The official companion, filled with stunning original and archival photographs, to the National Baseball Hall of Fame's groundbreaking four-year travelling exhibition pays tribute to America's favorite national pasttime by featuring more than thirty essays by writers, players, scholars, and fans, revealing how baseball has had a profound impact on the evolution of American culture. Reprint.
A sweeping historical novel set in the 1888 dawn of professional baseball when Blacks were banned, umpires were routinely beaten, and the game shifted from a collegial pastime of gentlemen to a nasty fight to the death by gritty Irish immigrants. Del Leonard Jones, author of The Cremation of Sam McGee, is trailblazing a new flavor of historical novel built upon the beloved ballads that have withstood time. The best of work of adult baseball fiction since "The Natural," Wild West magazine says: "Fans won't want this fascinating last at-bat ever to end."At the Bat: The Strikeout that Shamed America is filled with rich characters and a unique narrative of folklore. It really is such a gem. I love the fluidity of time in the story. I love how the umpire Walter Brewster is an "on the spectrum" character, lovable and pure, whose moral compass never waivers. He is a true hero. Del strikes a nice balance in the tone, with alternating moments of humor and heartbreak. There are so many wonderful layers to this story. It could be read again and again -- each time delivering something new. Bravo!! - T. Greenwood, author of Keeping Lucy.Outrageously wonderful! In the capable hands of Del Jones, Casey's legendary at-bat might be the longest and most riotous in baseball history, real or imagined. Anyone who has ever recited or listened to Ernest Thayer's 1888 poem will know the outcome. But Mr. Jones tells us what happened before, during and afterward not only to Casey himself but also to Nellie Bly, the world-renowned reporter, and two masked men behind the plate, antiheroic umpire Walter Brewster and disguised catcher Grasshopper Nova. They delightfully expand in prose that time-honored verse. Fans won't want this fascinating last at-bat to ever end. Thank the baseball gods that there is no clock to confine our National Pastime. Del Jones, the author of The Cremation of Sam McGee, strikes again and does not strike out!-Gregory Lalire, editor of Wild West magazine and author of Our Frontier Pastime, 1804-1815.
This book chronicles the history of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the stories of the first women to play professional baseball in a league of their own. In 1941, the world was at war, and with able-bodied American men fighting overseas, professional baseball was in danger of becoming a quaint relic—until women stepped up to the plate. In this heartwarming illustrated history, the League's story is told by the ones who know it best: the players. Author Anika Orrock collects a variety of funny, charming, wince-worthy, and powerful vignettes told by the players themselves about their time playing the American pastime. • Features stories of grit and perseverance against all odds, told by the players themselves • Filled with player statistics, historical beats, headlines, and more; and fully illustrated in Anika's vibrant style • A visually engaging, readable women-led history book Written in an approachable manner and beautifully illustrated, The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is a one-of-a-kind story told through the women's own voices and their own perspectives. This book ultimately proves that the incredible women of the AAGPBL truly were in a league of their own. • A unique celebration of a specific moment in women's and sports history • A great read for experienced and new sports fans alike, readers young and old, baseball fans • Perfect accompaniment to books like Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky, Strong is the New Pretty by Kate T. Parker, and Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future! by Kate Schatz
Presents the story of the author's journeys across America to attend the most distinctive b'nai mitzvah he could find in order to reveal how the bar and the bat mitzvah have become a distinctively American rite of passage.
On deck and ready for your reading lineup, New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies’s ode to “batty” baseball fans. You think humans are the only ones who enjoy America’s national pastime? Grab your bat—the other kind—and your mitt, because it’s a whole new ballgame when evening falls and bats come fluttering from the rafters to watch their all-stars compete. Get set to be transported to the right-side-up and upside-down world of bats at play, as imagined and illustrated by bestselling author-illustrator Brian Lies. Hurry up! Come one—come all! We’re off to watch the bats play ball!
The Acerra family had sixteen children, including twelve ball-playing boys. It was the 1930s, and many families had lots of kids. But only one had enough to field a baseball team . . . with three on the bench! The Acerras were the longest-playing all-brother team in baseball history. They loved the game, but more important, they cared for and supported each other and stayed together as a team. Nothing life threw their way could stop them. Full of action, drama, and excitement, this never-before-told true story is vividly brought to life by Audrey Vernick’s expert storytelling and Steven Salerno’s stunning vintage-style art.
Includes stories, memoirs, poems, news reports, and insider accounts about all aspects of baseball from its pastoral nineteenth-century beginnings to now.
Nineteen essays by Briley focus on major league baseball as it reflected the changing American culture from about 1945 to about 1980. He examines the era through the lens of race, gender and class--categories which have increasingly become essential analytical tools for scholars. The accounts of Roman Mejias and Cesar Cedeno offer some disturbing insights regarding the acceptance of Latinos in baseball and American society. In one essay, Briley refers to baseball as the heart of the nation's democratic spirit, noting that the son of a rural farmer could play alongside a governor's son and both would receive only the praise that their playing merited. However, in writing about the Milwaukee Braves'move to Atlanta, the lamentations of fans--that baseball had succumbed to the age of affluence--are compared to the changing patterns of demographics and economic power in American society. Even with the increased participation of women on the field with teams like the Silver Bullets, the final essay comments on organized baseball's perception of them as primarily spectators. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.
Why do modern-day sluggers like Aaron Judge prefer maple bats over the traditional ash bats swung by Ted Williams and others? Why did the surge of broken bats in the early 21st century create a crisis for Major League Baseball and what steps were taken to address the issue? Are different woods being considered by players and manufacturers? Do insects, disease and climate change pose a problem long-term? These and other questions are answered in this exhaustive examination of the history and future of wooden bats, written for both lifelong baseball fans and curious newcomers.
