IN DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS, JUST ACROSS FROM BUSCH STADIUM, IS A MUSEUM CONTAINING A COLLECTION
OF MEMORABILIA AND HISTORY FROM
TWO SPORTS: ONE IS PLAYED BY
NEARLY A HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE
A YEAR, WHILE THE OTHER IS KNOWN
AS THE NATIONAL PAST TIME, AND
BOTH HAVE STRIKES.
HELLO, I AM JIM WILHELM.
TODAY, WE ARE IN FRONT OF THE
INTERNATIONAL BOWLING MUSEUM AND
HALL OF FAME.
IT IS THE ONLY MUSEUM IN THE
WORLD DEVOTE TODAY A SPORT THAT
IS PLAYED IN MORE THAN 90
COUNTRIES, AND IT IS ALSO HOME
TO THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME.
INSIDE, STATIC DISPLAYS TAKE
VISITORS THROUGH 5,000 YEARS OF
BOWLING HISTORY, FROM GAMES USED
IN ANCIENT EGYPT TO TESTS OF
STRENGTH BY GERMAN TRIBES, AND
THEOLOGICAL GAME INVENTED BY
SAINT BONEFESTE, SOME FORM OF
BOWLING HAS ALWAYS BEEN POPULAR.
>> OVERTIME A MYRIAD OF GAMES
WERE DEVELOPED.
IN FRANCE, FOUR CORNERS WHICH
USED A WOODEN DISK TO KNOCK DOWN
FOUR HEFTY PINS PLACED IN A
DIAMOND SHAPE, NINE PINS USED 37
AND A HALF INCH TALL PINS WITH
GRAPEFRUIT SIZED MID SECTION.
IN ENGLAND, NINE PINS BECAME SO
POPULAR, KING HENRY THE 8TH,
BANNED HIS SOLDIERS FROM PLAYING
SO THEY WOULD FOCUS THEIR
ATTENTION ON ARCHERY.
:UNISTS INTRODUCED NINE PINS IN
THE NEW WORLD WHERE IT
FLOURISHED.
WHEN DID NINE PINS BECOME
TENPINS?
IN 1841, STATE OF CONNECTICUT,
IN ORDER TO CONTROL GAMBLING,
OUTLAWED NINE PIN LANES.
RUMOR HAS IT SOME ENTERPRISING
OPERATOR IN ORDER TO CIRCUMVENT
THAT LEGISLATION, JUST ADDED A
TENTH PIN.
BY THE LATE 1800'S, LANES WERE
LIT BY GASLIGHT, SCORING WAS
KEPT NOT ON SHEETS, BUT ON
NEARBY CHALK BOARDS.
CHALK WAS ALSO USED ON SHOES FOR
TRACTION, SINCE PEOPLE THEN BOLD
IN THEIR STREET SHOES, WHOSE
NAILS LEFT GOUGES GOUGES ON THE
APPROACHES.
IN THOSE DAYS, AND INTO THE
60'S, SPOTTERS SET THE PINS.
THEY MADE AS LITTLE AS TWO CENTS
A GAME, AND IT WAS BACK BREAKING
WORK.
SOMETIMES VERY DANGEROUS.
THE PINS WERE FLYING ALL OVER
THE PLACE, AND SOMETIMES INCONSL
EVEN WHILE THE PINS WERE STILL
BEING CLEARING.
AROUND THE TURN OF THE CENTURY,
PIN BOYS WOULD STEP ON A PEDAL
THAT RAISED A SET OF STEEL PEGS
FOR THE PINS TO SIT ON WHICH
WERE LOWERED WHEN THE LANE WAS
READY.
AND BECAUSE THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN
REDESIGNED, PINS TODAY ARE STILL
MADE WITH A HOLE FOR THE PEGS.
TODAY THE MUSEUM MAINTAINS FOUR LANES THAT WERE ORIGINALLY INSTALLED IN BELLEVILLE,
ILLINOIS, IN 1924.
UNLIKE MODERN LANES THAT ARE
ABOUT 42 BOARDS WIDE, THESE ARE
54 WIDE.
AND INSTEAD OF STEEL PEGS, THE
PINS WERE LOADED INTO THESE
CARRIAGES AND LOWERED TO THE
FLOOR.
BUT THE PROBLEM WAS THAT PIN
BOYS WERE OFTEN UNRELIBRARIABLE,
AND THERE ARE CASES OF MATCHES
HAVING BEEN POSTPONED BECAUSE
THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH SPOTTERS
AVAILABLE.
BUT THAT WAS ALL ABOUT TO CHANGE
IN THE 50'S, TECHNOLOGY GAVE BOWLING QUITE A BOOST.
