Baseball Exhibit Extends Stay in North Adams

Since the Red Sox have today off, I thought I’d help provide today’s baseball fix. If you haven’t been there yet, be sure to head to the "One Country, One Game: A Celebration of Baseball" exhibit, dedicated to celebrating the history of baseball. It’s right on the corner of Main St. & American Legion Drive in downtown North Adams. (Free parking right behind the building, in the Steeple City Plaza parking lot!)

While originally set to close on Labor Day, the exhibit’s stay has been extended for a couple of weekends in September.

I was there last weekend and spent well over an hour looking over all the artifacts and artwork on display. As we told you when the exhibit first opened in June, coinciding with the NECBL's 25th anniversary, the exhibit features a traveling collection of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo., titled "Shades of Greatness." Most of those players’ careers were before my time, but I do remember the great Satchel Paige and he is well-represented.  As is Williamstown’s Frank Grant. But that’s just a piece of what you’ll see.

The Berkshires’ own former Major Leaguers Jeff Reardon, Mark Belanger & Turk Wendell are featured, as well as Hall of Famer “Happy Jack” Chesbro.  You may have known about the time Babe Ruth came to play on North Adams’ Noel Field while with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Did you know that one of his teammates that day was Leo Durocher? Check the pictures on display.  And did you know that Drury’s baseball team traveled to play in Taiwan?  It’s all there. As are mementos of the still-running Berkshires-Boston Youth Baseball Exchange, the NECBL, some Red Sox goodies & much more.