Now, we didn't actually step inside the museum as that looked to be quite busy and smaller than I figured that it would be, so Fred and I decided to do the peripheral things around the induction weekend and just enjoy being around the fans and history of the sport.
I drove the hour plus to meet Fred at his home for the four-hour drive to Canastota.
It was a little strange for me because all of our past trips have been to the south and Fred (or any of my traveling companions) usually picks me up, but it only makes sense for me to drive north to avoid time wasting and doubling back.
Fred and I made just one stop before Canastota as we stopped at Sonic for breakfast.
I know, I hate breakfast foods for the most part (I do like a breakfast buffet two or three times a year), but I felt starved after all night on the couch watching tv and not eating.
Sonic is a great place because it's one of the few places that you can order whatever you like whenever you like.
I never understand how fast food joints can't toss a burger patty on a grill with a sausage patty, but so many refuse to.
Arriving at Canastota and pulling off the exit, Fred inquired whether that was the location or not.
I wasn't sure at first because physically (from a short distance), it looked like a big flea market with a few stands selling fireworks with a building in front.
It turned out the small building out front is the actual Hall and the other building is a gift shop and houses other boxing memorabilia.
Once we left the toll booth, we could see a boxing ring and an area set up to host what turned out to be a Q and A session.
I kept checking the Hall's webpage and it mentioned some events, but never specifically mentioned who would be at the Q and A sessions.
Fortunately, I had an ace in the hole.
Jason Christensen (who you might remember from the old TRS podcast and occasional caller on the Fightheads show) has a friend that I had met on an occasion or two and Gary was gracious enough to talk to me the night before and gave me some tips on the event with the Q and A session with the one person that I really wanted to get something signed by.
Because I didn't know for sure who would be there, I didn't bring a lot of items to be signed.
I had a picture of Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns ready in case I saw him, but I never did, but I had been told by Gary that a 10;30 AM Q and A was scheduled with Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales discussing their trilogy of great fights.
As a huge Barrera fan, he was the main target for me and as soon as I was off the phone with Gary, I was ordering Barrera pictures from Walgreens just an hour before they were closing.
We arrived in the middle of a Christy Martin Q and A and Gary saw us and chatted for a while.
Fred's knees were hurting so I had him sit down while I spoke to Gary, who kindly gave me a picture of Martin to be signed since I didn't have anything for her.
Martin was very nice in signing my photo and used Gary's blue paint pen, which I instantly loved and Gary was nice enough to let me borrow.
Gary then told me where he and I would be standing during the Barrera/Morales session.
It wasn't a great spot for seeing them speak, but it would put us dead in front of where they would be signing afterward for a short period of time.
Gary clearly knew the landscape as he put us within the first five people (we actually were first, but people are rude, Ha Ha) which really came into play when they announced that both Barrera and Morales would only be signing for a few minutes because they needed to go to the card show across town.
I ordered a 16 x 20 photo of Barrera that I was getting signed and I had an 8 x 10 of Barrera and Morales in action that Fred was getting signed for me and we waited to begin.
I really wanted a picture with Barrera, but time was short and believe it or not-I have a conscience.
If you remember my complaints from last season's visit to Scranton and the Goose Gossage appearance about people slowing up the line with pictures and not giving nearly as many fans as they could have a chance to get their stuff signed.
I just couldn't do that to others, so I had my picture signed and moved on although I did take pictures of Barrera sitting at the table, that was harmless and took no time off the clock.
Meanwhile, Fred is getting Morales to sign that picture (which I deliberately picked with Barrera landing a punch) and Fred reported that Morales scowled a bit at the picture before he signed.
Barrera, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy signing the same picture as is shown above.
We then left for the card show at the local high school, where I was in heaven around so many boxing items.
I could have spent thousands of dollars and I was really taken with a world title belt signed by two of my all-time favorites in Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran, but at 500 dollars, it was out of my price range.
My collecting budget is just that- a budget and I don't consider it being cheap, I consider it living in my means.
I just wish my means were larger!!!
I didn't get anything signed at the show, the lines were long and if I ever return for this weekend again, I'll be ready as I could have gotten many stars including multi-division champ James Toney, current WBA/IBF junior middleweight champ Jarrett Hurd, Leon Spinks and others, although Thomas Hearns wasn't there when I was, I would have waited for him.
