The untold story of baseball’s nineteenth-century origins: “a delightful look at a young nation creating a pastime that was love from the first crack of the bat” (Paul Dickson, The Wall Street Journal). You may have heard that Abner Doubleday or Alexander Cartwright invented baseball. Neither did. You may have been told that a club called the Knickerbockers played the first baseball game in 1846. They didn’t. Perhaps you’ve read that baseball’s color line was first crossed by Jackie Robinson in 1947. Nope. Baseball’s true founders don’t have plaques in Cooperstown. They were hundreds of uncredited, ordinary people who played without gloves, facemasks, or performance incentives. Unlike today’s pro athletes, they lived full lives outside of sports. They worked, built businesses, and fought against the South in the Civil War. In this myth-busting history, Thomas W. Gilbert reveals the true beginnings of baseball. Through newspaper accounts, diaries, and other accounts, he explains how it evolved through the mid-nineteenth century into a modern sport of championships, media coverage, and famous stars—all before the first professional league was formed in 1871. Winner of the Casey Award: Best Baseball Book of the Year
Examining the connection between baseball and our society as a whole, How Baseball Explains America is a fascinating, one-of-a-kind journey through America's pastime. Longtime USA TODAY baseball editor and columnist Hal Bodley explores just how essential baseball is to understanding the American experience. He takes readers into the Oval Office with George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton as the former presidents share their thoughts on the game, he looks at the changes that America's Greatest Generation ushered in, as well as examining baseball's struggle with performance enhancing drugs alongside America's war on drugs. An unabashedly celebratory explanation of America's love affair with baseball and the men who make it possible, this work sheds light on topics such as the role Jackie Robinson's signing with the Dodgers played in the civil rights movement, how baseball's westward expansion mirrored the growth of our national economy, labor strife, baseball families, the international explosion of the game, and even the myriad ways in which movies, music, and baseball are intrinsically tied. It is a must read for anyone interested in more fully understanding not only the game but also the nation in which it thrives.
'How did you let a black man take your job?' This is the question I've been asked more times than I care to admit. And despite its inherent prejudice, its misunderstanding of history, its naivet, I'm compelled to respond. My name is Ed Stevens. In baseball circles I was known as Big Ed Stevens, and I played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945, '46, and '47. I was the first man to be replaced by a black player in the history of Major League Baseball. This is a story about the Brooklyn Dodgers, and a secret I have kept for over fifty years. 'Ed Stevens was a good teammate and an even better friend. You will find his story very interesting. Ed found himself in a spot, and I think you will enjoy reading his account of what happened and his role in this historic transformation of baseball.' Tom Lasorda Special Advisor to the Chairman Los Angeles Dodgers Ed Stevens played first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1945-1947. After that fateful '47 season, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played from 1948-1950. After finishing out his career in Toronto, he served as a major league scout for twenty-nine years. Ed was later elected to the Brooklyn Dodger Hall of Fame, the International League Hall of Fame, and the Baton Rouge Louisiana Kids Clinic Hall of Fame, where he served for forty years as a baseball instructor along with Mel Ott, Dizzy Dean, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Mickey Mantle.
LA TIMES BESTSELLER • From the award-winning screenwriter and director of cult classic Bull Durham, the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film, and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking. "This book tells you how to make a movie—the whole nine innings of it—out of nothing but sheer will.” —Tony Gilroy, writer/director of Michael Clayton and The Bourne Legacy "The only church that truly feeds the soul, day in, day out, is the church of baseball."—Annie in Bull Durham Bull Durham, the breakthrough 1988 film about a minor league baseball team, is widely revered as the best sports movie of all time. But back in 1987, Ron Shelton was a first-time director and no one was willing to finance a movie about baseball—especially a story set in the minors. The jury was still out on Kevin Costner’s leading-man potential, while Susan Sarandon was already a has-been. There were doubts. But something miraculous happened, and The Church of Baseball attempts to capture why. From organizing a baseball camp for the actors and rewriting key scenes while on set, to dealing with a short production schedule and overcoming the challenge of filming the sport, Shelton brings to life the making of this beloved American movie. Shelton explains the rarely revealed ins and outs of moviemaking, from a film’s inception and financing, screenwriting, casting, the nuts and bolts of directing, the postproduction process, and even through its release. But this is also a book about baseball and its singular romance in the world of sports. Shelton spent six years in the minor leagues before making this film, and his experiences resonate throughout this book. Full of wry humor and insight, The Church of Baseball tells the remarkable story behind an iconic film.
