The Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown, New York, honored a standing request from recent inductee Jim Thome, who requested his Hall of Fame plaque be allowed to hang in the Hall of Fame Gallery alongside that of childhood hero Pete Rose.
With the museum being closed to the public today, the Hall unveiled the reorganized gallery placement via an online photo showing Thome’s plaque next to that of all-time hits leader Rose.
All-around nice guy Thome, who blasted 612 home runs en route to his 2018 Cooperstown induction, said he was delighted when the Hall informed him of the decision to grant his wish.
“When I was growing up, Pete was the best game in town,” said the jovial, country-savvy superstar. “He was electric out there, just this rock-steady bat and all that hustle. I grew up wanting to be just like Pete, so having my plaque up right next to his in the Hall is one of the biggest compliments I could ever imagine.”
Aside from the honor, Thome hopes the gallery move will persuade Las Vegas bookies to pay out on a 2+ year old wager he’d made about his placement on the gallery’s wall, a large bet that he’d placed at 6000-to-1 odds.
