BASEBALL HALL OF FAME: RIPKEN, GWYNN END ERA LARGEST CROWD IS EXPECTED AT HALL.

Byline: BOB KEISSER

Staff Writer

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- They haven't played a game since 2001, yet Tony Gwynn and Cal RipkenJr. are still breaking records and setting standards.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony here today may draw the largest crowd in its history, with more than 50,000 expected to crowd this small village of 2,000 in upstate New York to hear Gwynn and Ripken make their acceptance speeches.

The previous highs were 50,000 for the 1999 induction of Nolan Ryan, George Brett and Robin Yount, and 40,000 for the 1995 induction of Philadelphia legends Mike Schmidt and Richie Ashburn. Last year's crowd was 11,000 as Bruce Sutter and 16 immortals from the Negro Leagues were ushered into the Hall.

Previous crowds never closed down Main Street the day before the induction. There were so many people in the city that local law enforcement decided to keep cars off the city's primary street.

There are also more living Hall of Famers expected to attend than ever before. Of 61 living members, 53 of them are scheduled to appear. Among the few declining are Stan Musial and Ernie Banks, for health reasons, Nolan Ryan because of a business conflict, and Hank Aaron, probably because of the intersection of the Hall, Barry Bonds and his home run record.

There's no denying the magnetic draw of Ripken and Gwynn. They are icons of the sport's history, Ripken for his streak of 2,632 consecutive games, 3,184hits and 421 home runs, Gwynn for his career .338 average, eight National League batting titles and 19 consecutive seasons hitting .300.

They are beloved by their respective communities. They both played for the same team their entire careers -- Ripken 21 years with the Baltimore Orioles, Gwynn 20 with the San Diego Padres -- making them two of just 47 players in the Hall to do so, and two of just 17 to do so for 20 years or more. They're the first one-team players to be elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America since Minnesota's Kirby Puckett in 2001.

They are an endangered species, too. The next potential Hall of Famer who played his entire career with one team is former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, who is eligible in 2010. Among active players who are least 33 years old, the list is limited to Houston's Craig Biggio (42), who will retire after this season, John Smoltz (40, Atlanta) Chipper Jones (35, Atlanta), Derek Jeter (33, N.Y. Yankees) and Todd Helton (33, Colorado).

"For me, it was easy," Gwynn said about staying in one place, at the final press conference Saturday. "When I started, I realize I was playing where I was happy. There was really only one point where I thought about leaving, and the final decision to stay was because I was happy. I'm a Padre, and I'm pretty proud of that."

"I'm lucky that I was drafted by a team that I wanted to be drafted by," Ripken said. His father, CalSr., was working in the Orioles organization and the family was living in Baltimore when Ripken came of age. "The nature of the sport is change. But I planned ahead so I could stay. It was always important for me to play in Baltimore."

Their elections were record-setters, too. Ripken received the most votes ever with 537 (out of 545) and ranks third all-time in percentage, 98.53. Gwynn ranks second in votes (532) and seventh in percentage (97.60 percent).

"My first thought was how could I justify those totals," said Gwynn, the Long Beach product who starred in basketball and baseball at Poly High School. "Mays, Ruth, Mantle, they never received those kind of numbers. I'm a spokesman for the punch-and-judy hitter, so it's stunning to receive that kind of support."

There's no denying that they represent the end of an era for baseball. They left the game with reputations as classic role models, players who never had the word "scandal" associated with their names and who accorded the fans the kind of respect rarely seen today.

Two others will receive Hall of Fame honors. Denny Matthews, the longtime voice of the Kansas City Royals, will received the Ford Frick Award, and Cleveland sportswriter Rick Hummel will receive the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

The ceremony begins at 10:30a.m. PDT and will be televised live on ESPN Classic, with an abridged rebroadcast on ESPN at 5 p.m. It will also be streamed live at baseballhall.org.

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