Baseball Books

After Willie's unbelievable catch, I was born over a decade later. As a result, I never visited the Polo Grounds. Mr. Hano painted an awesome picture for me. It was awesome to read about baseball in that era.

I work part-time a local radio station, close to Yankee Stadium. After I read the book, I was able to contact Arnold. I wanted to interview him. I thought he would be too busy for me. He returned my call promptly! A week later, he agreed to do an interview. I was thrilled, I didn't want to go to sleep that night! I never performed an official interview before. This would be with an old-time baseball fan in NYC! One friday afternoon, we discussed the book in detail. Yes, we talked about Willie's catch, however, he emphasized to me he wrote the book as a fan. We discussed minute details such as: conversations with his wife the night before, bleacher fans in the Polo Grounds, Giant reserve player Joey Amalfitano taking batting practice swings that day, Dusty Rhodes pitch-hit HR to win the game, the Indian players during batting practice, intricacies of the Polo Grounds, the state of the game today, and his memories growing up with 3 ballclubs in the same city.

Speaking of living in the moment, Arnold was a pleasure to speak with.
This is not just another baseball book written in the 50's! A+ for Arnold!

ARNOLD DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING GAME 1 OF THE 1954 WORLD SERIES PLAYED IN THE POLO GROUNDS. READING THIS BOOK I CAN PICTURE VERY CLEARLY, THE EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE THAT DAY. FROM THE TIME HE LEFT HIS HOUSE TO THE GAME ENDING HOMERUN, I WAS TOTALLY CAUGHT UP THIS DETAILED ACCOUNT OF "THE CATCH". HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM, THE GAME ACTION, AND HIS THOUGHTS ARE PUT TOGETHER IN THIS GREAT READ. A MUST READ FOR ALL GIANT FANS AND BASEBALL HISTORIANS.

Did you ever wonder what it was like going to a game at the Polo Grounds? This is an inning by inning description of Game 1 of the 1954 series that covers getting to the park, who was sitting nearby, and of course the game itself. It is told from the view of a fan who knows and loves the game, but avoids windy philosophy and theory. It is especially grand to read in the depths of winter when baseball is either a memory or anticipated. I can't recommend it too highly.

Although I was still 10 years away from being born when Mr Hano attended the first game of the 1954 World Series, I thoroughly enjoyed his telling of his experiences attending the game. As a baseball fan, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book, and it doesn't disappoint. I could imagine myself being there.

The book is a classic and one I will read again. My ONLY disappointment with the book is that it ends so abruptly. The last out is made. He looks around for the lady in the red hat. She's gone and he mentions the fact that he never got a look at the face of the Cleveland fan and basically, that's it. Book over. I was hoping he would end the book with his getting home and speaking to his wife about the game, the way the book opened.

My other disappointment was in the afterword. I was pleasantly surprised that Mr. Hano is still living. He ran down the list of where are they now from the '54 Giants, which I enjoyed. I kept waiting for any other recollections he might have had about that game, the way baseball was then compared to now, etc. And I was also hoping he would mention what happened to his wife; if she's still living or not. But he did neither, but that's ok.

All in all, this book is one that will stay on my shelf for a good long time. Well worth the read!

This book captures what it is to be a fan better than anything else I've ever read. I often read this book in the Spring, to cleanse my mental palate of a long dreary Winter of football, basketball, the off-season noise of player contracts, and all else that is life without baseball actually on the field and in the stands. This book always does the trick. I once lost my copy (probably loaned it to someone who never returned it) and had to live without it for years until I found another used copy. Those were hard times. Now it's readily available and I can give it as a gift. Glory, glory, glory!

I know, this doesn't actually tell you about the book, but I'm too thrilled to bother with all that now. Just get it. I've never lent my copy to anyone without them coming back singing its praises...except for that mystery s.o.b who apparently liked it too much to return it.

