Did Baseball really begin in Pittsfield in 1791, before Abner Doubleday? Berkshire Museum

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) - This close to the border between Red Sox nation and the Bronx Bombers' home state, it's hard for a Boston die-hard to swing a Louisville Slugger without hitting a New York fan. Or vice versa.

In the perpetual struggle between the Red Sox and Yankees, the Berkshires have long been a grey zone of baseball allegiances.

With Baseball: The Art of the Game, the Berkshire Museum showcases some of the best relics that helped build one of the sport's most clearly defined rivalries - without taking sides.

Although the focus of Baseball is on the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, the exhibit gives a nod to Pittsfield's role in the sport's history.

Two years ago, city historians uncovered a document drafted in 1791 outlawing baseball games within 80 yards (73 metres) of Pittsfield's meeting house. The document - which is part of the exhibit - has given bragging rights to Pittsfield officials, who say it proves baseball was played in the city long before Abner Doubleday is said to have created the rules of the game in 1839.

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