Marty Lurie Talks San Francisco Giants Baseball
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Baseball As America in Oakland


If you are a baseball fan and like the history
of this great game, then you have to visit the
Oakland Museum of California “Baseball As America” exhibit direct from Cooperstown,
but with plenty of local flavor.

By Amaury Pi-GonzálezFirst of all the exibit opened on September 17
and will be there until January 22, 2006, so you
have time to schedule your visit.
Your best bet is to take BART to the Lake Merrit
station one block from the museum located at
100 Oak Street at 10th street. Hours: Wednesday
through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.
to 8 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

It is like a piece of Cooperstown with lots of local
flavor. As you enter some of the first things that
will catch your eye is an Oakland A’S World Series
trophy a “Gigantes”jersey and then it is like a piece
of Cooperstown in downtown Oakland.

You will be able to see the Doubleday Ball a real
relic from baseball’s first game in 1839. Bats from
record setters like Babe Ruth,Roger Maris,Mark
McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

A great amount of diversity is at this museum,
some great memorabilia from the Negro
Leagues to artifacts from the All American Girls
Professional Baseball League to Latinos in baseball.

You stand right there and in front of your eyes you
can see legendary “Shoeless”Joe Jackson’s shoes
or Roberto Clemente’s scouting report – an 18 year
old kid playing for the Santurce team in Puerto
Rico in 1952-.

This exhibit Baseball As America mainly examine
the relationship between the national passtime and
Anerican culture. America is not just the United
States but the whole continent of America from
Greenland in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the
South. The history of Hispanic players is something
that is exhibited.

Down below you can see (aside from the permanent exhibit from Sept 17,2005 until
Jan 22, 2006) the companion exhibitions:

Untold Stories:
Baseball and the Multicultural Experience
Saturday September 17

Pacific Coast League Player’s Reunion
Saturday September 24. You can meet in the
morning fromer PCL players, including Billy
Raimondi. In the afternoon a panel of players
talk about the 1949 PCL barnstorming trip to Japan
plus the career of McClymonds High School coach
George Powles.

Field of Dreams:
Saturday October 1, 12 to 4 p.m.
In the museum gardens you will be able to watch
girls’ softball pitching demostrations. Test your
fast-ball speed at the fast-pitch radar machine. Have fun and make the museum gardens your
Field of Dreams for an afternoon.

A Tribute To the Negro Leagues:
Friday October 7, 7 to 10 p.m.
Hear some of the stories of more than 3,000 players in the Negro Leagues from 1920 to 1948.
Baseball greats Willie Mays,Mamie “Peanut”Johnson,
Neale”Bobo”Henderson and others will be honored.
Negro League memorabilia on sale, in collaboration
with theAfrican American Etthnic Sports Hall of Fame and the African American Museum and Library
Coalition.

Latinos in Baseball:
Friday, November 4, 7 to 9:30 p.m
Hear the real stories of Latinos in major and minor
league baseball. Tito Fuentes(San Francisco Giants)talks with journalist Glenn Dickey and Giants and
Mariners broadcaster Amaury Pi-González.
You will be able to bid on Latino baseball memorabilia at a silent auction. Presented by the
Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum.

The Globalization of Baseball:
(More than just america’s game)
Sunday November 20, 2 to 4 p.m.
This program traces the exportation of the game
to Cuba and Japan during the 19th century and
later to the Dominican Republic,Puerto Rico, Korea,
Taiwan,Mexico and even to Australia.

MATTY:
An afternoon with Christy Mattewson
Sunday November 27, 2 to 4 p.m.
A one man theatrical performance. Eddie Frierson.
National Public Radio called it “One of the Ten
Best Plays of the Year”

Facing Baseball’s Future:
Issues confronting the game.
Friday January 6, 7 to 9 p.m.
Discussion of issues facing the major leagues.
Along with increased attendance, huge populatiry
and media coverage,globalization and the importation of foreign stars.

Safe At Home:
Oaklanders who changed the game.
Sunday January 15, 2 to 5 p.m.
A tribute to the late George Powles, the
McClymonds High School coach who influenced the
lives of Frank Robinson,Curt Flood and Bill Russell,
among others.

I wish all that read this column take their time
to take this exhibit in. In a world of instant access
instant communications, e-mails,faxes,blackberries
and all the hight tehcnology I still find that one of the msot relaxing and informative things to do is
to take BART to this museum and spend a very nice
afternoon.

(Thanks to the Oakland Museum of California for their information in order to writer this column)

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