Planet Baseball

For a hundred years, international baseball has contributed some very rich, and very diverse history to the world. To honor these contributions, The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York, opened the exhibit "Planet Baseball."

On display in this exhibit are many artifacts, 45 in total. These artifacts have come from all over the world, twenty two countries spanning all six continents to be exact. The oldest artifact is a wood engraving of the Toronto Maple Leaf Club, dating back to 1874 when this semi-professional team beat a Ku Klux Klan team to win the World Series of Baseball.

Diamond Dreams: Women in Baseball

On display since 1988, the exhibit on the history of women in baseball was recently updated. In May of 2006, the exhibit was expanded to 600 square feet, with many new additions and a much more profound look at the history of women in baseball. There are three main parts to this newly revamped exhibit.

On the Field- This exhibit focuses on women who have competed in the sport of baseball, from women's leagues world wide, to women who have competed in men's leagues.

In the Office- In the Office concentrates on women as owners of teams, and who have held executive positions in baseball.

In the Stands- In the stands focuses on the cultural impact that female fans, women who work as broadcasters is baseball, and public address announcers as well as the movie A League of Their Own.

There are eighty five artifacts contained within this exhibit that's a seventy percent increase in comparison to the Women in Baseball exhibit which was previously there. Some of the newer artifacts include a baseball cap Maria Pepe, and a Baltimore Orioles hardhat worn by the designer of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Janet Marie.

Sacred Ground

On the third floor of the National Baseball Hall of Fame's Museum, there exists an absolutely spectacular exhibit. Called Sacred Ground, this exhibit celebrates the special connection that people feel in their favorite ballpark. This exhibit uses sights, sounds, and even smells to remind fan's of their favorite ballparks that they grew up around.

Featuring more than 200 artifacts and interactive displays spanning 125 years of baseball history and culture, the exhibit takes up eighteen hundred square feet of space. Among the most illustrious artifacts in Sacred Ground is the "pinwheel" from the original exploding scoreboard at Comiskey Park, installed owner Bill Veeck. There is also a turnstile from Polo Grounds, a cornerstone from Ebbets Field, and the on-deck circle from Forbes Field, the place where some of baseballs greatest legends previously knelt.

Baseball has contributed much to the culture of sports as well as the cultures of nations and regions. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum honors that contribution and beckons to tomorrow's new stars of the sport to come forward and "play ball!"