Left: Hank Greenberg, hard-hitting left- arts & entertainment fielder for the Detroit Tigers, crosses home plate, June 4, 1940. ======mmimommouliN •r immmommo Nommummilimmill of =MEM= =MOO= ••=11=1 =I=== ■ 3 '6 1=111==• MIMNP•" • FPI --111--■ 1= -7-.9mg ' 7. IN 74 .12 Legendary Detroit Tigers slugger Hank Greenberg is prominently featured in the exhibit. Left to right: Hank Greenberg and Joe DiMaggio, 1939. x a New museum exhibition swings for the fences. Greg Salisbury Philadelphia Jewish Exponent I 've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball." Those words, spoken by Annie Savoy, the baseball muse played by Susan Sarandon in the 1988 film Bull Durham, irreverently sum up the way that countless millions of Americans have felt about the national pastime since, well, it became the national pastime. It is a shrine that welcomes one and all, whether you're standing in Ashburn Alley, watching at home or combing through the box scores. Baseball is the sports world's version of the Statue of Liberty. It is precisely this connecting force that is the focus of a new exhibition at the National Museum of American Jewish History. Opening to coincide with this year's Opening Day, "Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American" explores the sport's role in providing immigrants and minorities with a bridge to connecting with America and, in the process, feeling more American themselves. Providing a sense of identity for those on the fringe through loyalty to the home- town team, being able to participate in water-cooler conversations about different aspects of the game, and drawing inspira- tion and pride from having a member of your group excel on the field are just a few of the ways that baseball has become more than a game. "Baseball's history, which dates well back into the 19th century, interlocks with American history:' said Josh Perelman, the museum's chief curator and director of exhibitions and collections. "When most people think about base- ball, they think of it as a sport and all the fan activities around it. What we add to the conversation is a new perspective on issues of immigration, identity of minority Now At Bat _ Michael Elkin Philadelphia Jewish Exponent I t may be time to retire the old joke about one of the slimmest books in the library being Jewish Sports Heroes — thanks to a new set of baseball cards designed for the fans who have made trading facts and figures about the sport's ever-expanding Stars of David a league of their own. Previous editions of Jewish Major Leaguer Baseball Cards proved to be such a hit that they precipitated the launch of the series' seventh edition, which has arrived with an expanded lineup of play- ers. Attesting to the cards' popularity, Martin Abramowitz, the creator of the communities and diversity in our society!' said Perelman, who co-curated this tem- porary exhibition with associate curator Ivy Weingram. "Visitors to the exhibition will experi- ence baseball in a new way — as a portal through which minority communities have negotiated what it means to be American!" To augment that experience, Perelman and his staff have assembled more than 130 objects, the majority of which are Jewishly linked, to help museum goers understand how people have used baseball to connect to America and to one another. Among the memorabilia on display will be original sheet music to "Take Me out to the Ballgame" (music by Albert Von Tilzer, ne Albert Gumbinski), ballpark giveaways, stadium seats and plenty of game-used objects like bats, balls and uniforms. Howard Goldstein, a 62-year-old trial lawyer from Jenkintown, Pa., lent a number of those items to the museum. By his own Hank Greenberg's Sultan of Swat crown, bestowed in recognition of his 1938 season with the Tigers (he logged 58 homeruns, 2 shy of Babe Ruth's record) by the Maryland Professional Baseball Writers Association, 1965. estimate, Goldstein has one of — if not the most — extensive collection of Jewish base- ball memorabilia in the country. "I've been collecting all things related to Jews and baseball" for almost 30 years, he said. His collection stretches from a bat used by Guy Zinn, the first Jewish player for the New York Yankees (known as the Highlanders when he played for the team in 1911) to jerseys worn by Max Patkin, the "Clown Prince of Baseball:' who was a comedic between-innings presence at ball- parks across the country for decades. Goldstein chose to eschew cards, rea- soning that a lot of people collect those. "Very few collect what I collect:' he Glove Story on page 61 1, Jewish major Leaguers- New Jewish baseball cards hit home. series, quipped: "We are the first candi- date for 2014 Comeback of the Year." And they've come back in a big way. First started in 2003, last released in 2010, the card set — expanded to 50 in the new edition — was released last month. The new 50-card set has updated infor- mation on current key figures, including Kevin Youkilis, now playing in Japan. Updated team information cards provide an all-time roster; career leaders; Jewish managers (Lipman Pike, Lou Boudreau, Lefty Phillips and Norm Sherry join Detroit Tigers' skipper Brad Ausmus in this small club); "in memoriam cards for Myron "Joe" Ginsberg (who started his MLB career with the Tigers and caught the first of two 1952 no-hitters pitched by Tiger Virgil Trucks), Mary Rotblatt and Al Federoff; and Jewish pitcher-catcher com- binations including the Red Sox's Craig Breslow and Ryan Lavarnway. There also is a Jewish link to the Negro Leagues in the person of Max Rosner. There are also cards featuring artifacts from "Chasing Dreams," the major exhibi- tion at Philadelphia's National Museum of American Jewish History, with items on loan from the American Jewish Historical Society. The two institutions jointly sponsor this edition, and the cards are available in NMAJH's gift shop. The cards are licensed by Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association. Why the grand slam interest in Jewish baseball cards now? "I wouldn't say there is a renewed Greatest Jewish Baseball ittA interest in Jewish baseball cards!' said Abramowitz. "It's been there for years, but we didn't have the resources to produce another set until a donor came along with a generous gift. "The larger phenomenon, of course, is the renaissance of interest in Jews in base- ball, which has been gaining steam for about 15 years." So why exactly has there been a sudden spurt in Jewish players? Now At Bat on page 63 April 24 • 2014 59