“Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world.” ~ George Herman “Babe” Ruth
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The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, also known as The Hall of Fame or simply Cooperstown, in my opinion is a must see for every baseball fan. The history of the game and those associated with it are housed there. Additionally, artifacts and various exhibits as well as the “elites” of the game (players, managers, umpires, executives, writers, and broadcasters) are honoured in the “Hall”. Cooperstown’s motto is “Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations”.
It is located at 25 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, 13326. You can phone them toll free at 888-425-5633. The Museum is open 7 days a week, 362 per year. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Summer hours (The Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend through the day before Labour Day) are 9a – 7p. Winter hours (Labour Day through the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend) are 9a – 5p. The Giamatti research Center is open Monday through Friday, 9a – 5p and is closed on all Federal Holidays.
(Photo of The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Found on the internet. Assuming Public Domain.)
The First-Floor houses:
· Baseball at the Movies – Is a section which contains various memorabilia from various baseball movies. There is a screen that shows snippets of the movies.
· The Bullpen Theater – This area is walls for pictures of the game’s most famous relief pitchers. The theater has various daily programming of trivia, book discussions and more.
· Inductee Row – This section has photos of the Hall of Famers that were inducted from 1937-1939.
· The Perez-Steele Art Gallery – Dick Perez was an artist for many projects at the Hall for 20 years. This area contains art, of all mediums related to baseball.
· The Plaque Gallery – The gallery is what most people think of when the Hall is mentioned. This is the area where all the inductees’ plaques reside.
· The Sandlot Kids Clubhouse – An interactive kids’ area.
· Scribes and Mikemen – This is where the photos and artifacts of the sports writers (Baseball Writers’ Association of America Career Excellence Award) and broadcasters (Ford C. Frick Award) are housed. This exhibit faces and outdoor courtyard with statues of Johhny Podres throwing to Roy Campanella, an unnamed player that represents the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and Satchel Paige.
· An Education Gallery – This section hosts school groups with (during the summer months) presentations about various artifacts housed in the museum.
The Second-Floor houses:
· The Grandstand Theater – It is a 200-seat theater decorated to resemble Chicago’s original Comiskey Park. You sit in replica park seats to watch a 12-minute (or so) multimedia film. (Wish I could share the audio / video of it, but recording was not allowed. Take me word for it, it was perfect.)
· The Game – Is the major feature of this floor. It has a timeline of the game from its beginnings until the present day. In this wing is also The Babe Ruth Room, Diamond Dreams which is the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, Viva Baseball which is a bilingual exhibit of Latin America Baseball, Pride and Passion which is the Negro Leagues Exhibit and Taking the Field which covers 19th Century Baseball.
· Whole New Ballgame – A new section, opened in 2015 which covers the last 45 years of the game with interactive elements that augment artifacts in the Museum’s collection.
· Today’s Game – This is built as a generic baseball clubhouse with 30 glass-enclosed locker stalls depicting each of the major league teams housing a history of the team, uniforms, and other memorabilia. There is also a replica of a Manager’s Office. There is a display case that has revolving displays.
The Third-Floor houses:
· Autumn Glory – This area is devoted to post-season baseball. It has many artifacts, most notably replicas of all the World Series rings.
· Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream – Pretty self-explanatory.
· The Theater Area – A small space with a few benches that has a continuous running of the Abbott and Costello classic comedy bit, “Who’s On First?” Click Here to see a version of it.
· One for the Books – This section deals with all the records of baseball with more than 200 artifacts. There is a database to search for records. It includes amongst other things an inductee touch-screen computer database and the official programs from each World Series
· Sacred Ground – This area explores all the ballparks and the fan experience. There is an amazing computer tour of three former ballparks, Chicago’s Comiskey Park, Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field and Boston’s South End Grounds.
I was there back in September of 2014. We drove out to Boston on vacation and of course took in a Red Sox game at historic Fenway Park. Boston is a beautiful city with history at every turn. We enjoyed several days there as well as spending a day in Salem. We also stopped at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge on our way to Cooperstown, which was a great side trip and well worth our time.
When you do visit the Hall, be sure to schedule enough time to see everything the museum has to offer. I suggest two full days. It is a magical experience. Please drop me a line and tell me about your experience.
I will be writing more Hall related features soon.
~ Coach Mike
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Thanks Mike for a written tour of the Hall. One day I’ll get to see it in person.
What a wonderful article on the Baseball Hall of Fame! It certainly is much more than anyone could expect to find! It is a masterpiece for people who love baseball to be able to tour the entire Hall. I didn't know it had so much to see and do. It is an AMAZING Trip and so happy you were able to make it! Keep up your informative columns! Love them!