The Fascinating History of Baseball! This book is about what makes baseball the sport it is today. We'll take you inside a game to see what individual players are thinking. You will visit the early days of the sport to see some of the influences that have made the game what it is today. You will be inspired by the examples of real players who have pursued a dream, watched their dream crumble before their eyes, and then persisted with dedication and hard work to attain success. If life is about winning and competition, then the game of baseball is a rich soil in which to develop success. This book will give you a fresh background on which to build an informed appreciation of the game and the devotion necessary to succeed at the highest level of the sport. Baseball is a sport rich in history, culture, and traditions. It doesn't matter if you have devoted your entire life to the game or whether you know little about baseball besides its name; this book is for you! You will find inside these pages both inspiration and a treasure of knowledge to flesh out the game for you. Beyond an on-the-field description of how the game is played, you will be introduced to some of the strategies that have made baseball so unpredictably fascinating. Because baseball relies equally upon chance and skill, you will discover some of the tactics players have used to try and improve their odds for success: changing the bat, scuffing the ball, bunting, stealing bases, and the use of any number of superstitions and good-luck charms, to name a few. Just for fun, test your own skill and expand your knowledge of baseball by perusing the list of fifty baseball questions; even if you are an expert, you just might uncover something new about the game. You will also meet some of the interesting people who have contributed to the game and will learn from the ongoing legacy of practical innovation that has shaped baseball over its one hundred plus years of history. You will be introduced to innovators such as John Hillerich, Barry Bonds, Russ Ford, Harry Decker, Albert Spalding, and Alexander Cartwright. You will discover the connection between the two sports of baseball and dodge ball, find out why there is a large bump in the middle of the playing field, and be transported to the ballpark for the first time "The Star Spangled Banner" was sung by the crowd. Here you will trace the game from its earliest days in the streets, yards, and fields of the American continent to the full-fledged professional athletic entertainment it has become. You will be inspired by the lives of athletes who pursued their dream and continued to hope even when it appeared they would never play again. In addition, you will learn how fans have shown their support for their favorite teams and encouraged them, even in the darkest of days. Whatever your interest or level of knowledge, "The History of Baseball" will entertain, educate, and inspire! Baseball is one of the most fascinating sports in the world! Learn about the culture that makes the game what it is today! Here Is A Preview Of What You'll Discover... The Evolution Of The Game Over The Last 100 Years Incredibly True Baseball Stories The Inner Workings Of The Game The Great Players, Teams, And Baseball Strategies How Fans Have Helped Teams Win Championships How Baseball Has Influenced American Culture Wonderful Baseball Movies Wild Facts About Baseball The Best Players Of All Time Much, Much More! What are you waiting for? If you are still reading this you are obviously motivated to get all the benefits this book has to offer. Stop thinking and take ACTION. Get Your Copy Right Now!
“Easily the best baseball book ever produced by anyone.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer “This was the best baseball book published in 1966, it is the best baseball book of its kind now, and, if it is reissued in 10 years, it will be the best baseball book.” — People From Lawrence Ritter, co-author of The Image of Their Greatness and The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time, comes one of the bestselling, most acclaimed sports books of all time. Baseball was different in earlier days—tougher, more raw, more intimate—when giants like Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb ran the bases. In the monumental classic The Glory of Their Times, the golden era of our national pastime comes alive through the vibrant words of those who played and lived the game. It is a book every baseball fan should read!
By all accounts, the perfect game pitched by New York Yankees right-hander Don Larsen in the 1956 World Series qualifies as a true miracle. No one knows why it happened, or why an unlikely baseball player such as Larsen was the one who tossed it. In The Perfect Yankee Larsen describes the facts surrounding one of the most famous games in baseball history and details the complete story behind the amazing "Walter Mitty" performance. A former Baltimore Orioles pitcher who lost 21 games in 1954, the freespirited Larsen reveals how comic book "Ghoulies" told him he should experiment with a no-windup pitching delivery just prior to the '56 World Series. Knocked out in Game Two, the man known as Gooney Bird to his teammates regrouped to record a miracle win that propelled the Casey Stengel-led Yankees to the world championship over the defending champion Brooklyn Dodgers.
