There's some Cool Baseball Stuff at the Chicago Sports Museum

CBS Sports: A recent trip to the Chicago Sports Museum allowed this scribe and his male spawn to do things like test their vertical leaps (existent), compare the size of their hands to those of Scottie Pippen (smaller, quite so), and throw pretend footballs at pretend receivers (evocative of Moses Moreno and or Peter Tom Willis).

As for the sport that binds us, the page-viewer should know that the Chicago Sports Museum has plenty of cool baseball stuff. Come with us, won't you? (All photos by Eye On Baseball.)

First up, a rudimentary baseball that was used during the Civil War (North 1, South 0)

That ball? Presumably not juiced.

Speaking of baseballs, here's one from the Negro Leagues, which were in many ways pioneered by Rube Foster of the Chicago American Giants.

Oh, and here's the pulverized Steve Bartman ball, which is somewhat euphemistically referred to as the "Infamous Foul Ball" ...

Here's a mitt, bat, mask, and Spalding Trophy from the 1908-09 championship Cubs era ...

Now here's a mitt and glove of that same vintage ...

Check out these cleats from the 1945 World Series and then ponder the unpleasant nature of getting spiked in those days ...

Broadswords underfoot! Now, for purposes of maximum discomfort, here's a look at the underside ...

What lies beneath? Baseball foot-knives, as it turns out.
Related matter: Here are Ryne Sandberg's spikes from 1984 ...

Not quite as lethal those from baseball's frontier days but still capable of squelching a home invasion.
Speaking of spikes-high ..

It's the New Testament of Ty Cobb, who was the Old Testament made man.
Incoming: Ernie Banks' batting helmet ...

Put on your jewelry-appraiser's eyepiece and you'll notice that the helmet logo is actually a fabric patch, which is kind of cool. As Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper pointed out to me on Twitter, the Cubs still use fabric patches on their batting helmets, which is likely a point of distinction these days.
Finally, it's Bill Buckner's paycheck ...

This has been Bill Buckner's paycheck. Please don't go to the address on the check.
This has also been a Walking Internet Tour of the Baseball Things of the Chicago Sports Museum. Exit through the gift shop.