Cooperstown, New York
Sunday, May 16th, 2010
I took a drive on Sunday to a great, great place. Cooperstown NY is a cozy little lake side village smack dab in the middle of nowhere. It's a nice drive especially when made on a sunny Sunday morning when there is little traffic. Once you get off the interstate it is nothing but single lane, windy roads through farmland. There are a lot of what at first appear to be wrong turns until finally you arrive at Cooperstown. Now some of you saying "Why are you driving to Cooperstown?" and some of you are saying "There's actually a town there?" Yes, Cooperstown is actually a town. It also happens to be home to The National Baseball Hall of Fame.
This is Otsego Lake. Cooperstown sits on the southern tip of the lake.
Now to say that I enjoyed my day is probably an understatement. The whole town is one giant baseball themed place. Lots of little stores where you can buy t-shirts and posters and autographed baseballs and Louisville sluggers. Almost everyone assures you they can ship almost anywhere too. Of course I really just wanted to head to the National Hall of Fame and Museum to check things out.
Your source for all things Louisville Slugger. One of the many places you can buy a bat......and have it shipped to pretty much anywhere.
The Museum and Hall of Fame was obviously the highlight of the day. It took some time but here are some of the pictures from the day. Baseball has a long history in the United States and Canada but did you know that there is evidence of baseball-like games being played as early as 1460 BC? Thutmose III (an Egyptian Pharaoh) played a game known as seker-hemat, a bat and ball game that was played as a religious ritual. Anyway, let's move on.
A collection of balls and bats from the Eckford Baseball Club in New York City formed in 1855. Made up of labourers from the Eckford & Webb Shipyard, they collected over 150 "trophy balls". Some of those on now on display at the Hall of Fame Museum.
This ball is from a series of games played September 10, 1858. This was the first series of games at which admission was charged. In the 1870's baseball went pro. At this time the overriding priority of the game became making money.
One of the interesting little items you will find in the museum. This is a Pittsburgh Pirates hat with a pair of sunglasses attached. A whole lot different than the sunglasses you will see the players wear now.
This is at the entrance to a great exhibit called Pride & Passion: The African-American Baseball Experience. It chronicles baseball history from the Negro Leagues to today. A couple of the dates I find interesting:
April 15, 1947 - Jackie Robinson breaks the Major League Colour Barrier when he plays his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers
1948 - The Negro National League folded. The Negro American League continued to play until 1951.
1949 - Jackie Robinson is named League MVP
1971 - Satchel Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. He was the first player to be named to The Hall based on his performance in the Negro Leagues.
1974 - Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth's all-time Home run record.
1992 - Cito Gaston becomes the first African-American manager to lead his team to a World Series Title. Of course he did that with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Some of the items worn by Jackie Robinson during his 10 year major league career. Like the rest of the museum, this section was full of baseballs and bats and uniforms and all kinds of things worn and signed by players. Lots of stuff to look at.
An interesting tidbit learned in this section of the museum: Negro League players earned $350 per month playing ball. That was well above the $100 per month average that most African-Americans earned at the time.
It is also interesting to know that one of the motivations for White Major League owners to integrate their teams was money. They realized that African-Americans might be drawn to pay admission if there were black players on the team. This potential profit motivated many owners to consider breaking the colour barrier.
Anyone who has seen the movie "A League of Their Own" will be very familiar with the history of female major league ball players. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (although it went by a few different variations of this title over the years the league existed) was created in 1943. World War II threatened to shut down major league baseball so a few owners created this female league to keep baseball in the public eye (and make a few dollars). The league existed until 1951. Diamond Dreams: Women in Baseball was opened in 1988.
These are a few items worn and signed by The Say Hey Kid......William Howard "Willie" Mays. He played for the San Francisco Giants and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
This jersey can be found in a section titled "Viva Baseball" celebrating Latin American baseball heritage. This jersey was worn by Dennis Martinez, often referred to as El Presidente. A native of Nicaragua, on July 28, 1991 he pitched a perfect game as a member of the Montreal Expos.
