Baseball Hall of Fame Cooperstown N.Y. - America's national pastime is now a full-time obsession around the globe. And nowhere is that more obvious than in Latin America, a region that produced almost 24 percent of the players on Major League Baseball's 2009 Opening Day rosters.
The areas that lay claim to the highest number of Major Leaguers outside the U.S. are the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico. The increasing number of Latin American ballplayers in the Major Leagues has brought renewed spirit to professional baseball.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will celebrate the Latin American baseball experience Saturday by unveiling a new, permanent exhibit in Cooperstown entitled ¡Viva Baseball!, recognizing the Latin American impact on baseball through a celebration of Caribbean Basin countries and players. Hall of Fame heroes Orlando Cepeda and Juan Marichal are scheduled to participate in a full day of activities in Cooperstown, including an 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Following the ceremony, Cepeda and Marichal will share some of their baseball memories in a Voices of the Game event at 1 p.m. Tickets for the Voices of the Game event are available for participants in the Museum's Membership program by calling 607-547-0397. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.
On Saturday evening, Members are invited to celebrate the opening of ¡Viva Baseball! with an exclusive reception from 6-8 p.m., May 23 at the Hall of Fame, featuring appearances from Cepeda and Marichal. Attendees will have complete after-hours access to the Museum, where Hall of Fame staff will present special artifact spotlights and demonstrate the Museum's award-winning educational modules. Curators will be available to chat about the new exhibit. Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served in the Plaque Gallery. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12 and are still available. Members may reserve tickets by calling the Membership Department at 607-547-0397.
Members interested in attending both the Voices of the Game roundtable discussion and the ¡Viva Baseball! Member Reception can also purchase a ticket package for the discounted price of $25 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Members may reserve tickets by calling the Membership Department at 607-547-0397.
¡Viva Baseball! features nearly 150 artifacts and a state-of-the-art multimedia presentation celebrating the passion of the Latin love affair with baseball, spanning nearly 150 years of history. The exhibit focuses on the rich baseball traditions of the major baseball-playing areas of the region: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. In video interviews located throughout the exhibit, Latin American Hall of Famers and Major League All-Stars provide first-hand accounts for playing in their homeland, their journey to the Major Leagues and insight into what makes Caribbean baseball special.
Other activities planned to celebrate the opening on May 23 include screenings of The Republic of Baseball at 9:30 a.m. and Dreaming in Blue at noon, both in the Bullpen Theater; and an Author's Series event featuring Adrian Burgos (Playing America's Game: Baseball, Latinos and the Color Line), Milton Jamail (Venezuelan Bust, Baseball Boom: Andres Reiner and Scouting on the New Frontier) and co-authors Tim Wendel and Jose Luis Villegas (Far From Home: Latino Baseball Players in America).
Puerto Rico's Roberto Clemente became the first Latino elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 and has since been joined by Martin Dihigo, Jose Mendez, Tony Perez and Cristobal Torriente (Cuba); Marichal (Dominican Republic); Rod Carew (Panama); Cepeda (Puerto Rico); and Luis Aparicio (Venezuela).
Some of the historic artifacts to be included in ¡Viva Baseball! are: a ball from the first organized pro season in the United States that was used in an 1871 game that featured Cuban Esteban Bellan, the first Latin American big leaguer; a jersey from Puerto Rico's Clemente; a glove and cap from the Dominican's Marichal; a jersey worn by Hector Espino, the "Mexican Babe Ruth;" and jerseys and equipment from current Latin American superstars Albert Pujols, David Ortiz and Johan Santana.
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. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. seven days a week. The Museum observes offseason hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. 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, call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200
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