CARLISLE, Pa. — Another night of excitement for baseball fans across the country, gave the Cumberland County Historical Society in Carlisle a perfect way to recognize south central Pennsylvania’s impact on the sports world.
Its exhibit, Sports in Cumberland County: Heart of a Champion, starts from the beginning.
"It really highlights the sports history of Cumberland County. Everything from Lacrosse, the Native American influence, Jim Thorpe, even to Sid Bream and his famous slide in the 1993 World Series," said Shawn Gladden, executive director of the Cumberland County Historical Society.
The collection includes game-worn items from Cumberland County’s own Andy Oyler, who had a brief stint with the Baltimore Orioles in the late 1800s. He’d play a few decades before another player who started his MLB career in Baltimore.
"Babe Ruth, he remains the standard against which all baseball players are measured," said Michael Gibbons, director emeritus at the Babe Ruth Museum.
Babe Ruth Museum historians were on hand, showing off artifacts from The Great Bambino’s life and career as part of their A Night with the Babe program.
Ruth was a pioneer on and off the field. While playing with the Red Sox, he’d create the first sports business card.
"[He] was the first player who had an agent. He’s the first player to endorse products," Gibbons said. "You’ll see Babe Ruth underwear, not underwear that he wore, but underwear that had his name on it."
He played so hard, the pair of his game-worn Yankees pants is blood-stained.
His style was unusual even for the time, he’d cut out a circle in the palm of his glove, but it was his stunning left-handed swing that modernized the game and sent baseballs into near orbit.
"He’s out-homering entire teams," Gibbons said. "The game changed, because of his power to become the three-run homer. The power game is still with us today, as evidence in the World Series. The Phillies hit five home runs before getting no-hit."
While the Phillies try to make history of their own, the Cumberland County Historical Society keeps bringing it to life.
"Expanding our sports focus has brought in folks to the museum and to the historical society that have never been here before," Gladden said. "It’s just about engaging with the community, bringing more audiences in here and providing a great service to the community."