Hall Even Has Shoes Worn By Shoeless Joe

You want to know how great the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is?

It’s got Shoeless Joe Jackson’s shoes.

Of course, this shrine in Cooperstown is chockablock with other great stuff.

The bat that Babe Ruth used to hit his 60th homer in 1927. The uniform Hank Aaron wore the night he broke The Babe’s career homer mark by swatting No. 715.

One of the few known samples of the most valuable baseball card of all: the 1909 Honus Wagner, made for a tobacco company but quickly pulled from distribution because Wagner abhorred the use of tobacco.

The displays of equipment, uniforms and whatnot sprawl over three floors, mostly in chronological order so you can absorb the history of the game as you go.

There are special exhibits, such as the one on African Americans in baseball that opened this summer.

At times, it can be overwhelming. You can watch Willie Mays’ legendary catch of Cleveland first baseman Vic Wertz’s towering fly ball in the 1954 World Series - and then walk a few feet to see the bat, ball and glove from the play.

For info about the museum, call (607) 547-7200.