The ultimate class photo

The ultimate team photo is taken 87 years ago today at the formal dedication of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Among those gathering for the 1939 photo are living members of the first four Hall of Fame classes – from top left, Honus Wagner, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Tris Speaker, Napoleon Lajoie, George Sisler and Walter Johnson; bottom row from left, Eddie Collins, Babe Ruth, Connie Mack and Cy Young.

Missing from the photo is the notoriously tardy Ty Cobb, whose name shows up on more ballots – 222 of 226 – than anybody else during the inaugural vote in 1936.

Cobb eventually reaches Cooperstown on this day in 1939, but not in time for the group photo of all group photos.

Cobb being Cobb – and that often means being frugal – decides to save a few dollars by arriving on the day of the ceremony rather than book a hotel room the night before in Cooperstown.

While Cobb indeed saves a couple of bucks staying the night before in a cheaper hotel approximately 40 miles from Cooperstown, he ends up arriving 20 minutes after the group photo takes place.

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