Bob Zimmer leads Baseball Heritage Museum: My Cleveland (photos, video) (2024)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Bob Zimmer sells real estate and serves as president of theBaseball Heritage Museum at historicLeague Park in Hough.

Cleveland creds: Lifelong local

Currently lives: On same road in Shaker he grew up on

Age: 64

Schooling: Graduated Shaker High, attended Ohio University

Family: Wife, two sons

Favorite locally owned restaurants: Etna, Batuqui, Big Al's, Sasa

Why's there a baseball museum in Cleveland, which hasn't exactly dominated the sport and isn't all that far from Cooperstown?

Bob: The museum's main focus is baseball in Cleveland and at League Park. League Park has tremendous history. It's the oldest big league park that hasn't been built over. Baseball enthusiasts from all over the world want to come here. [Former Indian] Carlos Baerga, who was here last year for kids' clinics, said it was like being at Disneyland.

The place was opened in 1891 as a 9000-seat wooden park and rebuilt in '09 as a state-of-the-art brick and steel facility for 21,000 plus. The Cleveland Spiders won the Temple Cup here. The '45 Buckeyes won the Negro League championship here.

The Indians won the '20 World Series here, the only one they've ever won at home. Bill Wambsganss performed an unassisted triple play here, the only one in Series history. In the same game, Jim Bagby Sr. hit the first home run in a World Series by a pitcher, and Elmer Smith hit the first grand slam in a Series.

Babe Ruth hit his 500^th home run here, plus many others. Joe DiMaggio hit in his 56th straight game [still a record] here. The next day, downtown at Municipal Stadium, the streak was broken.

The Indians left in '47, and the city finished restoring the place in 2014. How much of the original park survives?

Bob: We've got the 1909 ticket house, the steps to the players' tunnel and one of the outer walls. The field's exactly where it was. Some of the museum's artifacts came from the 1909 park: a stadium chair, bleacher seats, some equipment used in games. We have Odell Hale's bat used here.

Who plays here now?

Bob: Rec leagues, Cleveland schools, the RBI program, some college ball, traveling youth teams. We have vintage baseball games here. We had the Junior Home Run Derby here. We're participating in the Ace Camp for kids in the neighborhood. We're trying to establish some tournaments for players from all over the country.

This park was plopped onto trolley lines right in a bustling neighborhood. It was built to be part of the community. After pro baseball left, it became a community rec center. One of the intentions of its restoration was to be a new catalyst for redevelopment in the neighborhood.

We do occasional art classes for the community here. The Indians helped us get a Larry Doby grant for other educational programs here and at schools.

I'm an agent with Keller Williams and a small group with Bob Cugini and my son, Sam, called the Good Life Sales Team. We're working on redevelopment here. Hough sits in a unique position between the Clinic, University Circle and Midtown. It has tremendous potential to become a very walkable neighborhood.

We're working on restoring the building across the street, an old soda fountain and store. We'll call it Charlie's Place in honor of the Indians' Charlie Jamieson, an ice cream enthusiast.

Is Cleveland a baseball town?

Bob: Cleveland is a great baseball town and has some of the most loyal and energetic sports fans in the world. We have strong youth baseball and scholastic ball and sandlot ball.

How'd the museum happen?

Bob: In '97, Cleveland was hosting the All-Star Game. I was trying to draw people into our family's jewelry business, A. Sisser on East Fourth in the Krause Building. Most of our clientele was African-American. I called Wilmer Fields, president of the Negro League Baseball Players Association. Wilmer did an autograph session. [Former Buckeyes] Sam Jethroe and Willie Grace came.

The museum started inside the store and expanded upstairs. It was focused mostly on the Negro Leagues. Players would come in and do an event, and we'd go out to the schools.

Then it was suggested that I expand the museum's focus to the multicultural aspects of baseball in our communities, locally and internationally. We look at women in baseball, Latinos in baseball, sandlot baseball...

The last time East Fourth was restored, it was shut for two years. We found a location for the museum inside the Colonial Marketplace in 2009. We landed at League Park in '14 when it reopened.

Have you played ball?

Bob: One year in Little League. I wasn't very good. But I was always a fan. My wife and I love to watch our son Sam play softball.

Tell us more about how you've paid your bills over the years.

Bob: I had an art and antique gallery in the '70s on what was then Woodland, now Larchmere: the Green Mansion.

In '80, I went into the jewelry store. I also set up the East Fourth Street development corporation. Now it's part of the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation. Fourth had a negative connotation of drugs, prostitution and crime. Developers were thinking of tearing it down. I started an effort to designate it as a historic district. Now it's a more upscale, gentrified street.

I've been buying and selling real estate since 1972 and representing clients for 16 years. I enjoy small historic restorations. I represented Goose Acres Folk Music selling to Club Isabella in Little Italy. I put together the sale for what's now the Murray Hill Market, a cool store.

The real estate market today here is as strong as I've seen, and many neighborhoods have started to draw people from all across the country. We have everything the big cities have with a lot less congestion, at least for now.

Hobbies?

Bob: Golf. My home course is Highland. I also to like get on a motorcycle and ride from Shaker into the city or out to Chagrin Falls.

How's the local pavement?

Bob: You always have to watch out for the chuckholes.

Think the Indians will ever win a World Series in our lifetimes?

Bob: This year, we've got terrific talent. Tito Francona is special. I went to Game 7 last year. It was the most exciting game I've been to ever. This year, I hope we're in the same position.

The Baseball Heritage Museum is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. It is also open when ballgames are played at League Park and, during the Indians' season, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday. For tours, ballfield rentals and other activities, call 216-789-1083 or see baseballheritagemuseum.org.