For those of us living in the DC area, the Smithsonian has an exhibit entitled "Baseball As America." It is running from April 3 - October 3 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

The show features around 500 items, "including a ball pitched by Cy Young in the first modern World Series in 1903; the trophy presented to Lou Gehrig by his Yankee teammates on the day of his famous farewell speech; early gloves, including some without full fingers; and a variety of other nostalgia.

Other displays include:

_A battered pair of leather shoes once used by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who usually wore shoes but acquired the nickname as a minor leaguer when he played without them once because of sore feet.

_A pair of dark-rimmed eyeglasses once worn by baseball broadcaster Harry Caray.

_The record-setting home-run bats used by Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.

_The "Doubleday Baseball," supposedly used in the sport's mythical first game in 1839.

_The most valuable baseball card in the world, the 1909 Honus Wagner card. An example of this card has been sold for more than $1 million.

_A copy of President Franklin Roosevelt's 1942 letter giving baseball the green light to continue play despite the onset of World War II.

_Norman Rockwell's 1949 painting of three umpires studying the weather as they try to decide whether to call a rainout.

The arrival of the exhibition in Washington comes on the 80th anniversary of the Senators' World Series victory in 1924.

The Senators became the Texas Rangers, which for a time was owned by President Bush, before he moved on to politics and moved to Washington.

Bush hosted a lunch this week for the baseball all-stars in town to mark the opening of the museum's display. Among those on hand were Sandy Koufax, Dave Winfield, Jim Bunning, George Brett, Tom Seaver, Rollie Fingers, Carlton Fisk, Ozzie Smith, Eddie Murray, Phil Niekro, Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench, Lou Brock, Rod Carew, Orlando Cepeda, Bob Feller, Al Kaline, Bill Mazeroski, Stan Musial, Gaylord Perry, Robin Roberts, Brooks Robinson, Red Schoendienst and Duke Snider.

The exhibition, organized by the Hall of Fame, is on a 10-city tour that began at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. From Washington it will move on to the Missouri Historical Society in St. Louis."