Fortune brings him Fame

West Newton native now Hall's president

To know Jeff Idelson is to be happy for him.

This is one of those great local-boy-makes-good stories about a kid who skipped school every Opening Day and sat in the Fenway Park bleachers every June 22, his birthday.

Those things alone would make the West Newton native a great baseball fan, a great Red Sox fan, one with dreams of becoming a major league ballplayer or somehow being involved with the Red Sox, like Theo Epstein. But Idelson went beyond the usual fantasies. He parlayed his love of baseball into a job he'd never imagined when he was selling popcorn as a kid at Fenway: president of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Idelson, 43, graduated from Newton North High School, then got a degree in international economics at Connecticut College. He interned with the Red Sox in 1986, graduating from college May 25 and starting with the Sox June 1 of that nearly glorious season.

"I had actually written a letter to Eddie Kasko, who was Boston's scouting director then, because I really wanted to work in scouting," said Idelson, "but he told me they didn't have interns in that department and advised, why not apply to PR?

"To be honest, coming from a liberal arts college, I had no idea what PR was. I thought it was a job in Puerto Rico."

Idelson waited tables at a now-defunct Newton restaurant while waiting to hear about his baseball PR job.

He befriended a customer at the restaurant, and it happened that the fellow owned an establishment of his own in Newtonville. He offered Idelson $12,000 to manage his restaurant. Idelson remembers that he would have been only the second full-time employee at this restaurant, which is important because he realizes what a missed opportunity it was. The restaurant was then called "Boston Chicken" and it became the franchise giant "Boston Market."

So he turned down a chance to be the second-ever employee of "Boston Chicken" because he wanted to pursue his passion, which was baseball. He got his internship with the Red Sox when he was able to answer the very tough question of Sox PR director Dick Bresciani. "He asked me, 'If I mentioned Roger Moret, what could you tell me about him?' " said Idelson. "I said, 'He won 14 games in 1975.' He gave me the job."

Idelson worked diligently with Bresciani in what was a good season until the bitter ending in the World Series. He said he knew it was going to be a good year, because one day while he was walking down the street, a bird defecated on his hat. "That means good luck, and the team had a great season that year," said Idelson.

Idelson was a producer on Red Sox radio broadcasts with Ken Coleman and Joe Castiglione through 1988, unable to get a full-time job in baseball, but in 1989 he caught a break when he was hired by the Yankees for their public relations department. He worked closely with George Steinbrenner until 1993, when he went off to work on World Cup soccer for a little over a year.

By 1994, Idelson had been hired as a public relations director for the Hall of Fame, a position he served in until just last week when Dale Petroskey stepped down as president. Idelson accepted the nomination of the board of directors and became the sixth president of the Hall of Fame.

His duties have included overseeing the elections and awards, community and media relations, public programs, and artifact acquisition. He was the liaison between the Hall and the Baseball Writers' Association of America as well as overseeing the Veterans Committee.

Idelson will deal with many issues in the weeks and years to come. The steroid era is something he and his staff are thinking about.

"I care very deeply about our museum, its mission, and our extremely talented staff," Idelson said. "The Hall of Fame is a national treasure."

Idelson's duties now will include building up sponsorships and business deals with those who can help the museum grow. With 14 years of service in Cooperstown, Idelson is well aware of the issues he will face.

In his first summer as president, Idelson will preside over the induction ceremonies July 25-28, when Goose Gossage, Bowie Kuhn, Barney Dreyfuss, Dick Williams, Walter O'Malley, and Billy Southworth will be inducted. Also being honored are Ford C. Frick Award winner Dave Niehaus, the voice of the Seattle Mariners, and the J.G. Taylor Spink Award winner is the late Larry Whiteside of the Globe, a writer Idelson read growing up.

"I'm honored to be in the position I am in," Idelson said. "I love baseball with a passion. How could I ever have dreamed of this? Believe me, I'll cherish every minute."

