2:36 p.m.: Game canceled

Officials announced the Hall of Fame Game has been canceled.
Rain continued to fall at Doubleday Field, and lightning was seen several times. Hail was also failling.
Fans holding tickets can receive a refund by sending a request to the address on the ticket.
 

2:35 p.m.: Storm coming

The Hall of Fame Game had been rescheduled for at 2:30 p.m. start, but rain again fell at Doubleday Field and lightning was seen just to the north of the field.
Padres pitcher Greg Maddux presented the jersey he wore during his 350th victory to Hall of Fame officials just as the rain began. The tarp, however, did not come out this time -- leaving most of the field soaked with rain.

2:17 p.m.: National anthem sung

The national anthem was performed at 2:17 p.m., and the tarps were taken off the field three minutes later.
However, the black clouds continued to roll in from the north, and thunder could be heard in the distance.
Players continued to warm up in anticipation of a 2:30 p.m. start of the Fame Game.

2 p.m.: Total downpour

For about 10 minutes starting at 1:50 p.m., torrential rain and hail pelted Doubleday Field and the fans waiting for the Hall of Fame Game between the Padres and the Cubs.
The tarp on the field was littered with puddles, the basepaths turned into a quagmire and almost all the fans -- save those in the grandstand -- exited the stadium.
The sun came out and the rain ceased at about 2 p.m., but another ominous cloud to the north of Doubleday Field threatened to bring more rain. However, officials announced at 2:07 p.m. that the game would begin at 2:30 p.m.

1:43 p.m.: Fans asked to leave Doubleday Field

At 1:43 p.m., officials asked fans to exit Doubleday Field -- which was filled nearly to capacity at that point -- and seek shelter because of "imminent severe weather."
Officials said the Hall of Fame Game between the Cubs and Padres would start as soon as the weather improved. It was orginally scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
But as fans began to file out, officials announced that fans seated in the grandstand behind home plate could remain in their seats -- bringing a loud cheer from those fans and a chorus of boos from those seated in the uncovered bleacher seats down the first and third base lines and in the outfield.
Rain continuedto fall at Doubleday Field, and lightning was visible throughout the area.

Bud Black back in Cooperstown

San Diego Padres manager Bud Black traveled to Cooperstown for the Hall of Fame Game three times as a player, so Black had some good advice for his team before Monday's game against the Cubs.
"My message to them was not to think about it as losing an off day or the travel time," said Black, whose team played in Cleveland on Sunday before traveling to Cooperstown on Sunday night. "You should enjoy the opportunity to be here."
Black also attended the induction of former Royals teammate George Brett in 1999 and said the loss of the Hall of Fame Game does nothing to diminish the value of the Hall of Fame.
"I don't know that one game can change what Cooperstown means to baseball," Black said. "It's just a great place to be."
 

Home Run Derby canceled; rain begins falling

At 1:20 p.m., officials informed the near-capacity crowd at Doubleday Field that the annual pregame Home Run Derby has been canceled due to weather conditions.
At that point, it was not raining, but dark clouds filled the sky as the players warmed up on the field. Two minutes later, however, the skies over Doubleday opened, chasing most of the players off the field. Some took time to sign autographs down the first and third base lines, but as thunder echoed through across the area many of the players sprinted for the dugouts.
At 1:26 p.m., officials announced that the game would start no earlier than 2 p.m. and that all events before the game had been canceled.

Maddux still a kid at heart

Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux of the San Diego Padres is in the middle of his 23rd major league season, and in some ways Maddux looks the part of a 42-year-old pitcher.
The right-hander has a bit of a double chin and a little paunch on his belly, but seemed to take rookie-like pleasure at being in Cooperstown on Monday for the Hall of Fame Game.
"When you see the game on the schedule in the spring, you aren't too crazy about it because you know you have to give up an off day," Maddux said. "But once you get here, you appreciate it. And the older you get, the more you appreciate it."
Maddux has a career record of 350-219 and will be a first-ballot Hall inductee five years after he retires. But Maddux still appears to enjoy the competition and camaraderie of playing Major League Baseball.
When asked about playing with 2008 Hall of Fame inductee Goose Gossage, the kid-like Maddux responded: "Goose, he was a good dude."

 

Gray skies, covered field

The skies continue to darken over Doubleday Field, though it has yet to rain.
However, the grounds crew is preparing for the worst, covering the infield with the tarp -- and securing the tarp with sandbags.
The Hall of Fame Game is scheduled to start in about 50 minutes, and the Chicago Cubs have just arrived at the field.

 

Coming to Cooperstown

Monday's Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown will be the last one of the series, and it's easy to see why: The players like visiting Cooperstown, but they don't enjoy traveling to Central New York.
Major League Baseball cited scheduling difficulties in January when it announced that the 68-year-old Cooperstown tradition will cease after Monday's game between the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. The Fame Game was the only remaining in-season exhibition game in the majors, and the combination of interleague scheduling, a long bus ride to Cooperstown and the unwillingness of the players to give up one of their off days led to the game's demise.
But once they get to Cooperstown, some players change their minds about the trip.
"The game itself is a bonus," said Padres first baseman Tony Clark. "But it's the chance to come to the Hall of Fame that means something."
Clark, a literal gray beard, and the rest of his teammates toured the Hall of Fame after arriving Sunday night. All the Padres came away impressed with the Hall.
"Just to look up and see my name as a Cy Young Award winner was special to me," said Padres pitcher Jake Peavy, who won the award last season. "To see Cooperstown was special." 

Fame Game memories

Former Observer-Dispatch columnist Dick Costa attended the Hall of Fame Game every year from 1951 through 1961 -- and often mingled with the Hall of Famers themselves on game day.
"I sat in front of Ty Cobb and Frankie Frisch in 1958 when the Phillies were playing the Senators," Costa said. "I remember Chico Fernandez (of the Phillies) stole home and Cobb said: 'They don't do that much any more.'
"Then Cobb got talking about speed, and when Cobb left Frisch said: 'Cobb was the greatest. He had the best baseball legs ever.'"
Costa might disagree with that point. One of his childhood heroes was former third baseman Billy Werber, who led the American League in stolen bases three times during the 1930s. Werber, the oldest known living former major leaguer, turns 100 on Friday.
"It's too bad they won't play the Hall of Fame Game any more," Costa said. "I have memories galore about them."

Clouds and sun in Cooperstown

It's a little more than an hour to the start of today's Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown, and the weather remains the biggest question of the day.
The sun has been shining at Doubleday Field for most of the morning, but a huge gray cloud is rolling in from the north. The forecast calls for severe weather, which could include lightning and hail. But at present, the field is dry -- it was covered all night during some heavy rains in the Cooperstown area -- and the Hall of Fame Game Parade is making its way up Main Street.

The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres are set to play in today's Hall of Fame Game, which is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.