PIN BOYS WERE REPLACED BY
MACHINES WHICH COULD WORK ANY
HOURS, AND THEN THERE WAS
TELEVISION.
ONE SHOW BEGAN WHEN A LOCAL LANE OWNER IN CHICAGO CONVINCED THEM THAT THE SHOW WOULD HAVE GREAT
APPEAL.
THE SHOW WAS CINDY SYNDICATED,
NATIONALLY AND SPURRED A HOST OF
OTHER PROGRAMS.
>> TELEVISION HIGHLIGHTED THE
GAME'S ABILITY TO MAKE HEROES
OUT OF EVERY DAY PEOPLE, A THEME
THAT IS CARRIED THROUGHOUT THIS
MUSEUM.
TOUCH SCREENS, ACCESS A DATA
BASE WHICH INCLUDES THE NAME OF
EVERY INDIVIDUAL WHO EVER BOWLED
A 300 GAME OR 800 SERIES.
IN ADDITION, THE NEW SEM IS HOME
TO SEVERAL HALLS OF FAME,
INCLUDING THOSE OF THE WOMAN'S
INTERNATIONAL BOWLING CONGRESS,
PROFESSIONAL BOWLER'S
ASSOCIATION, THE BOWLING
PROPRIETOR'S ASSOCIATION OF
AMERICA, AND AMERICAN BOWLING
CONGRESS.
THE CONGRESS WAS ESTABLISHED IN
1895 TO STANDARDIZE ALL ASPECTS
OF BOWLING FROM THE RULES, TO
THE DIMENSIONS OF THE PIN.
IN 1931, THE HALL OF FAME WAS
CREATED WHICH MAKES IT THE THIRD
OLDEST AMONG ALL SPORTS.
AMONG THE INDUCTEES IS THOMAS
CURTIS REGARDED AS THE FATHER OF
BOWLING.
HE WAS CREDITED WITH WRITING THE
FIRST RULES OF THE GAME IN 1875.
HE WAS THE ORIGINATOR OF THE
TOURNAMENT CONCEPT, AND HE WAS
THE BOWLING CONGRESS' FIRST
PRESIDENT.
AT THAT TIME, WOMEN IN THEIR
LONG SKIRTS WERE BOWLING ACROSS
THE COUNTRY, BUT THE CONGRESS
WAS ONLY FOR MEN.
SO IN 1917, RIGHT HERE IN ST.
LOUIS, THE WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL
BOWLING CONGRESS WAS BORN.
ONE OF THE PICTURES HANGING HERE
IS OF LORETTA MC CUTCHAM, WHO
TOURED THE COUNTRY TEACHING
STRUCK ORS THE GAME.
IN 1927 SHE AGREED TO MATCH WITH
BOWLER JIMMY, AND WON TWO OUT OF
THREE GAMES.
>> AFTER TOURING THE MUSEUM AND
ITS HALLS OF FAME, VISITORS ARE
GIVEN FOUR FRAMES OF FREE
BOWLING.
THIS IS THE ONLY SPORTS MUSEUM
WHERE AFTER YOU LEARN ABOUT A
SPORT, YOU ACTUALLY GET A CHANCE
TO PLAY THE GAME.
--
FOR SCHOOL GROUPS, THE STAFF HERE OFFERS SEVERAL MATH BASED ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS WHERE
STUDENTS LEARN HOW TO MEASURE,
DO GRAPHING AND ALGEBRAIC
EQUATIONS ALL THAT BEFORE THEY
GET TO GO BOWLING.
SINCE IT IS LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET FROM BUSCH STADIUM, IT IS APPROPRIATE IT IS ALSO THE HOME
OF THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS HALL
OF FAME.
THE TEAM IS RICH WITH HISTORY,
FILLED WITH LEGENDARY NAMES FROM
A FRANCHISE THAT HAS WON THE
SECOND MOST WORLD SERIES
CHAMPIONSHIPS.
THE FIRST WAS IN 1926, AND FROM
IT, IS THIS WARM UP SWEATER WORN
BY PITCHER JESSIE HAINEST S AND
THE BAT HE USED TO HIT A HOME
RUN.
THAT SERIES WENT THE DISTANCE
LASTING SEVEN GAMES.
THE CARDINALS WERE LED BY PLAYER
MANAGER AND FEWER HAULER FAMER
IS ROGER HORNSBY.
HE WAS PAID $30,000 WITH THIS
CONTRACT.
OTHER PLAYERS INCLUDE BOB
GIBSON, FIVE TIME 20 GAME WINNER
AND THUS FAR THE ONLY CARDINAL
PLAYER TO HAVE WON THE CY YOUNG
AWARD.
