Let's pretend you've somehow gotten a room at the Otesaga Resort Hotel on Hall of Fame Weekend.

Before you pull the handles to go inside, take a look to your left and maybe you'll catch Larry Walker exiting his sports car and tossing his keys to the concierge.

Once you do go in, head straight ahead to the sprawling back porch that looks out on pristine Lake Otsego.

Sandy Koufax might be out there chatting with Willie Mays on a couple of rocking chairs. They politely raise their hands to welcome you in.

Suddenly, there's a loud thwack from down below and you look to see Rollie Fingers and Andre Dawson teeing off on the championship course that wraps around the resort. They're just finishing up No. 18.

Go back inside and walk toward the hotel's main restaurant: 1909. There you see Braves legends Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz catching up over drinks. Chipper Jones makes his way over to join his former teammates with a full plate of food.

And wait, what's that sound?

You've heard loud music billowing up from a floor below ever since walking into the hotel. You go down to Hawkeye Bar and Grill to investigate and see full-on karaoke happening. Wade Boggs is on the mic, Mike Piazza is on the drums and Derek Jeter and Reggie Jackson are laughing at the scene from an adjoining bar. Pedro Martinez points and smiles at the two baseball-turned-musicians for one day from the corner of the room.

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For the past 30 to 40 years, this is what Cooperstown's historic inn looks like every Hall of Fame Weekend: It closes its doors to the public and becomes a giant mansion full of all the greatest living baseball players. A place you'd think could only exist in a baseball fan's dreams but, in fact, somehow exists in real life.

"Yeah this is their home base," Jon Shestakofsky, vice president of communications and education for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, told me while walking through the centuries-old hallways. "It's their home away from home in a lot of ways. The Otesaga is their reunion. It's more at the hotel than even at the Hall of Fame."

Shestakofsky says about 50 or so former players make their way to the lakeside resort for the special summer weekend every July. The location is perfect: The Hall is nearby, just an eight-minute walk or two-minute car ride away. The hotel has five dining areas, a spa, the 18-hole Leatherstocking Golf Course and a pool -- a heavenly environment for some of MLB's greats to reminisce about their playing days or just meet for the very first time.

"It's seeing your friends, it's being part of the baseball spotlight again," Shestakofsky said.

Craig Biggio has coined it a baseball "Candy Land." The late Phil Niekro called it home. Basketball Hall of Famers believe it is the real Hall of Fame.

Old members will meet up with the newest when they walk into reception.

Legendary managers will sit in the lobby, signing autographs for a lucky child or grandchild of another player.

Golf is, of course, always on the docket.

There's an annual tournament at the 18-holer that surrounds the Otesaga, usually the Saturday before the ceremonies. Matches are generally won by teams with scratch golfers like Glavine or Smoltz. Bobby Cox has been known to even coach players and GMs along the greens.

Players will dine with their wives and families in the 1909 restaurant and, although most of the already-inducted Hall of Famers can spend their entire time relaxing, the newly elected members do still have that big speech to put on. They might be a bit nervous. The ample ballroom space at the Otesaga gives them a chance to prepare.

"It gives them a chance to practice their speech," Shestakofsky explained. "We might set up a podium and let them get their practice in. We like to make people feel as comfortable as possible."

No word if Nolan Ryan or Randy Johnson stands in the back of the room, staring at each speech-giver to make sure they get every single word right.

One of the always fun spots in the hotel is the Hawkeye Bar and Grill on the bottom floor. Here, Hall of Famers can enjoy drinks late into the night, listen to a live band or get on stage themselves. That part about Boggs and Piazza jamming together is true. It's actually apparently tradition for newcomers to get up and sing in front of everybody.

Biggio reluctantly sang Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" back in 2015, telling reporters afterward, "What am I going to do, tell Sandy Koufax no?"

Piazza also chose Bon Jovi's hit in 2016, but once he started crooning, the bartender (and his wife) told him to stop.

Ken Griffey Jr. got out of his onstage appearance by using an excuse we've all used at some point in our lives.

“I pretended I had to go the bathroom,’’ Griffey said. “I wasn’t singing.’’

But the main hangout, the place where all the Hall of Famers and their families congregate after the ceremonies, is on the beautiful back veranda that overlooks the golf course and lake. Big white rocking chairs are set up along the edge, a welcoming firepit is just down below and a sprawling lawn (where Reggie Jackson has been known to take part in some cornhole) is the perfect spot for photo sessions.

"The epicenter of it all is the veranda," Shestakofsky said. "A lot of guys will hang out here after their meals and chat. Any time, really, out here, they can pull up and grab a drink or grab a quick bite and spend some time here."

Or maybe they'll find a quiet spot to just read a book -- like Lee Smith.

Or laugh at a Rickey Henderson story, like Lou Brock did one year.

Either way, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better summer view in the country.

It's the gathering of legends, the capping off to a magical weekend. On the porch, on the greens and elsewhere at the Otesaga -- players feel like they're back on the field or joking around in the clubhouse again. Even guys decades and decades past their playing days.

"I don't know how to describe it, but in a way, it's like you're taking a trip back in time to a different world," Shestakofsky said. "It's almost like you're in a time machine. You go back in time here in Cooperstown and the hotel's part of it. They're the stars of the game again."