Road-tripping to Cooperstown? Better make those last-minute plans pronto. You've got two weeks until Hall of Fame weekend — and what little lodging space remains is going fast.

        The folks in Cooperstown, N.Y., are expecting a big Cincinnati contingent for the July 23 ceremonies that will induct popular Reds figures Tony Perez, Sparky Anderson and Marty Brennaman into the Baseball Hall of Fame. But that doesn't mean they're going to house everybody.

WHERE YOU CAN STAY

Lodging is scarce in Cooperstown for Hall of Fame weekend. As of Friday, some rooms remained available. Call the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce (607-547-9983) for up-to-the-minute information.   Lodging close to Cooperstown:   • Brooklyn Bridge bed-and-breakfast, 607-286-9288. Seven miles from Cooperstown. Four night minimum stay, $175 per night.   • Cathedral Inn, 607-432-7483, ext. 38. 20 miles. $250 for two-night stay.   • Cat's Pajama efficiency unit, 607-286-9431. Three-day rental $450, four days $500.   Farther away, better bets:   • Howard Johnson's, Norwich, 607-334-2200. 45-minute drive. $149 single room, $159 double, $10 extra for each adult over 18.   • Ramada Inn, Hartford, 315-735-3392. 45 minutes. Friday only.   • Ramada Inn Syracuse, 315-457-8670. 11/2 hours. $99. Single rooms only.   • Best Western Sunset Inn, Old Forge, 315-369-6836. Two hours. $109.

        Cooperstown is a village of only 2,000 people, so lodging is at a premium. A few bed-and-breakfast and inn rooms near the village were still available Friday, but officials at the Hall of Fame said many fans should expect to stay in the Syracuse, Albany or Utica areas. Those communities are between 45 minutes and two hours away on a good traffic day. Utica is closest, about 45 minutes away.

        “I would start by trying to find lodging,” said John Ralph, the Hall of Fame's executive director of communication.

        The good news is, you don't have to get tickets for the induction ceremony ahead of time.

        The 1:30 p.m. festivities on the lawn of the Clark Sports Center are free, and there's plenty of room for spectators. Ralph said they're expecting the usual 25,000 or so this season after 50,000 showed up for last year's induction of George Brett, Robin Yount and Nolan Ryan.

        Fans wanting the closest seats should begin arriving about mid-morning. “But they're all good seats,” Ralph said.

        Wherever you stay, you're encouraged to ride the trolley and bus services in town. There's no public parking in the village of Cooperstown, and whichever direction you come from, you'll see signs for free remote parking. The trolleys will take you to the museum and the induction ceremony, which are about a mile apart.

        Other weekend activities include:

        • The Hall of Fame museum, open from 9a.m. to 9p.m. all weekend. Tickets are $9.50 for adults and $4 for children 7 and older. Kids under 7 are free. In addition to exhibits on this year's induction class and the plaques of previous inductees, the museum features a special exhibit this year dedicated to the late cartoonist Charles Schultz. Schultz penned more than 18,000 strips of his famous “Peanuts” cartoon, and 10 percent — roughly 1,800 — included baseball.

        • An autograph session for kids Saturday afternoon — featuring all the returning Hall of Famers — for the first 300 children who buy admission tickets for the museum. All autographs are free.

        • A free minor-league game (rookie-level ball in the New York-Penn League) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Doubleday Field between the Auburn Doubledays and Oneonta Tigers.

        • Monday's Hall of Fame exhibition game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Indians. The game is sold out, but returned tickets are usually available beginning 9 a.m. the day of the game at Doubleday Field.

        • Of particular interest to Cincinnati fans, a round-table discussion of the 1975 World Series at 10:30 Monday morning, featuring Perez, Anderson and Boston Red Sox star Carlton Fisk, who is also being inducted this year. Fisk hit the home run that won Game 6 of the series for the Sox, but the Reds won in Game 7.

        The discussion will be telecast on ESPN2 at 7:30 p.m., but in-person admission is open only to fans who are members of the museum. Fans can become members at the museum or on its Website (www.baseballhalloffame.org). Membership is $35 per year for an individual and $65 for a family, and gives you free admission to the museum all year and 10 percent off everything you purchase. It also allows you to see the museum without waiting in lines. The Hall has a special entrance for members, and opens an hour earlier for them. ãCooperstown also features Mickey Mantle and Pete Rose memorabilia museums (not associated with the Hall of Fame) and has two non-baseball museums: The James Fenimore Cooper Museum of Art, featuring native American and Early American folk art, and a farmer's museum, detailing the complete history of farming.

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