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February 13, 2007
Cooperstown relics come to St. Paul
It has been cold these past couple of weeks. Very cold. With temperatures constantly diving below freezing, the desire for summer to arrive is stronger than ever. With this overwhelming urge for summer to come, what better way to tide one’s self over than with America’s archetypal summer pasttime, baseball? The Minnesota Historical Society is host to the Baseball As America exhibit, a display that boasts over 500 items from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
“Baseball As America is the first major exhibition to examine the relationship between baseball and American culture,” according to www.Mnhs.org, the Minnesota Historical Society website. The exhibit includes a large collection of artifacts: bats and balls, gloves and jerseys, books, films, and historical documents dating back to the creation of baseball during the early 19th century. There are even mascot uniforms to check out.
Like other exhibits at the Historical Society, Baseball As America is a hands-on experience. Visitors have many privilages, including the ability to hold game bats used by Hall-of-Famers including such greats as Babe Ruth.
A noted highlight of the exhibit is the collection of baseball “firsts.” The first ball pitched by Cy Young in the first World Series in 1903 is there, as are many other items from Hall-of-Famers, including Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, numerous other players from the Yankees golden era, and segregation-era hero Jackie Robinson.
Baseball has as much of a history in Minnesota as it does in any other state. The Washington Senators (1901-1961) relocated here in 1961 and were renamed the Minnesota Twins. The Twins teams have had their own successes over the years, with many players gaining popularity and some even being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Former Twins players Rod Carew, Steve Carlton, Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, and Dave Winfield have all reached the Hall. Of those five players, only Carew, Killebrew and Puckett have gone in identified as Twins.
Included within the Baseball Hall of Fame are many Twins artifacts. As listed on www.baseballhalloffame.org, former pitcher Eric Milton’s no-hitter game ball (Sept. 11, 1999) is there, retired Twin Paul Molitor’s spikes worn when he collected his 3,000th hit (Sept. 16, 1996) are present; even a 1964 Twins uniform worn by Harmon Killebrew is in the Hall.
St. Paul is the 11th city to host the exhibit, but soon the exhibit will wear out its welcome leaving the Twin Cities on March 4. Head in soon. Hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday-Saturday, and noon-5 p.m. on Sundays. The museum is closed on Mondays.
Standard admission to the museum is $8, but it is only $6 for college students. For more information, visit www.mnhs.org.
Posted by dwright at February 13, 2007 11:22 AM
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