COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – As impressive as it was for Joe Mauer to become just the third catcher to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot, it was fortuitous, as well.

As fans and Hall of Famers began to depart Cooperstown on Monday following a festive weekend, the image of 28,000 fans, dominated by those in Twins colors, will be an enduring memory for all who were there. As soon as I arrived Friday morning, Hall officials were remarking about the impressive show of support for No. 7. And they dominated Main Street all weekend.

But the same officials couldn't help but worry ahead of next year's class. It's a good headache to have, but a challenge all the same.

Ichiro Suzuki will be eligible for induction next year, and if he doesn't become the second player to be named on every ballot — Mariano Rivera was the first — then questions need to be asked. He debuted during his age 27 season and finished with 3,089 career hits. A no-brainer.

Suzuki, the Sultan of Slap, is an international icon who will trigger a pilgrimage of fans from Japan that could threaten to top the record attendance set in 2007 when Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were inducted in front of more than 80,000 fans.

With that comes a sizable media presence. The Hall will be challenged by security and already is wondering who to fit in a media corps that is likely to double.

CC Sabathia also is eligible and could join Suzuki as an inductee. I'm not as sure about him, but he has support. If the former Twins nemesis gets the call, that would activate fan bases and press corps from Cleveland and New York. And perhaps 12 Brewers fans honoring his 17-game pennant drive run with Milwaukee in 2007.

So Twins fans should feel grateful that they had Mauer mostly to themselves during Hall of Fame induction weekend. One during which their cheers dominated.

Twins officials and former teammates maintained a strong presence all weekend, with the highlight a party thrown in Mauer's honor Saturday. It included miniature golf and an outdoor projector to keep the kids occupied, ice cubes with the No. 7 somehow frozen inside them and food stations.

But Mauer was caught off guard by another highlight: Every Hall of Famer with Twins ties appeared, and the 10 posed for a group photo that the club blasted over social media. If you can't remember all them, they are: Mauer, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Bert Blyleven, Jim Kaat, Jim Thome and David Ortiz..

"It was an unbelievable moment to get everybody there, and I didn't know that was happening," Mauer said. "David Ortiz, we have ties with from spring training with him while he was still a Twin. Jim Thome. All those Hall of Famers in one place and taking the picture. If front of Minnesota employees and people from the organization - it was special."

Mauer said this on Monday morning during the annual Legends of the Game roundtable, during which all four inductees are interviewed in the afterglow of their induction Sunday. Mauer talked about coaching his children and making sure they have fun before it's time to be competitive. He admitted he still misses being behind the plate trying to get hitters like Adrian Beltre out. When asked about the three no-hitters he broke up in the ninth inning, he said those were challenges he also missed.

Jim Leyland's address was the most heartfelt of the four Sunday, but he chided himself a day later for not mentioning his parents, because he mistakenly turned over two pages of his speech instead of one. Todd Helton revealed that Leyland, during his brief stint leading the Rockies manager, asked him if he started in high school in an attempt to calm him down before an at-bat. Beltre talked about the game he was ejected from for playfully heckling his friend Felix Hernandez from the other dugout.

Leyland added something that the current Twins are feeling: "The best pitching staffs don't always win; the healthiest ones do."

Mauer's strongest moment came as he talked about the photo with his fellow Twins Hall of Famers and the impact of him being the fourth St. Paul native in The Hall.

"Going back to St. Paul, when I was a kid growing up, you know, it wasn't necessarily a hotbed for baseball players because you can't play the sport year-round," he said. "But I think now with having those guys, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Jack Morris and now myself in the Hall of Fame, I think it gives a credit to the city and just kind of how they are. It's a hard-working town of blue-collar people, and we are definitely proud to be from there."