By TREVOR HAYES

A few members of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats – a Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays – made a stop in Cooperstown Monday as they finish their trip from New Britain to Binghamton. After winning the opener against the Rock Cats, the Fisher Cats lost two and were postponed due to rain Sunday. They now face a three game-set starting tonight against the B-Mets before returning to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, N.H.for a seven-game homestand.

Not happy with their start to the season, several of the players’ faces lit up when they peeked through the lobby and into the plaque gallery with the Class of 1936 – Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner – at the end of the long hallowed hall. A 6-and-10 day off to reconnect with the game they love, seemed to be just what the Fisher Cats ordered.

The club returns 14 players from their 2011 Eastern League Championship. But the dream for each of the 29 players who have suited up for the

Members of the Fisher Cats in front of 'Character and Courage'. (Donny Lowe/National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Fisher Cats this season is success in the majors. Just five players have logged anytime in the majors – including Drew Hutchison who was 2-1 for New Hampshire before his major league debut last Friday, in which he started against Kansas City and earned a win after five and a third innings of work.

As the Fisher Cats got their tickets, they compared the artifacts printed on their souvenirs and started to wander the Hall, just like seven-year-old boys and not the professional athletes who will take the field an hour-and-a-half southeast of Cooperstown tonight.

The Hall of Fame is a popular stopover for minor league teams looking to escape from the grind of traveling the central New York bus circuit. It’s a chance to get perspective and dive into baseball history for a few hours, while traveling to and from places like Auburn, Batavia, Binghamton, Buffalo, Hudson Valley or Syracuse. Saturday’s perfect game author Phillip Humber visited the Hall of Fame during his two seasons with the International League’s Rochester Red Wings and now he’s made baseball history which will be preserved for future generations of fans and players to see.

‘‘I’ve seen the stuff that’s there,” the 29-year-old Humbersaid to media over the weekend. “And now, to think that something of mine is going to be there? It’s pretty awesome.’’

The Fisher Cats who visited the Museum Monday hope that with skill and a little luck, they can utter the same sentences someday.

Trevor Hayes is the editorial production manager at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

By BILL FRANCIS

“It’s like spring break for old guys,” joked William J. Ryczek, the keynote speaker at the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Nineteenth Century Committee’s fourth annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell Base Ball Conference.

Ryczek, the author of three books on 19^th century baseball, was referring to the two-day event, held at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Bullpen Theater, which concluded Saturday afternoon.

“A lot of people have done some incredible research that the general public might not be interested in hearing but to us it’s fascinating stuff,” said Ryczek, attending his fourth conference. “We all have a common interest, and for 55 of us to get together and enjoy each others company is a great time.”

(Milo Stewart, Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Ryczek’s initial interest in 19^th century baseball began in the early 1980s and came about because it was unknown to most people. “It was a big and vast void that very few people had ever touched,” he said. “So to learn about something that is unknown to most people and trying to figure out what it was all about, why things happened, why it evolved the way it did, really interested me.”

Ryczek’s used a portion of his keynote address to compare himself with the three who had given the keynote addresses in the past – John Thorn, Peter Morris and David Block – who he considers great 19^th century baseball researchers.

“I’m not a great researcher. And I compare them to pitchers with a 98 mile per hour fastball like Justin Verlander and myself, in terms of research, to Jamie Moyer,” Ryczek said. “But Jamie Moyer has been a very effective major league pitcher because he knows what he can do and knows what he can’t do. He works the corners, he changes speed. I as a writer and historian can work the corners and change speeds to contribute to the knowledge of 19^th century baseball.”

Attending the conference was Thorn, a prolific writer as well as Major League Baseball’s official historian, who began researching the national pastime’s pre-1900 era for many of the same reasons as Ryczek.

“What I loved about 19^th century baseball when I first started looking hard at it in the early 1980s was that there were so few people who cared about it,” Thorn said. “I felt like I was going to the dark side of the moon. So much of my early work to me seemed solitary.

“So when Mark Rucker and I, who shared this enthusiasm, created the 19^th century baseball research committee in 1982 we imagined that one day there might be 50 of us. And now I believe the committee size is something like 700, 800. We have a lot of people who like this stuff.”

And though Peter Mancuso, the Nineteenth Century Committee Chairman who runs the conference, initially had misgivings about holding the conference at the Hall of Fame, where it has been held since its inception, it didn’t take long to change his mind.

“I had a lot of trepidation about putting the conference in Cooperstown because I know it’s not the easiest destination to get to,” he said. “But my vice chair, Bob Bailey, was absolutely convinced that by having it in Cooperstown it would take on a life of its own. And that has really proved out to be correct.”

Bill Francis is a library associate at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

By DONNY LOWE

History was on display today as students from across the state filled the Hall of Fame for the New York State National History Day competition. The top two regional winners from the group documentary and individual paper groups assembled to make their presentations for their chance to move on to next round.

Horseheads Senior High School student Hunter Hoobler. (Donny Lowe/National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

National History Day is a year-long educational program sponsored in New YorkStateby the New York State Historical Association and encourages students to explore local, state, national and world history. The Hall of Fame and Museum’s Learning Center, Bullpen Theatre, and Bud Selig Center for the Archives of Major League Baseball Commissioners played host to the event. Students select a historical topic covered by the annual theme, research and create a final project that can be entered into a series of competitions, from the local to national level.

