A woman’s place? In the dugout

Cooperstown, N.Y. — WHEN 16-year-old Shirley Burkovich, of Cathedral City, joined the Muskegon Lassies in 1949, she thought she would be a career baseball player. But the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League folded in 1954, and Burkovich and other league players had to find other employment.

The 73-year-old Burkovich and other league alum are expected to be at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., today to celebrate the opening of “Diamond Dreams,” an expanded, more comprehensive exhibit on the history of women in baseball. The opening marks the final phase of a three-year, $20-million project to upgrade the 50,000-square-foot museum devoted to the quintessential American game.

“During World War II, these women left their farms and homes, taking a big gamble,” said Dale Petroskey, the Hall of Fame’s president.

“Diamond Dreams,” which traces women’s roles in the game from 19th century ballclubs to the present-day involvement of women in baseball’s front offices, includes three segments: On the Field covers the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, which played from 1943 to 1954; In the Office highlights the women who ran ballclubs; and In the Stands features behind-the-scenes female employees and the cultural impact of the 1992 film “A League of Their Own.”

The exhibit includes original uniforms and equipment, photographs, text and multimedia, such as an interview with Penny Marshall, the movie’s director. Other notable pieces include a mask worn by Ria Cortesio, the only woman umpire in professional baseball today; a cap from Maria Pepe of Hoboken, N.J., whose landmark Supreme Court case opened the door for girls to play in Little League; and a hardhat worn by ballpark designer Janet Marie Smith, who worked on Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

“In addition to the growing fascination with women in baseball from a historical perspective there is a growing fan base,” Petroskey said.

It’s about time,” said Los Angeles resident Thelma “Tiby” Eisen, 84, another girls league player. “They’ve had a statue of the men -- a catcher and pitcher -- but this one, a girl batting in her uniform, is really thrilling.”

Eisen played baseball from 1944 to 1952 for teams in Milwaukee; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Peoria, Ill.; and Fort Wayne, Ind. She won’t be on hand in Cooperstown because she is being inducted into the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame.

“The recognition by Cooperstown is tremendous,” Burkovich said. “It’s the icing on the cake.”

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is at 25 Main St.; (888) 425-5633, www.baseballhalloffame.org. The museum is open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. in the summer; admission is $14.50 for adults, $5 for children 7 to 12.