Olympic baseball celebrated in new Hall of Fame exhibit
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Cooperstown -- Baseball’s presence at the Olympic games is on hold for now. But baseball’s past at the Olympics is on display for all to see at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Museum officially dedicated the new exhibit Olympic Baseball on Friday, May 1, celebrating the history of our National Pastime at the Summer Games. The exhibit will run through January of 2010 and is located on the Museum’s second floor in the Today’s Game exhibit. Olympic Baseball features over 50 artifacts, about half of which were loaned to the Hall of Fame specifically for this exhibit. Players who loaned the Museum artifacts include past Olympians such as Mike Epstein, Jim Abbott and Doug Mientkiewicz, as well as current players like Matt Laporta, Brian Barden and Brandon Knight. Countries represented with artifacts include the USA, Australia, Japan and Italy. Artifacts in the exhibit include:
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Duplicate gold medals, struck from the original 1912 mold, awarded to the family of Jim Thorpe, who won both the decathlon and pentathlon at the 1912 Olympics, and hit a double in two at bats in an exhibition baseball game played at the 1912 Olympics
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Cap and jersey worn by U.S. catcher-outfielder Herman Goldberg, one of six American Jewish athletes to participate in the 1936 Summer Games in Nazi Germany
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A Japanese tea cup featuring the Olympic rings and the image of a baseball player, produced prior to the 1940 Tokyo Games’ cancellation
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Official Olympic identification for Lloyd Monsen, left wing on the U.S. soccer team and the starting pitcher for both exhibition baseball games played at the 1952 Summer Games
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Bat used by Australia’s Max Lord in the Olympic demonstration baseball game in which the U.S. defeated Australia, 11-5, Dec. 1, 1956
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Official Olympics competitor badge given to U.S. baseball player Mike Epstein, one of eight future major leaguers to play in the demonstration baseball games at the 1964 Tokyo Games
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Ball from the first baseball game at the 1984 Olympics, in which Italy stunned the Dominican Republic with five runs in the ninth inning, winning 10-7
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Gold medal awarded to Team USA pitcher and future major leaguer Jim Abbott, who pitched a complete game, seven-hitter in the 1988 Olympic finale, as the U.S. topped Japan, 5-3
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Gold medal earned by Doug Mientkiewicz, who posted a team-best .435 batting average during the 2000 Olympics, the first with a ban on aluminum bats
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Road jersey worn by Daisuke Matsuzaka, the winning pitcher for Japan when they handed the Cubans their only loss of the 2004 Olympic Games, a 6-3 first-round defeat on Aug. 17
Baseball has been a medal sport in five Olympiads and it has been contested in several others. It will not be played at the 2012 Summer Games in London, but could be brought back as a sport for the 2016 Games. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Museum observes off-season hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger.
For more information, visit the Hall of Fame website at www.baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200. |
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