Before Babe Ruth began blasting baseballs out of ballparks in 1919, the sport was suffering. From 1900 to 1919, baseball sank into the "dead ball era," a period where home runs were a rare occurrence. Poorly maintained ballparks, poor sports equipment, and rules that favored pitchers all contributed to what was probably the most boring era in the sport.
Yet those who rose to fame during that time did so with all the odds against them. On July 8th, the Metropolitan Museum will commemorate baseball heroes from this era with over 600 vintage baseball cards on display in the exhibit "Legends of the Dead Ball Era (1900–1919) in the Collection of Jefferson R. Burdick." The cards show some of the sport's all-time top hitters, including Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins, and Napoléon Lajoie. The hand-drawn memorabilia is a nostalgia trip through the sport. Even if your not a baseball aficionado, the extensive collection is worth a visit.
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