Baseball Hall of Fame opens ‘Whole New Ballgame’ exhibit – CBSSports.com

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York will be included in many debates in the next few months, though the focus of said debates will be on which players should be enshrined in next year’s BBWAA class. Aside from the wing of the Hall that celebrates the individual Hall of Famers with plaques, there are plenty of other exhibits.

And on Nov. 7, the Hall unveiled a new one, celebrating the past few generations of baseball. “Whole New Ballgame” is on the second floor in the Janetschek wing and takes us through baseball from 1970 to the present. It was made possible by a donation from the Janetschek family, baseball fans since the Dodgers played in Ebbets Field.

“The last half century of baseball has included some of the game’s most iconic moments and significant changes, while also leaving an indelible imprint on America’s social history,” said Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson. “Whole New Ballgame takes a holistic approach to baseball history, using all types of storytelling, from artifacts and photographs to technological interactive and audio-visual productions, putting into context the ever-changing modern game while vividly telling the unforgettable stories of our National Pastime. Thanks to the generosity and vision of the Janetschek family, Whole New Ballgame is a game-changer for the Museum.”

Featured prominently are marquee moments from these seasons, such as Carlton Fisk’s home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. And guess who was at the grand opening? Yes, there he is.

Fisk’s home run is included in four interactive media walls, where visitors can choose to watch iconic highlights from the 1970s, 1980 through 1986, 1987 through 1994 and 1995 through the present. Here’s how it’ll look with Pete Rose’s record-breaking hit, making him the “Hit King.”

See, you can still get a look at Pete Rose being the Hit King in the Hall of Fame. He’s right there!

How about the Orioles‘ four 20-game winners in 1971? Yes, they are honored.

More Pete in a display honoring the Big Red Machine. Other “dynastic” teams mentioned by the Hall of Fame via release as being honored include the 1990s Blue Jays.

Bruce Sutter’s Cardinals uni, those great Astros uniforms, the excessive pine tar (hard to tell, but I’m gonna guess that George Brett’s bat) and Dwight Gooden’s Mets.

And now, we’re pretty much up to the present.

We’ve got David Freese‘s stuff from the historic 2011 World Series, mention of the Mike Trout–Miguel Cabrera MVP battles and more.

Some more things you’ll see, via Hall of Fame press release:

– Sport surgeries that have extended players’ careers;

– Rules and strategy changes such as the designated hitter and the rise of specialized relief pitcher roles;

– Baseball moments like the Phillies‘ first world title in 1980 and the longest-ever pro game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and Rochester Redwings in 1981;

– The changing demographics of the game as it spread world-wide, including the influx of Latin American and Asian players into the game at the big league level;

– The impact on the game of performance-enhancing drugs

We’ve got the DH, the rise of the closer, the impact of Asians and Latinos, Tommy John surgery and PEDs covered. Looks like pretty much everything.

Anyone making a pilgrimage — and, really, any die-hard baseball fan must attend at least once — will have this exhibit to look forward to in the coming years. It looks great.