he message was unambiguous: We will bury you.
It came in the form of a tiny coffin containing a baseball
player whittled out of wood. Just in case there was any doubt
about its meaning, the coffin was accompanied by a letter from one
New Hampshire ball club to its rival.
Sounds a bit gruesome, but it's bound to be an audience favorite when
the Concord Museum unveils its exhibit of baseball art on April 16.
Under the honorary curatorship of presidential historian, lifelong
baseball aficionado, and Concord resident, Doris Kearns Goodwin,
"The Art of Baseball" consists of some 45 objects collected over the past
four decades by New York couple Bill and Millie Gladstone.
As of this writing, the Gladstones and Goodwin had not met, but
their paths may well have crossed more than six decades ago on the
way to Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers. And, Goodwin
lent her memories and the Gladstones pieces of their collection to Ken
Burns' 1994 PBS documentary on baseball.
It's fitting that Concord, an icon of U.S. history, is hosting an exhibit
that has its roots in Brooklyn, an icon of the National Pastime. And
while the Concord Museum is known for displays on the Revolution
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Open for the Season
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Baseball Player
by William Zorach,
1940, Bronze