27 Great Reasons to Celebrate World Series Weekend in Cooperstown Saturday and Sunday

COOPERSTOWN, NY – History comes alive every day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

But for fans of the World Champion New York Yankees, Saturday and Sunday will present an extraordinary chance to celebrate in Cooperstown.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum will host its annual World Series Weekend Saturday and Sunday, May 22-23, honoring the 2009 New York Yankees with two days of programming and special events highlighting their 27th World Championship, featuring a special appearance of the Yankees World Series trophy.

To celebrate, the Baseball Hall of Fame presents the Top 27 Reasons for Yankees fans to Visit Cooperstown This Weekend. All of the following artifacts and programs are part of the Hall of Fame experience and are included with Museum admission:

1) See the 2009 Yankees World Series ring, along with nearly 75 other World Series rings from history

2) Say aloud, “Holy Cow” as you view “The Holy Cow,” a tribute to the legendary Phil Rizzuto

3) Reminisce about Mariano Rivera’s 400th save on July 16, 2006 through his cap, on display in the Yankees locker

4) Participate in Yankees-related tours throughout both days in the Museum

5) Point to Alex Rodriguez’s spikes worn during the 2009 World Series

6) Marvel at the lockers of Hall of Famer’s Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio

7) Experience Pinstripe Pictures, the Hall of Fame’s new exhibit featuring Associated Press photos

8) Compete in Yankees Trivia in the Bullpen Theater, with games for all ages

9) Re-live Hideki Matsui’s six RBI performance from Game Six, in seeing the bat he used

10) Explore the Babe Ruth Exhibit, featuring the many poignant stories of the legendary Yankees slugger

11) Catch Bill Dickey’s catcher’s mitt

12) Learn more through Artifact Spotlight presentations featuring artifacts from Yankees history

13) View the scorecard kept by Suzyn Waldman, the first female broadcaster in World Series history

14) Admire the “Chairman of the Board” Whitey Ford’s jersey

15) Photograph the 1951 Most Valuable Player Award of Yogi Berra, engraved as “Larry” Berra on the award

16) Tip your cap to the cap Andy Pettitte wore in the 2009 World Series

17) Dig a shovel from the groundbreaking on New Yankee Stadium on Aug. 16, 2006

18) Measure up to CC Sabathia’s size 15 shoes from the New Yankee Stadium opening game on April 16, 2009

19) Mask your emotions at the catcher’s mask worn by Jose Molina during the 2009 World Series

20) Be professorial about Casey Stengel’s 1950 warm-up jacket, featuring a unique red “NY” logo

21) Oooh and ahhh over the bat Derek Jeter used in Game 6 of the 2009 World Series

22) Feel like a champion when you see Bernie Williams’ bat from the 1996 American League Championship Series

23) Run toward Johnny Damon’s spikes from his Game 4 double steal in the 2009 World Series

24) See the game from a different eye with Elston Howard’s jersey from 1979 when he was a Yankees coach

25) Take charge with Joe Torre’s 1998 World Series jersey

26) See the Hall of Fame plaques of 26 players, managers and executives with ties to the Yankees franchise

27) View the 2009 World Series trophy, the 27th Championship in Yankees history, all day Saturday and Sunday

Through these artifacts and programs – and many more – Museum visitors will have the chance to re-live the 2009 season and create new memories at the home of baseball, where artifacts of the Yankees’ world title will be forever preserved. Many of those artifacts are on display in the Museum’s exhibit Autumn Glory, which celebrates each season’s playoff and World Series teams.

The Hall of Fame is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

For more information on Yankees Weekend at the Hall of Fame, call 1-888-Hall-of-Fame or visit www.baseballhall.org.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open seven days a week year round, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The Museum observes hours of 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. from the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day Weekend. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Museum is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Ticket prices are $16.50 for adults (13 and over), $11 for seniors (65 and over) and for those holding current memberships in the VFW, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and AMVets organizations, and $6 for juniors (ages 7-12). Members are always admitted free of charge and there is no charge for children 6 years of age or younger. For more information, visit our Web site at baseballhall.org or call 888-HALL-OF-FAME (888-425-5633) or 607-547-7200.