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Play ball! Having a career in baseball for over 30 years just sounds like a great way to earn a living, and my guest today on the #MakeYourMark podcast, Jeff Idelson, has been the President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY for 11 years! Not only has he presided over an exciting time in baseball history, but he\\u2019s made his impact on America\\u2019s pastime, and he has great stories to tell!

\\u201cI got the Yankees job in December of \\u201888, and I go to a kick-off cocktail party before the team is going to spring training in \\u201889, I was 24 years old and he is there, and I walked right up to him and said, \\u2018Hey Mr. Steinbrenner, I want to introduce myself to you. I\\u2019m Jeff Idelson, I\\u2019m your new assistant PR Director.\\u2019 He puts his hands on my shoulders, and says \\u2018Good to have you! You\\u2019re that young man from Detroit, aren\\u2019t you?\\u2019 \\xa0I said \\u2018No sir, I\\u2019m the young man from Boston!\\u2019 and he said \\u2018Great to have you on board, I have three words of advice for you. Rent, don\\u2019t buy!\\u2019. I nodded my head, you know, the sage advice from your new boss. Working for him was incredibly rewarding, very difficult guy to work for, a guy who was focused on winning, focus on putting together a product, and we were terrible when I was there. But I learned a lot from him about just being ahead of the curve, how to anticipate, how to manage relationships, it was tough love but it was perfect for me at that age.\\u201d

Jeff\\u2019s career in baseball has spanned from selling hotdogs in Fenway Park, to working for the Boss, George Steinbrenner, and 25 years in Cooperstown, and we cover a wide range of baseball topics, including the chances of Pete Rose along with those suspected of steroid use to be inducted into the Hall, and the incredible HOF Class of \\u201819!

\\u201cI remember having a conversation with a guy named Seymour Siwoff, who bought the Elias Sports Bureau 60 years ago, in fact he still runs it, he\\u2019s like 98 now, great guy, but you want to talk about a different era. He calls me on a Saturday morning 7 o\'clock and I was like, why is my phone ringing, I don\\u2019t work for the team anymore! He says \\u2018Hi Jeff, it\\u2019s Seymour!\\u2019 This was in 1994, the internet was just being born and he says, \\u2018You know I\'ve donated every day-by-day for every player in the history of baseball to your library\\u2019 and these are giant ledger books, it\\u2019s the statistics for every guy, and he says, \\u2018I understand you\\u2019re going to put all those things on the internet.\\u2019 And I said, \\u2018Seymour, that\\u2019s the furthest thing on my mind! All that I am trying to do is to drag people to Cooperstown!\\u2019 and he says \\u2018Good! The internet is a fad, it\\u2019s like the hula hoop, it\\u2019s going to be gone in a few years!\\u2019\\u201d

This episode was special for me as it stirred up some great memories I have within baseball, including Little League, trading baseball cards, and attending the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. This is a perfect listen for the season!

\\u201cPete Rose is a good example. When I came to the Hall in 1994, the big topic was Pete, who back in \\u201891 had been banned by baseball. Arguably one of the top hitters of all time, and here you have a Hall of Fame without the all-time hits leader! But baseball\\u2019s rules for election don\\u2019t consider players who are on the ineligible list, which Pete was on and is still today, and he did nothing to show he belonged in the Hall. As you walk into every clubhouse, as I have done, and the first thing you see is, \\u2018Don\\u2019t Gamble on Baseball\\u2019, and Pete admitted to gambling on baseball. Now you have legalized gambling on baseball, you have casinos involved on a tangential level, yet I don\\u2019t see his candidacy changing.\\u201d

\\u201cI am trying to make sure the game remains relevant to the younger generations, and it\\u2019s challenging, because you have a sport that is tried and true to its traditions, we don\\u2019t like to change things very often, and the game is a game of beauty. \\xa0But as we talked about growing up, and we wondered why we love baseball so much, well, the reality is that we did not have a lot of choices, and kids and adults today have a lot of choices, and that\\u2019s why you see maybe the interest in baseball waning.\\u201d

Some Topics we talk about in this episode:

• Introduction - 2:03
• Gravitating into Baseball - 3:13
• Landing with the Red Sox - 5:37
• Working With the Enemy, the Yankees - 8:46
• Taking Advice From The Boss - 11:58
• Changing My Lifestyle - 13:37
• The Hall of Fame! - 14:58
• I Am The Baby Boomer - 17:01
• Becoming President - 20:14
• Old Timer\'s Game - 23:18
• Should Pete Rose be in The Hall? - 29:23
• What would you change in Baseball? - 30:59
• It\\u2019s All About Power! - 32:31
• Wrap-up and Takeaways - 37:50

How to get involved

• Be sure to connect with me on Social Media @MarkMoyerCoach and go to my website, www.markmoyer.com to get access to the tips and strategies that my coaching clients get directly.
• If you\\u2019re looking for ways to Make Your Mark, send me an email Mark@MarkMoyer.com and I\\u2019ll get you going right away.

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