Al said, "Do what you love!"

BASEBALL GAZETTE

June 24, 2021

While creating the Tampa Baseball Museum, from rehabilitating Al Lopez's childhood home to designing the exhibits that will soon be installed, we took inspiration from the many ways Al influenced our baseball community, as well as that of the entire country. Building the Museum has been a labor of love motivated by our iconic baseball heritage and supported by fans everywhere. I am happy to report that We Hit a Grand Slam! The Museum officially opens

on September 25th. "First Pitch" is at 10am. Please join us for the big celebration and a very special edition of Homeruns & History. Join us also in welcoming our new Museum and Education Manager, Jamie Clark.

~Chantal Ruilova Hevia, President and CEO

Do what you love to do and give it your very best. Whether it’s business or baseball, or the theater, or any field. If you don’t love what you’re doing and you can’t give it your best, get out of it. Life is too short. You’ll be an old man before you know it.

Al Lopez, Tampa First Major League Player, Manager, and Hall of Fame Inductee

We Hit a Grand Slam!

A New Museum is Set to Open in Ybor City

Tampa’s epic baseball heritage began when the Cubans first came to Tampa to work in the cigar industry. By 1887, they had formed their first team in Ybor City. Soon, they were sharing their passion for baseball with other immigrant groups. They worked and lived in a community that spoke Spanish, Sicilian, and other languages. Baseball was their “universal language”.

Decades later, a little boy dreamt of playing baseball. This boy, Al Lopez, became Tampa’s first Major League player, manager, and Hall of Fame inductee. Now, his rehabilitated childhood home is getting ready to welcome fans to celebrate more than 130 years of local baseball heritage. Dozens of professional players from Tampa – with more to follow – will be honored, along with the people and places that shaped them.

Local baseball traditions will shine when the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House opens…and stand alongside some of the best baseball towns in the nation.

SAVE THE DATE

JOIN US FOR "FIRST PITCH" OPENING CEREMONY ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2021, 10 AM

LOU PINIELLA,

ENJOY A SPECIAL EDITION OF HOMERUNS & HISTORY 10 AM - 1 PM

Get the Home Team Advantage

Become a Charter Member

Join us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show your love of baseball and support the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House. Charter Memberships carry the benefit of being the first to visit the Museum, even before it officially opens, and the prestige of having your status as a Charter Member recognized in print and electronic member listings.

Get in the game with an annual membership at one of five benefit levels. Memberships provide critical support for our mission to preserve and honor Tampa’s unique historic role in the game of baseball and make it possible for us to present educational experiences and exhibits that enrich the community. As a member, you will receive unlimited admission to the Museum year-round, discounts on events and merchandise, and more.

Join Now! You will receive extra months of member benefits from now until September 25, 2021, when we begin the countdown to your 12-month period of membership.

A New Member on Our Team

Meet Jamie Clark

Meet Jamie Clark, our new Museum and Education Manager for the Tampa Baseball Museum. When you visit the Museum once it opens, you will likely find Jamie sharing our baseball heritage with visitors. She is passionate about the game, having played girls’ softball with the Brandon Leagurettes, and often attends Rays games with her family. Jamie and her husband, Austin, have a ten-month-old son, Jude, as well as two cats. When she has a free moment, she enjoys playing instruments, including guitar and banjo. Jamie grew up in Tampa and received a BA in History from the University of South Florida. We are very excited to have her join our team!

WITH GRATITUDE

The Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House represents a community effort that has included grassroots support, cash and in-kind gifts of every size, and City and County grants. Thank you to all our fans who have generously donated to this ambitious project throughout the years. With your help, we are at the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded but we still need your support to raise the final $40,000 to fund the museum's exhibits. Please help us bring it home by making a donation of any size, which will be matched 100% by a Hillsborough County Historic Preservation grant, doubling impact of your gift. We also have naming rights opportunities for those who would like to memorialize their gift. Opening day is just three months away!

Please consider making a donation today!

Contact info@tampabaseballmuseum.org or 813.247.1434.

DONATE

The Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House is owned by the Ybor City Museum Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Federal Tax ID No. 59-2274494. Gifts are tax deductible to the extent the law allows.