I only bought a few things there and two of the three weren't boxing.
I added the late junior welterweight champion Aaron Pryor as the first of three autographed photos to go with the A-Train Artis Gilmore in game action with the ABA's Kentucky Colonels and former Pirate (and many others) batting champion Al Oliver on photos as well.
I was somewhat disappointed that I could not find what I was really looking for- a program and fight poster from the one bout that I truly could not choose who to root for because I was such a fan of both fighters, the 2007 fight between Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Nothing from that fight ever appears on EBAY and I was hoping to find some items.
If you read this and have something or know where they may be, let me know!
I could have stayed longer, but I had seen anything and Fred was clearly bothered by his ailing wheels.so the time was right.
It was getting time for a late lunch and Canastota isn't exactly loaded with options, so the easy place was Graziano's Italian Inn, across the street from the Hall
It has some boxing decor and the owner Tony Graziano trained both of the area's two world champions in Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus.
The food was ok, but the highlight came when Miguel Cotto sat at the table next to us as we waited for our meal.
I didn't have anything for Cotto to sign and my general rule is that if someone is eating, I don't ask them to sign until they are ready to leave.
I'm not saying that I wouldn't ever make an exception of that rule, but it would have to be a very special situation.
Fred wanted to have Cotto sign, so I told him to get him on a baseball.
I see those all the time from celebrities and in this case, it made sense.
Cotto had signed for others and he did for Fred as well.
I was happy for Fred to add such a star for his collection.
After a short return to the HOF for Fred to grab some souvenirs for his family, we were on the road to Rochester.
I was exhausted by this time and after arriving at the hotel, I needed a nap and agreed to meet Fred in the lobby for a few hours for dinner.
I didn't have much of a nap as I watched the two bouts that Showtime was streaming from the U.K., but just being able to stretch out and relax went a long way to being revitalized.
I also watched the local news as I like to do on trips as I 'scout' for future news stars to keep an eye on.
I didn't really find anyone in my other trips earlier this year, but you might remember my notes on Hannah Bueller in Buffalo last season as an example of this.
The Buffalo TV market is next to Rochester's and I wondered if Buffalo would have a presence.
That wasn't the case, but Rochester did have a prospect working her way up the ladder in Jeannie McBride.
I heard three sentences and knew McBride had to have spent some time in Ohio.
Turns out she's a native and was an Akron Zip and I tweeted her about that and before the show was over, she had tweeted me back.
Keep an eye on Jeannie McBride, just as I wrote last year about Hannah Bueller.
As I was watching the fights, I looked at TripAdvisor and saw a Duff's Buffalo Wings fairly close.
In Buffalo, Duff's isn't the originator of wings, but they are often talked about on the travel shows that go to the area as the best wings in town.
When we arrived at Duff's, the sign read our medium is hot, the hot is very hot and the very hot is super hot.
I asked for a sample of the sauce and frankly, I didn't think they were all that hot.
They tasted more like Frank's Hot Sauce, which is my go-to sauce at home and mildly hot, but not super hot.
I asked about their two hottest sauces Suicide and Death and was told they were hot.
I decided to split my order of boneless wings between Very Hot and Death-if you are "going for it", go for the top.
I can see why Duff's is the top of the New York wing list because they were delicious as well as their buffalo cheese dip with tortilla chips that Fred and I had as our appetizer.
After Duffs. I went back to the hotel for the night, where I watched the Showtime card from Los Angeles to end the evening.
It had been long and tiring and I barely made it through the Santa Cruz-Mares fight.
What a great time I had and I was so pleased to meet Marco Antonio Barrera!.
Thanks to Gary for all of his help and most to Fred for going on the trip.
I never figured on making the trip there, because I didn't think anyone would want to attend with me-thank you very much my friend for the companionship and the great day!
I would definitely do the HOF weekend again and I have circled the eventual induction of another all-time TRS favorite in Juan Manuel Marquez for a return visit.
Still another day to cover and lots of inbox items as well.
Back next time with day two in Rochester and the home of the Rochester Red Wings-Frontier Field.
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