A few years ago, illustrator Murray Tinkleman uncovered a childhood scrapbook that chronicled his love of baseball.

Dating back to the '30s and '40s, the scrapbook honored Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers and renewed his fascination with the game and its superstars.

This blast from Tinkleman's past eventually led to the creation of "The Artist and the Baseball Card," a traveling exhibit now on display at Pennsylvania College of Art & Design's Main Gallery on North Prince Street.

"Murray used to trade baseball cards as a child," said Susan Matson, director of enrollment management and marketing at PCA&D. "Then he grew up to be an award-winning illustrator who began trading art with other significant artists — just like (the works of art) were baseball cards. It became a project that turned into this exhibit."

The pieces pay tribute to the baseball card in all its iconic glory. Tinkleman traded his own work with the likes of Will Eisner, Charles Schulz, Mort Drucker and Vin DiFate, gathering images that honor baseball players both living and deceased — and in some cases, nonexistent.

Since then, the traveling exhibit has been on display at famous venues like the Baseball Hall of Fame, The Norman Rockwell Museum and the Delaware Art Museum.

Now, "The Artist and the Baseball Card" will launch PCA&D's 2007-2008 gallery season. The exhibition is comprised of 112 renowned artists' interpretations of baseball cards — some of which are autographed by the baseball player represented in the artwork.

There's a letter-set print version of Ty Cobb created by Chris Spollen and there's John Thompson's tribute to Joe DiMaggio in vivid acrylics.

More fantastical contributions come from acclaimed comic strip artist Mort Walker, who uses his Beetle Bailey character to pay homage to baseball.

Just for this exhibit, the late, great Eisner reinvented his detective superhero from the '40s, The Spirit, as a masked baseball player who can be seen gripping a bat with leather-gloved hands.

Even "Mad" magazine's Alfred E. Neumann (by Richard Williams) makes an appearance in the collection, with his famous dorky grin.

Matson said the collection broadens the appeal of visual art through the baseball theme.

"Those who love the sport but may not be familiar with the artists can enjoy this show," she said. "And art lovers will appreciate the theme and how each artist tackled the subject."

Just next door, in the college's atrium, is a smaller accompanying exhibit created by students.

"Illustration students were asked to select a traditional artist and a contemporary artist and create baseball-card-type portraits of each," she said. "They're really amazing images of people like Jackson Pollack, (Salvador) Dali and (Henri) de Toulouse-Lautrec."

She said the student's artwork will be on display for the First Friday reception on Sept, 7, from 5 to 8 p.m.

On that same day, Tinkleman, a Society of Illustrators award-winner, will appear at the college as a guest lecturer at 3 p.m. The lecture is free and open to the public.

After surveying the gallery, Matson smiled and said the exhibit can definitely be counted as a home run.

"I think the crossover from art into baseball is a winner," she said. "I'd say it's the best of both worlds in every sense."

"The Artist and the Baseball Card," Mon. through Oct. 20, reception Sept. 1, 5-8 p.m., Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, 204 N. Prince St., Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 396-7833.

E-mail: cdifonzo@lnpnews.com