A question for the ages

Did Houston general manager Ed Wade shrug off Miguel Tejada's admission that he's two years older - 33 - than he had previously claimed?

Wade said, "The fact is, he's playing like he's 25." Or is that 27? For the Astros' sake, they'd better hope Tejada's season is sensational, because not only did they find out about the age difference, they traded for him a day before the Mitchell Report came out with his name in it.

While Wade is not to blame, a star player who says he's 31 when he's really 33 would appear to be a significant bit of news.

We asked a few GMs for their reaction. Most did not want to be identified because they would be perceived as criticizing one of their colleagues. Here's how a few responded:

"I'd be flipping out," said an NL GM. "Two years for a 30-plus player is a lot. It's when the decline in their play usually begins, so news like that would not sit well with me. The other thing is, I hate liars. This is something the player knew about."

An AL GM said, "It shouldn't have been a surprise to Ed or anyone. That suspicion has been out there for years. Of course, I'd be angry about it, because the age of a player is important once he's over 30."

"It always makes you wonder about other Latin players and whether their ages are correct," said an AL GM.

"I'm sure it's not something you ever want to hear, but when it's your first year with a team as a GM and you make a trade for a guy who makes that admission, you have to feel sick to your stomach," said an NL GM.

"It's a big deal," said an NL West GM, "because age-profiling is a major aspect of our decision-making."

White Sox GM Kenny Williams said, "If he could hit, run, throw, and drive in runs, no problem for me."

Reborn as a player, Kapler finds life very manageable

A few questions for Brewers outfielder Gabe Kapler:

Did managing for a year really crystallize the game for you as a player? You've started out .423, 4 homers, 11 RBIs.
GK: "I think it had the same impact on my playing career now as any other year of my baseball career. I believe seeing the game from many different viewpoints all have similar value. My evolution as a man may have been accelerated last year because my routine for many years prior was altered drastically. I think my human experiences [lots of time alone, learning a new trade, being removed from family, more responsibility to others] caused me to appreciate some of the simple things baseball has to offer. I feel at ease with outcomes and results. I love challenges, and love observing myself tackle those challenges. That is what playing now is about for me. It's getting to know myself better."

Would you recommend the managing/coaching experience to others?
GK: "I would recommend to others that they follow their own path. Do things because they make sense in their heart, not because it is the way things have always been done. Don't be afraid to take risks by making bold decisions, because wrong decisions are an illusion. My point is, what seems to be a wrong decision may turn out to be a huge blessing. No matter the outcome in the short term, following one's intuition is always the most rewarding."

After the year off, are you now rejuvenated to the point where you might play for a long time?
GK: "I have made a commitment to deal with today, to be grateful for today. Trying to predict how I will feel in the future is not in my game plan."

Will you return to managing at some point?
GK: "I loved managing. I have no doubt I will have ample opportunity to travel down that road in the future. I choose not to try to lay out the next 10 years of my life right now. I have done that in the past and have just found myself feeling different at different times. Therefore, I make only one prediction. I will be a different person next month, next year, and 10 years from now than I am today. If I am not, then I have not evolved at all."

Etc.

Touching the bases
Apropos of nothing: 1. Brandon Webb started 4-0 in 2008, 8-0 in 2006, and 6-0 in 2005; 2. I am not a doctor, but something has to be physically wrong with C.C. Sabathia (11.57 ERA in three starts), right?; 3. Since Game 3 of last year's ALCS, the Sox have outscored the Indians, 26-2, from the seventh inning on. Ouch; 4. Amazing. Forty-two years old and Tom Glavine goes on the disabled list for the first time; 5. Nationals manager Manny Acta has had an eventful few weeks. He caught President Bush's first pitch to open Nationals Stadium in Washington, and Pope Benedict XVI changed in his office before saying Mass at the park.

