings, Kaline, Kell, Heinie Manush, Eddie Mathews (a member of the 1968 championship team), Newhouser, Al Simmons, and Sam Thompson.
They are all on permanent display in the Gallery, on exhibit in all of their bronzed glory.
