Baseball Hall of Fame

According to legend, Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York in 1839. The legend is simply that: a legend. Baseball's origins are much more complex. It is now believed that the first organized games tood place in the late 1840s in New Jersey. From there the game grew into America's Pastime and then became America's Past-It's-Time, in many people's minds.

Yet the game holds a place in many of our hearts, including mine. This past year I was working on a paper for a history class and determined I needed to go to Cooperstown, site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, to use their research library.. It was late March and winter still gripped New York State. It snowed both nights I was there, but inside the Hall of Fame it was always summer and the sun was shining.

Cooperstown is situated at the southern end of Lake Otsego, also known as Glimmerglass. The village was home to James Fenimore Cooper, author of The Leatherstocking Tales.

The entrance to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The first members were inducted in 1936 and the building opened in 1939 to celebrate the centennial of the invention of baseball.

Doubleday Field in Cooperstown is located on the purported site of the invention of baseball.

The view down the left field line from the grandstand at Doubleday Field.

A display of Al Kaline's jersey, bat, hat, shoes and hat. Al Kaline was the Detroit Tigers' right and center fielder while I was boy growup. It was my dream to play right field at Tiger Stadium.

A display featuring the 1984 World's Champion, Detroit Tigers. The pitcher is Jack Morris. The jersey's belong to the great keystone combination: number 3, Alan Trammell (shortstop) and number 1, Lou Whitaker (second base). They hold the major league record for the most years playing together at second base and shortstop.

This display features two of the best teams of the 1980s, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers. Both teams won World Series and were dominate in doing so.

This is the Hall of Fame plaque for Al Kaline.

One of the greatest of all players in major league history is Stan Musial, outfielder/first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals. This is Musial's locker on display at the HOF.

The Cardinals became a dominant team during the 1940s, benefitting from a massive farm system that allowed them to build talent beyond any other National League team. This display contains memorabilia from that era.

This is Stan Musial's Hall of Fame plaque.