BASEBALL HALL OF FAME (COOPERSTOWN,
NY) – 9 July 2014
I freely admit baseball has never
been a sport I was interested in. I never liked playing Little League,
and I’m rather bored by the World Series. But the Baseball Hall of Fame
was something I’d wanted to check out for a while, simply due to the historical
nature of it (as it is also a “museum”). I can’t tell you a think about
the stats of any player, but there are specific names and events I know, so
those were the things I wanted to learn more about. Mum & Dad had
been here recently, so they knew a couple of the tricks of the area.
The website for the area shows
three parking zones which shuttles which run into the city. It’s highly
recommended you do that as a visitor, as the traffic cops watch the parking
meters like hawks (and will write a citation on the first second that your time
has expired). Also, since the area is pretty small, everything is within
reasonable walking distance. There’s no reason to fight for parking
spaces when you don’t have to.
Since we came from the north (off
of the NYS Thruway), and passed Otsego Lake and Glimmerglass Opera House on the
way in, we parked in Lot C (“Yellow”), which was the furthest one out.
The shuttle arrives on a regular schedule, and the driver takes
opportunity to point out other items along, like the Fenimore Art Museum
and the Farmer’s Museum.
Once we were dropped off, I noticed
how the local businesses played on the baseball theme, from stores called
“Mickey’s” and “Shoeless Joe’s,” to the restaurant “Hard Ball Café.” I’m
sure if I looked hard enough, I would see other examples which were less
obvious to me.
The Baseball Hall of Fame has
existed here for many years, and part of the tour gives you a history of the
building itself. Since this is museum with potentially perishable
exhibits, no food or drink is allowed. We got our tickets, which had the
picture of a historical baseball figure on it. Mum and I got Jackie
Robinson, while Dad got Mickey Mantle. Since Mum ends up making
scrapbooks of places visited, then I wanted to make sure they retained both
images.
The tour begins with a short video
played in an auditorium resembling boxed-seats in the stands. With John
Fogerty’s “Centerfield” playing, a basic overview of the history baseball is
given. (As that’s played multiple times a day, every day, I wonder how big
the royalty check is.) After that, it becomes a self-guided tour, with
three distinct sections to cover different aspects. We started out
looking at the artifacts of the late 19th Century where cricket was
converted (or perverted, depending on which side of the Atlantic
you come from) into baseball.
Some of the items on display here
include old uniforms, early versions of bats, and a column of bronzed baseballs
(which I thought was part of a Dalek when I saw it).
Other items are memorabilia of such
famous people like Babe Ruth, and Yogi Barra.
This was very extensive at covering
the history and major personages, so there were two things specifically which I
was on the look-out for. Many of the displays were designed to look like
lockers to show the uniforms and equipment of the players, each with an
informational card. While I knew who Ty Cobb and Cy Young were, I didn’t
know Mel Ott, so having that info available was nice. When Mel Ott stopped playing ball in 1947, he
had 511 home-runs, which then was a record for the National League. Not bad for a kid from the Louisiana bayou playing for the New York
Giants.
One section was devoted to the
Negro Leagues of the early 20th Century, back when baseball was a
segregated sport. The teams were the equivalent of today’s “minor
leagues,” as there were fewer teams, and fewer games, but with the exception
that good players didn’t graduate out of the Negro Leagues. As was common
to the time period, they got the second-hand or substandard equipment.
When segregation in baseball ended, only the best got to play in the
Major Leagues. I’m sure not ever good player from the Negro League got
advanced, as the old habits of society are slower to change.
Another section was on the Women’s
League, which was the wartime response to keep the home front entertained.
Many men went off to fight overseas, and the Women’s League was created
to fill that void. In many ways it was separate like the Negro Leagues
were, except there was no expectation of being graduated to the Major
League. The skirt-like uniforms were a
product of the time also, so the players would appear more “lady like.”
Beyond that, there really wasn’t much different on the field. The
Geena Davis movie A League of Their Own was based on one of these teams,
the Rock City Peaches.
No museum of baseball would be
complete without a looped video showing the classic Abbott & Costello
routine “Who’s On First?” and displays about teams around the world. Other
countries embraced this purely American sport to varying degrees. Due to
American occupation in post-war Japan,
baseball is now just as popular there as it is here. And poorer nations in our geographic vicinity
adopted this, because it was rather inexpensive to field a team. One
picture showed Fidel Castro during his American Major League tryouts before he
became Cuba’s
Dictator.
There was
information presented on the various records which had been set by players
(homeruns, most bases stolen, R.B.I., and such), as well as who won the various
World Series. That was one of the things I was looking to see, or at
least something a particular year’s contest. Other than a display of the
uniform that the Chicago White Sox happened to wear that year, I didn’t see
anything on the 1919 World Series. That’s the year that Arnold Rothstein
decided to fix (what was then) the most-watched sporting event in America,
creating the “Black Sox Scandal.”
There were displays of some of the
more notable players of recent times, each exhibit showing the uniform and
other associated items for that person. Jackie Robinson’s number 42 was
retired by the L.A. Dodgers because he was such a great player.