There is a small section dedicated to the Toronto Blue Jays based on the fact that they were Back-to-Back World Series Champions in 1992 and 1993. As mentioned before Cito Gaston made history in 1992 by becoming the first African-American manager to lead his team to a world series. In 1993 John Olerud, Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar finished 1-2-3 in the American League batting race. This marked the first time teammates had swept the top 3 spots in AL history. 1992 also marked the first time a team outside the United States had won the World Series title. So it may be a small mark, but the Jays have made their mark on Major League baseball history.
This mask belonged to Charlie O'Brien. No Charlie was not a hockey goalie. He was in fact a catcher. In 1996 he first wore this goalie style mask because it offered better sight lines. It caught on and continues to be worn by a large number of major league catchers.
This was one of my favourite exhibits. It was dedicated to Hank Aaron and his chasing of the all time Home run record. He finished his career with 755 home runs, a record which would stand until 2007. Aaron played in the majors from 1954 to 1976 but his career started with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro Leagues. Widely known as Hammerin Hank, he is the last Negro League player to have played in the Major Leagues. Interesting to know that Aaron was offered a contract to play for the San Francisco Giants and would have played along side Willie Mays however the (then) Milwaukee Braves (moved to Atlanta in 1966) offered him $50 more a month so he signed with them.
A few of the items Hank wore throughout his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982. Since 1999, a yearly award is given to the hitters voted most effective in both leagues that bares Hank's name. It is interesting to note that although he understood the importance of what he was doing, he never focused on the home run record or any other individual record.
Can't go to a museum without seeing some art. This is a portrait of "Smokey" Joe Williams by Deryl Daniel Mackie. Smokey Joe got his nickname for his blazing fastball. He is said to have dominated black baseball during decades before the establishment of the Negro Leagues.
Once I had exhausted the museum it was time to wander down to the Hall of Fame. Here are a few pictures from there as well.
Walking into the Hall of Fame.
The First Class included Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Matthewson, Honus Wagner and Babe Ruth.
Here is the plaque for one of the most famous ball players of all time, Mickey Mantle. He went into the Hall in 1974.
Kirby Puckett. He played for and won a couple World Series with the Minnesota Twins. He is one of many players who managed to play their entire careers with one team. He was forced to leave baseball in 1995 after he lost the sight in his left eye due to glaucoma. He was elected to The Hall in 2001. He lost his life after a stroke in 2006 at the age of 45.
Here is Satchel Paige who I mentioned earlier. So you don't have to scroll back up the page, he was the first player to be named to The Hall based on his performance in the Negro Leagues. He is a member of the class of 1971. A few other Satchel Paige notes: he was the oldest rookie to play in the major leagues making his debut at age 42. Also on Aug. 20, 1948 he pitched the Indians to a 1-0 victory over the White Sox in front of 78,382 fans, a night-game attendance record that still stands.
Here is Jackie Robinson. He was elected to The Hall in 1962. You will notice the small symbol below his plaque. That signifies that Jackie served in the Military. All members of The Hall who served will have this indicating which branch of the Military they served with.
Here is Dave Winfield who I know from his one season with the Blue Jays (1992) but he also played for the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. When players have played for more than one team, they get to chose which hat they wear in The Hall. Winfield chose to enter The Hall as a New York Yankee when he was elected in 2001.
Of course like many other sports' Hall of Fames the Baseball Hall of Fame doesn't just induct players. In 1953 Tom Connolly was elected to The Hall as an umpire. He umpired in the Major Leagues for 34 years starting in 1898. Many consider this to be the roughest era in baseball. Tom Connolly umpired the first game played at such famed baseball stadiums as Fenway Park (Boston), Comiskey Park (Chicago), Shibe Park (Philadelphia) and Yankee Stadium (New York).
Here's me hanging out with the class of 1962.
And that was my day at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York. What a great place. What a great day. Here's hoping I will have a chance to make another visit someday.
Julie
*disclaimer - all information above believed to be accurate at the time of posting.