Jackie Robinson, Bravest Man In Baseball is a biography about how he became the first African-American to play in the MLB. It starts out in Jackie's childhood in Georgia. When he was a kid he was good at all different kinds of sports such as basketball and track. When he played sports he always picked the little kids who weren't as great as everyone else so he could help them improve. Every kid on the block wanted to play on his team.
I think Margaret Davidson's message was you can do what ever you set your mind to. Meaning if you want to be the first woman in the MLB you can. You just have to be ready for what's in store for you just like Jackie.
I liked this book a lot because baseball is my favorite hobby. I also like to read about some of my favorite baseball players. I loved this so much because I can relate to a lot of this book. And I got to learn all about the great Jackie Robinson.

The Story of Jackie Robinson: Bravest Man in Baseball is about the struggles of one black man who never gave up. Jackie Robinson was a great athlete in college and wanted to go to the Major's but they wouldn't let him because he was black. The general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey took a chance on Jackie. Rickey said would let him play if he didn't fight back over racial slurs and attacks. This was known as the "Noble Experiment". Jackie's team looked down on him and fans harassed him because of the color of his skin. At last everybody realized Robinson was a great guy and that the color of a person's skin doesn't mater. In the end Jackie Robinson won the admiration of all American people. I think that you should read this book because it shows someone with great courage.

The Story of Jackie Robinson, Bravest Man in Baseball is about Robinsonýs struggles in life and in baseball. Robinson was great at all sports but he couldnýt play in the Majors after college because he was black. Four years later in 1945 Jackie Robinson was the first black player to play in the Major League because of a man named Branch Rickey. This was known as the ýNoble Experimentý and it did a lot of good all over the U.S. At first the Brooklyn Dodgers team was very angry that Robinson was playing with them and the fans had more hatred for the poor man. However, Robinson won the Rookie of the Year and also won lots of Americans admiration. If you enjoy baseball I think you would like this book because it shows the history of how blacks were finally accepted into the Major Leagues thanks to Jackie Robinson!

The Story of Jackie Robinson, Bravest Man in Baseball is about the struggles of one black man who never gave up. Jackie Robinson was a great athlete in college but he couldn't play Major League baseball because of the color of his skin. When Jackie Robinson played on the Brooklyn Dodgers he was part of the "Noble Experiment" and his teammates were unfriendly. Also fans yelled slurs at Jackie. In 1947 Jackie Robinson won Rookie of the year and the admiration of the American people. I recommend this book because it tells how Jackie Robinson was a great athlete and a brave person.

The Story of Jackie Robinson: Bravest Man in Baseball is about the struggles of one black man who made a big difference. Jackie Robinson was a great athlete in college but was not let into the Major Leagues because his skin was black. Robinson played on the Brooklyn Dodgers in the "Noble Experiment" which was meant Jackie being the first black on a white team. His team looked down on him because of the color of his skin. When the fans yelled slurs at him and other teams yelled at him it overwhelmed the Dodgers. They finally stood up for Robinson. I recommend this wonderful book, Jackie Robinson: Bravest Man in Baseball because it has a lot of action and emotion.

I purchased this book for my daughter several years ago. She got the Jeter bug! I was impressed by this book and impressed by Derek Jeter, the man. He seems to be a genuinely good person on and off the field. His personal life and approach to the game is an example for what all ball players should strive for. He brings the finest qualities out in the game of baseball by his approach to the game. He is not flashy and does not draw attention to himself other than through his fine play on the field. I was impressed.

As the author of four books on young adolescents (including The Roller-Coaster Years and Parenting 911), I am thrilled to have a positive role model for children. Derek Jeter's behavior on and off the field can inspire young people, even those who are not Yankee fans. He is always respectful. (I understand he still calls Joe Torre, "Mr." Torre). When the rest of the team brawled with the Seattle Mariners, Jeter and his friend, Seattle shortstop, Alex Rodriquez, wisely stood aside. Jeter never blames others for his mistakes. His response is to work harder to improve. He is supportive of fellow players, even when they are struggling with their game. He has made a genuine commitment to children with his Turn 2 Foundation, donating both his time and resources. This book would make a wonderful gift for any young adolescent who dares to dream about the future.

This is a great book if you love Derek Jeter. It was written by people who truely know the game of baseball, and has a lot of great pictures. I highly recommend it.

This book has great photos that are large and detailed (not a waste of space like some other books). They show a wide variety of situations, so if you are looking for particular things like I was (e.g., bat grip), it is very handy.

