Day 121 -- Saturday, August 29

I entered my 48th state yesterday, crossing the state line from Rhode Island into Connecticut. After a night spent in the Nutmeg State, I arose this a.m. and headed for Cooperstown, NY. Northwest Connecticut made for a beautiful drive, more scenic, somehow, than I'd expected.

You've probably surmised my reason for heading to Cooperstown: the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's a funny thing but I have little interest in the history of basketball or football, even though I enjoy these sports. I wasn't even tempted to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Ohio or the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. But the Baseball Hall of Fame was, for me, a don't miss.

I wasn't disappointed, either. This place is chock full of fun artifacts and memorabilia; in the end, though, just how many balls or gloves can one pore over? Comparing and contrasting the bat Wee Willie Keeler used to hit' em where they ain't with the one Hank Aaron used to hit number 715 can intrigue only so long.

One exhibit I especially enjoyed, though, revealed the names of some of the earlier incarnations of today's major league teams. For example, did you know that the Boston Red Sox were known, years ago, as the Somersets, the Pilgrims, the Puritans and the Plymouth Rocks? Or that the New York Yankees were originally the Baltimore Orioles? When they moved to New York, they became the Highlanders and finally the Yanks. Or that in 1890, the team we know as the Pittsburgh Pirates were the Pittsburgh Innocents? In the '30s, the Dodgers were the Robins and in 1898, before they became the Cubs, Chi-town's team was the Orphans.

Cooperstown is a charming little town, proud of the Hall of Fame but not exploiting it too much. If you're a sports fan, it's definitely worth a visit.


Continue on the American Odyssey.
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