By: Matt Alberston, Historical Columnist 
Aaron Rowand won both the Hall of Fame Classic MVP honors and Home Run Derby at the Hall of Fame Classic held in Cooperstown, NY this past Saturday. Rowand played for the Phillies in 2006 and 2007, making his lone career All-Star appearance as a Phillie in 2007.
The ninth annual Hall of Fame Classic featured recently retired players from every major league franchise was played at the historic Doubleday Field in front of 5,218 fans. Hall of Famers Phil Niekro and Ozzie Smith managed The Knuckies and The Wizards, respectively.
Rowand went 3-for-3, including a double, a walk, run scored, and two RBI, helping The Wizards to a 5-1 victory. He was presented with the Bob Feller Player of the Game Award, an award he also earned at the 2015 Classic. Rowand later commented "If you're going to fly across the country you might as well do something while your here. You don't want to go home empty handed. Whoever wins the MVP is whoever wins the MVP but just being able to come out here and play the game with these guy sand share that experience with my son, McKay, that's what it's all about." Rowand also mentioned that the weekend is special to him because he loves the history of baseball, which is something he tries to pass on to his son. "It's just a special time in a special place with a lot of unbelievably talented and special people."
In addition to winning MVP honors, Rowand won the Home Run Derby. The Derby featured six players, including Hall of Famer Wade Boggs.
Rowand represented the White Sox, with whom he won the 2005 World Series, at the Classic. In addition to Rowand, five other former Phillies also played in the game, including Mike Adams (Rangers), Pedro Feliz (Phillies), Aaron Harang (Reds), Juan Pierre (Marlins), and Todd Zeile (Mets. A moment of silence was also observed prior to the game in honor of Hall of Famer and former Phillies great Jim Bunning, who passed away late Friday evening.
