Roll call: Who's going to Cooperstown?

While we've heard plenty from Frank Thomas -- including directly -- as the Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Sunday nears, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer in Georgia provides a different angle, telling Thomas' story from the viewpoint of his mother. The whole article is worth your time, but here's an excerpt:

[Thomas' parents] also had a younger daughter, Pamela, who died from leukemia on Thanksgiving in 1977 when she was 2 years old.

"That took a toll on all of us," Porter said. "... When (Frank) went to the major leagues he charged adults a dollar for autographs and donated the money to leukemia. They used to call it the Frankie Fund but he was raising it for the kids."

After Pamela died, Frank Jr. was the youngest in the family and his siblings spoiled him.

"That was my baby," Porter said. "When he got to junior high school, there was the preppy look. My mom was saying, 'I'm not paying $50 for one pair of pants.' So me, I had a job and couldn't drive. So, I got on the bus and went all the way to Gayfers and got what he wanted."

The article reminded me to put a call-out for SSSers who are heading to Cooperstown for the induction ceremony.

If you are making the trip, let me/us know if you'd be interested in making a meetup/methup out of it.

Also, if you're staying or commuting through the Capital Region side of the state, also let me know if you're interested in a methup. It'll probably be easier to get beers that far away from Baseball Ground Zero.