The Hall of Fame is opening a cool Cubs World Series exhibit

The baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown is not easy to get to. If you fly to the nearest city of any size, Albany, you’ve got a 75-mile drive ahead of you, much of it on two-lane roads.

It’s worth the pilgrimage for any baseball fan. The Hall is far more than just the room with plaques; it’s really the museum, which has exhibits from every era of baseball history, that’s worth perusing. I’ve been there three times, last in 2008, and spent an entire afternoon in the museum. Even then, I felt I could have spent another day in there.

A good reason for any Cubs fan to make the trip to upstate New York is a new exhibit the Hall is opening, beginning tomorrow, July 1, that will feature the Cubs’ historic World Series win last year:

Artifacts in the exhibit include:

• The bat used by World Series Most Valuable Player Ben Zobrist to drive in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning of Game 7

• The home jersey worn by Kyle Schwarber – who played in only two regular season games prior to hitting .412 in the World Series – throughout the Fall Classic

• The first-pitch ball from Game 7 at Cleveland’s Progressive Field

• The home jersey worn by Anthony Rizzo during Game 4

• The mitt used by Cubs catcher David Ross throughout the World Series

• The second base bag used in the 10th inning of Game 7 when the Cubs clinched the title

Also included in the exhibit will be 2016 World Series tickets, press pins and a program.

The link above says this exhibit is included in the price of admission to the Museum (currently $23 for adults, $15 for seniors and $12 for children 7-12, free to Hall members, active/career retired military and kids 6 and under).

And if that’s not enough to entice you to travel there, the Hall is planning a “Cubs weekend” later this summer:

The Hall of Fame will host Cubs Weekend Aug. 26-27, with the 2016 World Series Trophy on display at the Museum both days. Museum visitors will have the chance to relive the 2016 season and create new memories in Cooperstown, where artifacts of the Cubs’ world title will be preserved forever.

The trophy will be on exhibit at the Museum from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 26 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27. Visitors will be permitted to take pictures with the trophy.

I can’t repeat this enough: a journey to Cooperstown is a must for any baseball fan. It’s true that the oft-told story of baseball being invented there is a myth. But Cooperstown is a lovely setting for baseball history and even though it’s hard to get to, it’s definitely worth the trip.

The special Cubs World Series exhibit at the Museum will be open from July 1 through the end of this year’s World Series.