Giving his elbow some room
Caught up with former National League Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter, currently rehabbing from major elbow surgery. He thinks the next few days could determine the timetable for his return to the Cardinals. "Well, it's kind of a key time because we're doing some of these bullpen sessions and they want to see how I react to them," said Carpenter. "I've been on a throwing program and it's gone really well. I haven't had one setback. I've been told that at some point I'll hit a wall and I'll have to sit back for a few days, but that hasn't happened with me. This throwing program, which I'm sure isn't that much different than some of the others around the league, has been amazing in that I don't think I've ever thrown this much in my entire career. I rehabbed the elbow all winter and really there isn't much to do with an elbow except to do all of the strengthening exercises and the stretching. Most of the work is shoulder work, making sure your shoulder is strong. But other than the usual cranky and sore days you get, my elbow feels 10 times better than it did before I had the surgery."

Trumping the aces
In winning nine of 15 games to begin the year, the surprising Marlins have done their best work against some of the NL's top pitchers. The combined numbers vs. Florida for Johan Santana, Pedro Martínez, Roy Oswalt, and Tim Hudson: 1-2, 9.34 ERA. Three of the four did not go beyond four innings. In 17 1/3 innings total, the Marlins have 22 hits and 18 earned runs against those aces, slugging eight home runs and winning three of the four games.

Fallen Angels
The Angels have a 19-game winner in John Lackey and an 18-game winner in Kelvim Escobar both on the DL. The last time a team had two pitchers who were at least 18-game winners on the DL for the first 30 games of a season? The Elias Sports Bureau says it has never happened. (Not since 1900, anyway.) The Angels were 45-18 when Lackey and Escobar started last season (.714) and 49-50 (.495) with everybody else.

Historic handoff
A little baseball/football memory for NFL Draft Week: Todd Helton sprained a medial collateral ligament Sept. 24, 1994, while starting at quarterback for Tennessee against Mississippi State. Into the game came freshman Peyton Manning, and you know the rest of the story.

No shortstop hole in Cincinnati
While Alex Gonzalez is a terrific shortstop, the Reds weren't that upset when an MRI found a stress compression fracture in his left knee that means he'll miss another month. That's because they really like Jeff Keppinger, both as a fielder (no errors) and a hitter (.319, 2 homers, and 10 RBIs). Manager Dusty Baker has really taken to Keppinger's work ethic and attitude, and it just might be that Gonzalez has a bit of trouble getting his job back.

Felix keeps it tidy
We all forget how young Seattle's Felix Hernandez is. (He turned 22 April 8, if you're wondering.) But he's been the best-looking young pitcher in the game this season. Everyone was quick to anoint Erik Bedard the staff ace when the Mariners obtained him from the Orioles, but Bedard has been on the DL while Hernandez has excelled. In his first two games, he allowed no runs in 15 innings, but the bullpen blew both. He's won twice since then, including a 4-2 complete game over Oakland. This guy is pretty special.

Catchers play long ball
Kudos to Josh Bard and Yorbit Torrealba for catching all 22 innings of the Padres-Rockies game Thursday night/Friday morning, won by the Rockies, 2-1. But they're no Dave Huppert. He's the Rochester catcher who caught the first 31 innings in the Longest Game between Pawtucket and Rochester in 1991. It was Huppert's first game back after injuring a leg a week earlier.

Quite a Royal couple
The Royals have to be really pleased with starters Brian Bannister (3-0, 0.86 ERA) and Zack Greinke (3-0, 0.75 ERA). A scout who has watched both pitchers said recently, "Bannister is a kid who is way beyond his years. It looks like he's been pitching for 20 years. Greinke has filthy stuff. Just nasty. I think everyone thought he would be quite a pitcher if he got his head on straight. If you're a team looking at those two guys who throw so differently, it can put you in a slump for a week."

Short hops
Recommended reading: "Walkoffs, Last Licks, and Final Outs: Baseball's Grand (and Not-So-Grand) Finales," by Bill Chuck and Jim Kaplan (foreword by Jon Miller) . . . Happy 48th birthday to Randy Kutcher and 54th to Mike O'Berry. Also, Harry Agganis was born on this date in 1929.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com