The appropriate motto for the Baseball Hall of Fame ceremonies that took place last weekend in Cooperstown, N.Y., seems to be “coming together.”

There were a lot of items that came together for MLB and the Hall.

Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn came together to be inducted. They are two athletes about whom there has been little to be negative. That in and of itself was a coup in this age of sports.

Seventy-five thousand fans, as estimated by police working the event, came together in the farm field site of the inductions to create their own field of dreams.

When Brooks Robinson was introduced to the crowd, he looked out over the sea of faces drenched in sunlight and said, “This is unbelievable.”

The crowd was saying the same thing, looking the other way.

Approximately 700,000 fans came together last Saturday in the ballparks of MLB to set the single-day all-time record. Commissioner Bud Selig was bubbling with the news as he told the Hall members at the hotel as they gathered to leave for the induction.

With writer Rick Hummel of St. Louis and broadcaster Denny Matthews of Kansas City being inducted on the media side, four inductees came together who had spent their entire careers in the same city with the same teams.

Fifty-five, including the new inductees, of the living 65 members of the HOF came together to constitute the largest turnout of members in history anywhere at any time.

You cannot be a fan of the game if seeing that group together did not give you a chill up and down your spine.

Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax came together on the bus heading over to the induction. Mays raised himself out of his seat as Koufax approached and the first thing he said was, “Do you remember the time you hit me?”

Koufax, with a wry grin, responded, “Yes I do.” They both broke out laughing.

Red Sox great Bobby Doerr was honored during the ceremonies. He is 89 and has indicated he will not return to the East Coast again from his home in Oregon.

Hands came together from both the crowd in front and the stars behind him when he approached the podium.

Cal Ripken stood outside the Hall building on Saturday night at 11:30 following a special viewing at the Hall for members only and signed autographs for fans who waited by the barricades – and signed and signed.

Both Gwynn and Ripken accepted that they are role models.

“When you sign your name on that dotted line, it’s more than just playing the game of baseball,” Gwynn said. “You’ve got to be responsible and make decisions and show people how things are supposed to be done.”

Gwynn and Ripken gripped their plaques symbolic of their enshrinement as they shook hands with fans after the Sunday ceremony. Said Gwynn, “I can tell you one thing. Tomorrow morning I’m going over to the Hall after they hang this plaque just to make sure all this is real.”

Those members of this group that represent less than one percent of all players who have ever played major league baseball understand just how real is this Hall.

Like those before them, Gwynn and Ripken will only grow in appreciation of just what this honor means and, because of their entry, the honor will only grow for those to come.

Old Town native Gary Thorne is an ESPN and ABC sportscaster.