DIZZY DEAN WHO WON 30 GAMES IN
1934 AND WAS PART OF THE FAMOUS
GAS HOUSE GANG WHO WON THAT YEAR
AS WORLD SERIES.
THERE IS LOU BROCK, BASEBALL'S
MAN OF STEEL, WHOSE BASE STEALG
TECHNIQUE WAS SUCCESSFUL THREE
OUT OF EVERY FOUR ATTEMPTS.
OFFICIAL BATTING ORDER FOR THE
GAME WHICH HE GOT 3,000TH HIT
VERSUS THE CUBS IN 1979.
AND SPEAKING OF 3,000 HITS, THE
FIRST CARDINAL TO REACH THAT
MARK WAS ALSO ELECTED NATIONAL
LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
THREE TIMES, AND WON THE
NATIONAL LEAGUE BATTING
CHAMPIONSHIP SEVEN TIMES.
WE ARE TALKING OF COURSE, THE
STAN THE MAN MUSIAL.
THERE ARE NINE CASES FILLED WITH
AWARDS AND MEMORABILIA FROM ONE
OF THE GREATEST AND FAVORITE
CARDINAL PLAYERS.
HERE IS HIS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
RING, AND A CAP FROM DAYTONA
BEACH WHERE HE PLAYED IN THE
FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE IN 1940.
AND WHOSE MOST RECENT CARDINAL
TO HAVE A SPOT HERE?
THAT HONOR, OF COURSE, BELONGS
TO MARK MC GWIRE.
WE ARE TOLD SINCE HE USES HIS
BATS UNTIL THEY ARE CRACKED OR
BROKEN, IT IS UNUSUAL TO HAVE
ONE ON DISPLAY THAT'S INTACT.
THIS ONE, WAS USED TO HIT THE
LONGEST HOME RUN IN BUSCH
STADIUM HISTORY, 545 FEET IN TO
CENTER FIELD.
IT ALSO WAS USED TO HIT HIS
400TH CAREER HOME RUN IN NEW
YORK.
NEXT TO IT ARE THE BATTING
GLOVES HE WORE WHETHER HE HIT
HIS 60TH IN THAT RECORD BREAKING
SEASON.
MORE THAN JUST HIGHLIGHTING THE GREAT PLAYERS, IT ALSO TELLS THE STORY OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL
IN THIS TOWN.
HERE IS A RARE ITEM, A LEATHER
SUITCASE THAT WAS TIED TO THE
BACK OF A BUS AND BELONGED TO
THE ST. LOUIS STARS OF THE OLD
NEGRO LEAGUE, A TEAM THAT WON
THE LEAGUE CROWN THREE YEARS
RUNNING FROM 1928 TO 1931.
AND THEN THERE WAS THE ST. LOUIS
BROWNS.
BILL BECK OWNED THAT TEAM UNTIL
1953 WHEN THEY MOVED TO
BALTIMORE.
THEY PLAYED THEIR HOME GAMES IN
OLD SPORTSMANS PARK.
BUT THE CARDINALS ALSO PLAYED
UNTIL BUSH STAYED YUP.
BROWNS MOSTED THE FIRST NIGHT
GAME EVER PLAYED IN THAT
STADIUM.
THAT GAME DREW THE LARGEST HOME
CROWD FOR THE BROWNS IN TWELVE
YEARS.
IN 14 NIGHT GAMES, THE CLUB'S
TOTAL ATTENDANCE WAS GREATER
THAN TOTAL ATTENDANCE THAN 50
DAY GAMES.
BUT THE HIGH WATERMARK FOR THE
FRANCHISE HAD TO HAVE BEEN IN
1944.
THAT WAS THE YEAR BROWNS WON THE
PENNANT AND SO DID THE
CARDINALS.
IT WAS ONLY THE THIRD TIME IN
WORLD SERIES HISTORY WHEN ALL
THE GAMES ARE PLAYED IN ONE
STADIUM.
IT WAS DUBBED THE STREETCAR
SERIES.
OH, AND CARDINALS WON IN SIX
GAMES.
--
THE CARDINAL HALL OF FAME IS ONE PART OF MUSEUM COMPLEX WHICH ALSO HIGHLIGHTS THE HISTORY OF
BOWLING AND THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
CONTRIBUTED TO THAT SPORT.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE
INTERNATIONAL BOWLING MUSEUM AND
HALL OF FAME, CALL (314)231-6340
OR VISIT THEIR WEB SITE AT
WWW.BOWLINGMUSEUM.COM.