Hockey season may be winding down for teams and players in this area, but hope springs eternal with the start of baseball season. This first week of April marks the opening week for Major League Baseball, a joyous time for fans of the game. Soon, the minor pro and amateur leagues as well as the local baseball leagues will be in action, and the sounds of the crack of a bat and the cheers of the crowd from a home run will be emanating throughout the Battlefords.
In recognition of the return of baseball season, Regional Optimist reporter John Cairns paid a visit to the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Tuesday afternoon to check out some of the more memorable exhibits at that museum.
There are a wealth of fascinating exhibits on display at the museum during its regular business hours. Among the ones that caught our eye was the exhibit paying tribute to Saskatchewan's major leaguers; signed bats and gloves; the tribute areas for the museum's founder Dave Shury and for its current president and CEO Jane Shury, a.k.a. "Mrs. Baseball," a selection of books in the David W. Shury Memorial Library, a section devoted to the Toronto Blue Jays, a section honouring female baseball players and memorabilia and pictures saluting Saskatchewan's baseball players and baseball heritage.
Among the items of local interest included a number of pictures recognizing the North Battleford Beavers participation in the Global World Series in Milwaukee, Wis. in 1956, as well as pictures of old Abbott Field in North Battleford and also the grand opening of Beaver Lions Stadium.
There was also a display of Andrew Albers pictures, news clippings and memorabilia, saluting his rise from the ranks of North Battleford baseball to the major leagues. Featured here is just a snapshot of the many worthwhile items you will find inside the museum.
The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday year round, closed on weekends and holidays.