And there other honored names
present as well, each one which achieved their own measure of success.
Pete Rose was even represented, showing the achievements he made as a
player, and notes about how his actions as manager caused him to be ejected
from the Hall of Fame. Say what you will on that, my personally feeling
was that one didn’t have anything to do with the other. He still earned
those accolades, and should’ve been able to retain those.
Mum speculated why the reason there
was nothing about the Black Sox Scandal was due to the embarrassing nature of
the event. While that’s a possibility, what Pete Rose did was equally
embarrassing, and that was still there. All aspects of history should be
presented.
We then passed into a pseudo-locker
room showing the current uniforms of the active teams, which showed their years
of operation. I’ve liked the Toronto Blue Jays for a reason I could never
explain, even though I don’t really follow them.
There was a section was devoted to
the various stadiums, mascots, and antics of the fans. Of course I had to
take the opportunity to pose with the furry alien, or thing, whatever you
called Philadelphia’s
mascot.
The last portion of the building
was the actual Hall of Fame, which was a huge area with plaques on the wall of
all members. The sections were divided up by the years players were
inducted in. It could get a little confusing when looking for a
particular person. There were alphabetical lists at the entrance here
with the appropriate year to help with that.
It was bright and airy in here, and
the light reflected off the polish marble. In the back (where the most
current inductees were) there’s also a life-size statue of Babe Ruth.
What looks like a plastic mannequin in a cloth uniform is actually a
fully-painted wood carving. It provided another opportunity for my
magazine display shot.
We took a quick look through the
gift shop, but there wasn’t anything I wanted.
Mum had already gotten a magnet on her previous trip here (as she gets
one every place she goes). I like to grab a t-shirt of a place I’d been,
but none of the styles I liked.
Before we
left, we did find a guide and asked him why we didn’t see anything about
Thurman Munson or the 1919 World Series Scandal. (A brief bit for those
who don’t know, Thurman Munson was a catcher for the Yankees who died in a
plane-crash during his career in 1979; and one of my brother’s favorite
players.) The guide noted because Munson was never inducted into the Hall
of Fame of course he wouldn’t be there.
I understood that, but I wondered
why there wasn’t a display for the players who died during their careers to
commemorate them. I’m sure there Munson who met a tragic end due to an
accident, and then those who were drafted to war and never returned. Sure
none would’ve had the chance to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but as this
showed a lot of baseball history, I thought that would’ve been a nice
touch. Being the only New York Yankee to
win both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, he was the team captain that
lead them to victory in the 1977 & 197 World Series.
For that same reason, there
should’ve been more information about the Black Sox. I got more of an
evasive answer about that. Again, it’s still history, like it or not, and
all the aspects should be presented. Hell, if you’re going to acknowledge
what Pete Rose did *after* he was a player, then what happened when Shoeless
Joe and others were players should be noted.
I’ll step off my soapbox now.
Other than those small bits, I
found the Baseball Hall of Fame to be pretty complete. Someone who knows
the sport better than me might be able to point out other things which could’ve
been included. But as a casual fan, and more of a “museum goer,” I enjoyed
my visit here.
DOUBLEDAY FIELD (COOPERSTOWN,
NY) – 9 July 2014
We saw
this as we came into town, but waited until after touring the Baseball Hall of
Fame to fully check this out. This also allowed us to wander down some of
the side streets first, and find a place for lunch. Named after Abner
Doubleday, (who allegedly created baseball, this is a working baseball field
used by many local teams (high schools, little leagues, and the like). I use the term allegedly, because there’s
some doubt that Doubleday ever had anything to do with the sport’s creation
(much less ever being in Cooperstown in the
first place).
In
conjunction with the 75th anniversary, the official press release
mentions the National
Baseball Museum
first opened it’s doors 100 years after the “mythical” first game allegedly
played here in June 1839. Still, the
anniversary sign made a good photo opportunity.
It had been clear sky when we
entered the museum, and it had rained since then. The field was a little
muddy, but the game being played today continued. A bit of rain wasn’t
going to hurt anyone. We watched the event for a few moments, and then headed
to where the shuttle pick-up was.
The sky was threatening, and we
hoped the next batch of rain would hold off until we were on the shuttle.
As it ran in regular intervals, we had to wait, and I used that last bit
of time to explore the area.
On the opposite side of the
Baseball Hall of Fame from where Doubleday Field was, I spotted a small park
with a statue hanging out there by itself. A quick investigation showed
it was dedicated to James Fenimore Cooper. While not who the city was
named after, it was there to note his family’s connection.
Also near there, closer to the Hall
of Fame, were a couple baseball-related statues representing a pitcher and
catcher.
Once we’d gotten on the shuttle to return to the car, the
rain had begun. I was able to quickly look down one of the streets which
lead towards the lake. Had it been a nicer day, and we had more time
available, I would’ve enjoyed wandering down these sections to see what shops,
restaurants, and other establishments there were.
For more information on the places visited or mentioned:
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