Baseball as America.

• Position: Museums - Exhibition examines relationship between baseball and society in the United States - Brief Article

The first major exhibition to examine the relationship between baseball and American culture, currently at New York's American Museum of Natural History, will travel to nine museums across the nation. Organized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and culled from its collections, this exhibition marks the first time that these Hall of Fame treasures have left their home in Cooperstown, N.Y. Through the exploration of a broad range of themes--including immigration, nationalism, integration, technology, and popular culture--"Baseball As America" reveals how the sport has served as both a reflection and a shaper of American society.

It includes approximately 500 of the Hall's most-precious artifacts, dating from baseball's roots in the 19th century to today, ranging from uniforms, balls, bats, and gloves to books, recordings, artwork, films, historic documents, and advertising. Among the highlights are the National Pastime's most-sacred relic, the Doubleday ball, from baseball's mythic first game in 1839; Jackie Robinson's 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers jersey; a variety of artifacts from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League; record-setting bats from the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase of 1998, as well as those of Babe Ruth's 60th homer in 1927 and Roger Maris' 61st in 1961; Pres. Franklin D...