Horseheads Senior High School student Hunter Hoobler made her presentation on Dorothea Dix in the individual paper group and was nervous before her presentation, but after the presentation said, “It is pretty amazing to come from a small town inNew Yorkand come to the Hall of Fame, meet with staff, and give my presentation. It was a fun experience and I learned an interview goes much smoother when you are comfortable.”

Alyssa Baker, Abigail Sullivan and Elizabeth Renshaw of Canandaigua Central School showed their group documentary entitled Child Labor Laws: A reform for justice in the Bullpen Theater. When the judges asked why they chose the subject Renshaw said, “It was because we wanted to do a report on something still present in our own lives, something that affects us today. We have jobs and those laws help us still today.”

Students standing before the judges panel. (Milo Stewart, Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

History Day is a way for students to connect with history and become engaged in their own past. Students not only become excited about history through their hands on experience, but they also gain valuable interview and presentation skills through the event.

Learning is an integral part of the Baseball Hall of Fame’s mission. The Hall offers students the chance to learn through events and the Education Department provides opportunities for K-12 students and teachers interactive ways to learn. These programs provide a meaningful learning experience through field trips, videoconferences and online curriculum materials that range from mathematics to science and civil rights and align with national learning standards.

Parents and students interested in National History Day can find more information and register for a competition here.

Donny Lowe is the manager web and digital media at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

By TREVOR HAYES

Before and after every game in the majors and minors, club PR staffs produce game notes. They provide media with stats about how this guy does against this pitcher in this situation on this date of the week in this month. If you want to know how reigning Cy Young and MVP Justin Verlander fares in the sixth inning on the sixth day of the sixth month of the year, they’ve got it.

So throughout the season, under a new title, I’m going to be compiling a cliff notes version of history made over the past week and how it relates to the Hall of Fame. Seamheads like me (read baseball fanatics)… enjoy.

Curtis Granderson (National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

By the way, Verlander has made two career starts on June 6th, going seven innings in each. In 2007 he faced the Rangers, retiring Kenny Lofton, Michael Young and Jerry Hairston in order with seven pitches inducing a pop fly followed by a pair of grounders. In 2008 on nine pitches versus the Indians, he recorded a David Dellucci pop fly, a swinging K of Casey Blake and a flyball from Franklin Gutierrez. Very economical.

Quick Hits: Despite Hall of Famers like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson residing on the Yankees’ rolls, Curtis Granderson became the first Bomber to record a five-hit game with three dingers when he went 5-for-5 Thursday night with three home runs and a pair of singles…On Wednesday, Phillies ace Cliff Lee became the first Philadelphia pitcher to throw 10 shutout innings in a game since Steve Carlton on Sept. 21, 1981… During the Rangers’ drubbing of the Red Sox earlier in the week, Mike Napoli became the first opponent to collect three hits and four RBIs in back-to-back games at Fenway Park since Reggie Jackson with the A’s in 1969…Matt Wieters’ 10th inning grand slam on Monday is one of just five extra inning slams for the Orioles in the last 50 years, a list that includes Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson on July 7, 1970.

Young at Heart, Old on the Mound: On Tuesday, Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher to win a game in Major League Baseball history, besting an 80-year-old record held by the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Jack Quinn. Moyer, who has faced 8.9 percent of all batters to ever play in the majors, beat the Padres at 49 years and 152 days old – topping Quinn’s record by 82 days. Moyer’s cap and his glove are on the way to the Hall of Fame.

Mike Stanton's batting helmet. (Craig Muder/National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

New Stuff to See: During this young season, the Hall of Fame has been busy collecting artifacts. First to come in were a few Florida Marlins artifacts including Giancarlo (Mike) Stanton’s batting helmet complete with the Marlins “F” logo and a ball from the final game at Sun Life Stadium. More Sun Life Stadium artifacts came earlier this week when a pair of “Batters Box” seats from the final major league game played there on Sept. 28, 2011 arrived at their final home.

Along with those two Marlins offerings was a special donation from the Astros, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this season. In March, a space helmet worn by the 1960s-era Houston groundskeepers made its way to the Museum.

Wicked Old: Fenway Park celebrated its 100th anniversary on Friday. For the team’s open house Thursday, nine artifacts from the Hall of Fame’s new FENtennial: Fenway Park’s First 100 Years exhibit as well as two Hall of Fame plaques – those of Carl Yastrzemski and Ted Williams – made the trek to Boston. Both the Yankees and the Red Sox wore throwback uniforms from 1912 on Friday.

Trevor Hayes is the editorial production manager at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

By BILL FRANCIS

The National Pastime’s earliest days were a hot topic of conversation for a group of visitors to Cooperstown on Friday.

The Society for American Baseball Research’s Nineteenth Century Committee is holding its fourth annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell Base Ball Conference at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s Bullpen Theater over two days, beginning today and continuing all day Saturday. For the 55 registered attendees from across the country, it’s an opportunity to engage with others that share the same unique passion.

