The 2007 Hall of Fame ballot was released on Monday and a record number of buses will be ready to roll into Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 29 for what's expected to be one of the biggest induction ceremonies of this generation.

"It's an honor to even be on this ballot," Gwynn said during a wide-ranging interview with MLB.com last week at San Diego State, where he coaches the baseball team. "I've been trying to downplay it because I don't want to jinx myself. It'd be nice to make it, but that's just how I am. I've never really talked too much about myself."

The locks seem to be Gwynn and Ripken, the players mostly likely to appear on well beyond the necessary 75 percent of the ballots when they are cast in December by members of the Baseball

McGwire, who played 16 seasons for the Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals before a knee injury ended his career in 2001, hit 583 homers -- 70 of them in 1998 and 65 in 1999. Though McGwire was a 12-time All-Star, the AL Rookie of the Year in 1987 and a Gold Glove-winning first baseman in 1990, his candidacy is likely to lead to considerable debate.

McGwire faces the specter of his perceived place in Major League Baseball's steroid era and his reluctance to speak about the subject of steroids during a Congressional hearing in Washington, D.C., 18 months ago. Jose Canseco and the late Ken Caminiti, are also on the ballot for the first time, will undoubtedly be cast under the same shadow as McGwire.

"It's going to be controversial because I think writers are going to make their point," Gwynn said about McGwire's chances of ascending to the Hall in his first year of eligibility. "I think he's a Hall of Famer. But it's a lot of people's point of view that he didn't come across well in the Congressional hearings. It's going to cost him. It's a shame, but I think that's what's going to happen."

The results will be announced on Jan. 9. With a huge contingent of fans scheduled to make the trip from Maryland to Cooperstown to honor Ripken, and requests for space already coming in from Gwynn aficionados in California, hotels within a 100-mile radius of the village of 2,200 are expected to be booked.

"People will be staying as far away as Albany (to the east) and Syracuse (to the west)," said Jeff Idelson, the Hall's vice president of communications and education. "If the voting goes as expected, we are making preparations for a record or near-record crowd."

This year, there's anticipation that 700 to 800 media members will be credentialed, well over 200 buses will bring tourists and the crowd could swell as high as 55,000, Idelson said.

Contents

Outdoor Recipes for all occasions

Recipe Book from Sommers Canoe Base -my companion on my 1965 canoe trip.   Just for fun, In Acrobat .PDF format.  48K

Outdoor meal recipes - Quick and easy. Good meals for beginning cooks.

Scout Meal Favorites - Check out these recipes from the 130th Duggan.

Favorite Scouting Recipes - From Scouts-l mail list.

Bannock Bread Recipes - The woodsman's staple.

Sourdough Bread Basics - Sourdough is not just for prospectors swarming over the California and Klondike gold fields. Discover the secrets of this ancient staple and taste treat.

Jaffle Iron Recipes - This unique cooking utensil is called a pie-maker in the U.S.
         The Minute Pie Mold web site shows what these cookers looks like.

Assorted Recipes for Camping - These recipes have been collected from a variety of sources, and will be useful in a variety of outdoor and Scouting situations. Select the ones that appeal to you or fit in with your cooking needs.

Dutch Oven Recipes and Cooking Techniques.

Seasoning a Dutch oven - Tips on one method to take care of your oven.

Dutch oven cooking - Tips and Recipes from Scouts-L mail list.

Dutch oven picture - Check out this picture if you have never seen one.

Dump Cake Secrets Revealed! - Favorite dump cake recipes (scouts-l).

Black Forest Cobbler - Recipes for this luxury dessert.

Backpacking and Lightweight Cooking

Backpacking Recipes Collection - Lightweight cooking without suffering. (71k)

Backpacking Food Ideas

Backpacking foods from the Supermarket - Suggestions From Scouts-L and rec.scouts

Inexpensive Backpacking meals

Light Cooking For The Trail - By the 17th Ottawa (Ont.) Venturer Company

Meat Jerky

Cooking Methods and Techniques

No Cleanup cooking - Cook without pots or utensils. Eliminate those dishpan-hands.

Camp Meals with Pizzazz - Go beyond canned stew and Cup-'O-Soup meals.

Webelos Outdoor Cooking - Here is a wealth of good, well written information on outdoor cooking, firebuilding, recipes and more for the beginning outdoor cook.

Make your own inexpensive and tasty dried trail food and snacks using the directions in these articles.

Here is the help you need to make your meals more interesting, especially those bland trail meals.

Equipment and General Cooking Information

Miscellaneous Cooking Information - A reference list of weight and volume equivalents, substitutions, can volumes, and many other cooking tidbits and aides.

Food Storage Information - Food storage lifetimes and methods.

High Altitude Baking Adjustments - Heading to Philmont? Some info to help us flat-landers.

Evaluation and Taste Test of MRE's - First-hand information on military Meals, Ready to Eat, in case you have been considering using them.

Patrol Kitchen Designs

Campfire Ovens and Stoves