Museum's Loaded

An institution once held in the highest of regards, along with Mom and apple pie, as a symbol of unshakable American awesomeness, baseball has become somewhat of a bloated behemoth, all but collapsing beneath the weight of gazillion-dollar franchise dynasties, sordid doping scandals and unnecessary, if occasionally able, expansion teams. But maybe it's not entirely baseball's fault. Perhaps the greed, excess and chemical dependency of the sport is only mirroring that of our own modern American psyche. Thanks to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum we can now learn how baseball has always been closely intertwined with America's growth and struggle, as weathered mortal men with beer bellies and faces as leathery as their own fielder's mitts captured the grandeur and fortitude of this noble nation despite unquenchable penchants for penny whiskey and toothless prostitutes. Baseball as America runs through January 13 at the Museum of Nature & Science in Fair Park, 1318 S. 2nd St. Now through October 21, tickets are $1 with the purchase of admission to the State Fair of Texas. Post-Fair admission is $8.75 for adults, $5.50 for children ages 3 through 11, and $7.50 for youths ages 12 though 18, seniors over 62 and college students with valid ID. Call 214-428-5555 or visit natureandscience.org.
Oct. 3-Jan. 13, 2007