by By Luke Thompson ¿ lthompson@post-dispatch.com , St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Friday through Tuesday in downtown St. Louis, Baseball fans will be able to see artifacts from each of these eras and more at the sport's premier fan event, the All-Star FanFest. More than 100 objects from the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., will be on display just inside America's Center's main entrance.

Twenty-four pieces of memorabilia specific to St. Louis' 127-year Baseball history will be featured in two cases. One will look at some of the franchise's highlights, while the other will hold objects from some of St. Louis Hall of Famers, including Musial, Gibson and Rogers Hornsby.

Fans will also be able to see five other cases of assorted artifacts generally kept in storage at the Hall of Fame, including a Babe Ruth jersey from 1929 or '30 and Cal Ripken's cleats from the 1991 All-Star Game in Toronto. The 70-year-old museum in Cooperstown holds more than 35,000 pieces of memorabilia donated by players, fans and teams.

"All these artifacts tell stories about times and places that are no longer around," said Erik Strohl, the Hall of Fame's senior director of exhibitions and collections. "So it's always an avenue to teach history."

The Hall of Fame also has an educational traveling exhibition about the history of blacks in Baseball, called "Pride and Passion: The African American Baseball Experience" that opens Saturday at the St. Louis Public Library.

While few Cardinals fans will remember outfielder Pepper Martin's cap from the 1931 World Series, some objects will be recognizable to fans of all ages. Senior curator Tom Shieber was in attendance at Game 5 of the 2006 World Series to collect the mask of St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina.

"What was really funny was (our public relations official) said, 'OK, I'll make the (request) for that,'" said Shieber, a lifelong Cardinals fan who graduated from John Burroughs School in Ladue. "But when the Cards won, Yadier jumps up and he throws his catcher's mask off in the air, and I was like, 'Ahhh! Careful with that!'"

The collection also includes a 1952 Musial jersey and a pair of cleats worn by legendary Cardinals shortstop Ozzie Smith in the 1982 World Series. The shoes feature a signature from Smith, the official FanFest spokesman, and still retain some infield dirt from the Cardinals' World Series triumph over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The exhibit will also feature a collection of All-Star programs dating back to the first such game at Comiskey Park in 1933. Fans will be able to see programs from the games held in St. Louis in 1940, '48, '57 and '66.

Of course, no St. Louis Baseball history lesson would be complete without Albert Pujols, who led the All-Star voting with 5.3 million votes. The collection at FanFest includes a jersey from Pujols' memorable rookie season, as well as a bat from later in his career.

"I'm sure that more of his artifacts will be finding a home in Cooperstown," Strohl said. "I don't think I'm really going out there on a limb to make that statement."

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