SABR 19th Century Committee (Milo Stewart, Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

“I was here two years ago and it was the most fun I’ve ever had at a conference in my life, and I look forward to this year’s to be even more fun,” said Long Island’s David Nemec, an author of more than 30 books involving baseball. “The presentations are spectacular and the people are most enjoyable to be with.”

According to Peter Mancuso, the Nineteenth Century Committee Chairman who runs the conference (“actually this conference runs me,” he joked), “there’s wonderful people that participate in this conference at all levels. Even if they are not a presenter, they are in the audience asking some really profound questions. And of course we have the great talent of all of these researchers and writers – they really breathe life into the conference.”

Included among the varied research presentations are “Bridegrooms and Superbas and Dodgers … Oh My!: The Birth of Brooklyn Baseball in the 19th Century,” “The Birth of Baseball Statistics,” “Abner Graves: The Man Who Brought Baseball to Cooperstown,” “’The Great John L.’ and the National Game,” “A Comparison of Alexander Cartwright and William Wheaton” and “John B. Day, the Metropolitan Exhibition Company and the Re-establishment of Major League Baseball in New York City.”

“I learn something from almost everybody I talk to,” Nemec said. “They’ve delved into different types of research than I have. They have a different slant on certain aspects of the 19th century game. To me the 19th century game was a prism of the entire late 19th century, which was a very fluid, fast-moving time. Society and many features of the country changed very quickly, and baseball kept up with it.”

Mancuso concurred, adding, “There might be a common denominator in the room and that is a love of history. If you are a baseball enthusiast and also happen to be lover of history, this is a very unique opportunity to delve into both of those worlds. I think what really makes the conference is the people who attend it. It’s a real collection of very knowledgeable people on 19th century baseball.

“I always consider myself at this conference to be the batboy of the all-star game. I just kind of hand out the bats and they go up and hit the home runs.”

Bill Francis is a Library Associate at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

By CRAIG MUDER

For Ivan Rodriguez, the numbers are almost beyond our ability to appreciate them.

(Brad Mangin/National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Fourteen times an All-Star. Thirteen times a Gold Glove Award winner at catcher. More hits – 2,844 – than any other player who spent the majority of his career behind the plate. More games caught – 2,427 – than any other player.

But that’s not what I remember about Ivan Rodriguez. I remember the 19-year-old phenom who surfaced with the Rangers in 1991, gunning out would-be base stealers with such ease that his arm looked more like a whip.

I remember thinking: “This guy could hit .075 and still be the best all-around catcher in the game.”

More than two decades later, I-Rod has redefined the position in a way very few players ever have.

He’ll become eligible for election to the Hall of Fame in 2017.

Craig Muder is the director of communications for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

By BRAD HORN

When Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier 65 years ago – on April 15, 1947 at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field against the Boston Braves – he crossed the white lines on to that baseball field because he loved the game. Though he went hitless in three at-bats that April afternoon, he scored a run and handled 11 putouts at FIRST base – not the second base bag where he would become a fixture – and played the game with grace and class.

He achieved this despite having very few folks in his corner – on his team, on the opposition, in the ballpark, in the media. Perhaps only Branch Rickey, the Dodgers executive who signed Robinson, was supportive of that moment.

Had Jackie simply played the game on April 15, he would still be an important figure in American history for doing what was – at the time – thought to be the impossible. An African-American playing Major League Baseball.

Jackie Robinson’s current plaque is featured in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
(National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

But the excellence of Jack Roosevelt Robinson is that he was truly great – on the field, as a person, and in understanding his responsibility bestowed upon him on April 15, 1947.

Over the course of the next 10 major league seasons, Robinson would become one of the most dynamic players the game has ever known. He would go on to win the 1947 Rookie of the Year Award, an honor most everyone would have thought impossible on April 15 of that year.

The life of Jackie Robinson is one that we celebrate every day in Cooperstown. His impact on American culture is truly greater than the game. Players come and go. Milestones are achieved. Records are broken. But there will always be only one Jackie Robinson.

On Sunday – Jackie Robinson Day throughout baseball – we traveled his original Hall of Fame plaque to Alliance Stadium in Syracuse for fans to see how his career was immortalized in 1962, when he was elected as a first-ballot Hall of Fame player, five years after his retirement. Jackie was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame because of his achievements on the field, not because he was the first African-American to play the game.

The reference to his being the first was purposely omitted from his original plaque. Robinson did not want to be remembered simply as the first. He – and so many others – knew that he was elected to the Hall of Fame because he was one of the game’s best all-around players.

Today, when you visit Cooperstown, you will see a new plaque to honor Jackie Robinson. In 2008, the Museum took the unprecedented step to include language on his plaque to reflect his role in breaking the color barrier. With a passage of 50 years this summer since his Hall of Fame election, it is imperative that future generations know his role was very much a part of the legacy of Jackie Robinson today.

For without Jackie, and without the tremendous courage he displayed in the face of adversity and severe injustice, the game’s opportunities for players of so many cultures and races might not be possible.

Brad Horn is the senior director of communications and education for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.