Vince Coleman’s shoes. Lou Brock’s Cy Young Award. Whitey Herzog’s chart tracking the hitting trends of Andre Dawson.
That’s some of what you can see in “Cubs versus Cardinals: the Rivalry” – the new baseball exhibit opening today at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and running the rest of the calendar year.
“I found out, as a new guy in town, that [Cubs/Cardinals] divide is right through the City of Springfield,” says Alan Lowe, ALPLM Executive Director. “We thought it was a great way to tell that story, to tell another element of Illinois history, and to have folks come visit the museum.”
Lowe reminds people that the Lincoln Museum isn’t just for telling the 16th President’s story, it’s also about telling Illinois history, and part of that is the much-longer-than century-old history between the former Saint Louis Brown Stockings, and the Chicago White Stocking. Yes, the Cubs were called that long before it was associated with that OTHER Chicago team.
The exhibit has things you might not expect — like, State Historian Sam Wheeler says, an interactive feature using material from the Chicago Tribune to track just where Cubs and Cardinals fans are in the country. As for Sangamon County…
“Almost 54 percent of folks in Sangamon County identify the St. Louis Caridnals as their favorite team,” says Wheeler. “About one-fourth of folks in Sangamon County identify the Chicago Cubs, and almost six percent root for the Chicago White Sox. You can do it for any county across the country.”
There’s also baseball trivia, a wall where you can leave your favorite baseball memory, and baseball artifacts past and present. A number of workshops and other will be held throughout the year in conjunction with “Cubs versus Cardinals: The Rivalry” now in the Illinois Gallery.