COOPERSTOWN - If you happened to be at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Monday, you might have seen the head of this year's induction class, as former reliever Rich "Goose" Gossage made his pre-induction orientation visit.

While Gossage is no stranger to the game after playing for nine teams over 22 seasons, he is a stranger to Cooperstown. This was his first time in town since 1974's Hall of Fame Game, and he said the experience of touring the museum was "overwhelming" and "totally awesome."

Among the stories Gossage shared during a media session in the plaque gallery was his first appearance at Yankee Stadium. Gossage's father had always told him he'd play in the majors, and the family team was the Yankees, so it made for an experience he'll never forget.

"I stood on the mound, I looked around, my legs were shaking, I couldn't hardly put one foot in front of the other," Gossage said. "I was a member of the White Sox. Walking on that mound coming out of the bullpen was a moment I can't even describe. I sat on that mound before the first pitch and the umpire's talking to me to me, I don't know what he was saying to me because I was in another world. I just stood there and looked around at the vastness of that huge stadium, and I said 'Dad, this is for you.'"

Gossage, who was on the Hall of Fame ballot for nine years before getting enough votes to make it, will be formally inducted on Sunday, July 27th at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown. He'll be the 17th Hall of Fame member to wear a Yankees hat on his plaque, and he'll be the second inductee with the nickname "Goose." The other is Leon Allen Goslin, who played in the 1920s and '30s.