This exhibition celebrates the history, legacy, and cultural impact of one of America’s favorite pastimes through one of the nation’s most important privately held collections of authentic game-used memorabilia. Curated from the personal collection of Rick Friedman, a Trustee of the Nassau County Museum of Art, the exhibition brings together rare baseball artifacts comparable to those displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. A lifelong devotee of the sport, Friedman’s collection focuses on the personal, game-used items of many of the most iconic players of the last century. The exhibition features an extraordinary selection of jerseys, gloves, bats, caps, and signed balls, each used on the field by legendary athletes whose achievements helped to define the modern game.
Among the highlights are:
- 1930s Babe Ruth game-used bat and a team-signed ball from the 1927 “Murderers’ Row” Yankees;
- Jerseys, gloves, and bats used by Yankee greats Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Derek Jeter;
- A dedicated display honoring the New York Mets;
- An assortment of game-used equipment from such record-breakers as Willie Mays, Pete Rose, and Barry Bonds.