The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Outside the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  (Rich Pilling / MLB Photos via Getty Images)

A fan views the three statues in the entry. From left: Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, who exemplify “character and courage.”  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

American Tobacco trading cards of the Chicago Cubs’ double-play combo of Joe Tinker, Johnny Evers and Frank Chance. They’re the subjects of the poem “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon,” that goes: “These are the saddest of possible words: ‘Tinker to Evers to Chance.’ Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds, Tinker and Evers and Chance.”  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

A display honors some of the more demonstrative baseball fans of yesteryear, such as Harry Thobe, a Cincinnati Reds fan (pictured wearing a boater and holding a megaphone); Lolly Hopkins, known as “Megaphone Lolly,” who cheered on the Boston Red Sox and Braves (although she lived in Providence, R.I.); and Pearl Sandow, who seemed always to have a transistor radio as she cheered on the Atlanta Braves for nearly 1,900 games.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

A case full of memorabilia, including the bat (at left) used by Davey Lopes when he played for the Astros; the cap worn by Bill Russell when he became the all-time leader in games played for the Dodgers in 1984; a bat (at right) used by Ron Cey; and a glove used by Steve Garvey. Pictured at right from top to bottom: Steve Garvey (first base), Davey Lopes (second base), Bill Russell (shortstop) and Ron Cey (third base). They played together on the Dodgers for more than eight seasons from 1973-81.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

Patrons of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum view the plaques of inducted members.  (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

A baseball fan takes a photograph of Babe Ruth’s plaque at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

Young baseball fans view the plaques of the first class of inducted members.  (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)