The text is gathered from Derek's peers and provides a great glimpse of what being around him must be like. Great book, especially for kids or older fanatics!

I think that Derek Jeter is very good for little kids to look up to becuase he is a base ball player and that is one great job.You get to build your body more and more when your playing base ball its just great.

I think that Derek Jeter is very good to look up to and a great roll motle and if i were a guy i would want to be just like him. he is a very interesting to know about someone famouse and someone great!

Great book, I've read it numerous times and every time I enjoy a different aspect I overlooked in the past. From the author's obsession with Frank Sinatra, his driving and dining experiences, to his detailed and gastronomical adventures in baseball parks across America this is one of my favorite road trip books

This is one of the best baseball books ever written! Even non-baseball fans will enjoy reading about his epic road trip on a shoe-string budget. A must read for all true baseball fans!

I have owned the book "Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks" virtually since its publication in 1989. As a baseball fan for many years, I had always myself fantasized of taking the trip Mr Wood did to every baseball stadium in America. Bob Wood's book is quite simply, one of the best books I have ever read in my life. It is a combination of baseball, travel, thrill seeking, and a trip of pleasure that every baseball fan can dream of. While reading the book, I could feel what it would have been like to sit with Mr Wood in his car on that trip. Despite weather, a robbery of his possessions in Northern California, a tight budget, and incredibly long drive, and an impending baseball strike that threatened to wipe out his dream of getting to every stadium, Bob Wood perservered and finished his journey. He achieved his goal through it all, and provided an exciting book that any baseball fan who has ever dreamed of taking the trip should be proud to read. I salute Mr Wood and his accomplishment. While is is now 18 years after his trip, it remains my favorite book of all time, fiction or non fiction. Bravo, Bob, you have created a masterpiece. A book that baseball fans and any readers should be proud of and salute you for.

I first read this book when it orginally came out. As a baseball fan It was awesome. Bob Wood lived every true baseball fans dream to see them all. I felt like I was riding along with Bob through out the whole book and his adventures.

I read this book in the late 80's and have re read it. It is the ultimate baseball fans road trip. I could just imagine myself riding along with Bob as went to see them all.

If we could only have more time to get to know people like Ernie Harwell, there would be a much greater appreciation for life in this world. Despite all of the many changes in his life, the opportunity to be around baseball for so many years, get paid to do it and enjoy it thoroughly...he has remained humble and human.

He is quick to tell you that he is "just a turtle on fence post", noting that we all know that turtle didn't get there by himself. He credits so many people for the opportunities that he has experienced...yet he has spent so many years positively influencing our lives, about life as seen through the many stories he tells via baseball.

Although I have only lived in the Detroit metro area for two years which limits my exposure to hearing Harwell call games all my life, I could immediately feel the respect and warmth of his broadcasts. Seeing him at several baseball and community events, I am always impressed with the attention that the sports stars give him when they are around him. Not only professional baseball players but professionals from other sports seem to delight in being around him and hearing the stories he tells with his charming southern drawl.

Whether you have the opportunity to hear him or you value hearing baseball stories that have something interesting to learn from in each story, you will enjoy this book.

If you are a person that enjoys learning from people that have shared their life with others and brought a positive influence to the world, you will enjoy this biography of a hall of famer.

Thanks Ernie!

If we could only have more time to get to know people like Ernie Harwell, there would be a much greater appreciation for life in this world. Despite all of the many changes in his life, the opportunity to be around baseball for so many years, get paid to do it and enjoy it thoroughly...he has remained humble and human.

He is quick to tell you that he is "just a turtle on fence post", noting that we all know that turtle didn't get there by himself. He credits so many people for the opportunities that he has experienced...yet he has spent so many years positively influencing our lives, about life as seen through the many stories he tells via baseball.

Although I have only lived in the Detroit metro area for two years which limits my exposure to hearing Harwell call games all my life, I could immediately feel the respect and warmth of his broadcasts. Seeing him at several baseball and community events, I am always impressed with the attention that the sports stars give him when they are around him. Not only professional baseball players but professionals from other sports seem to delight in being around him and hearing the stories he tells with his charming southern drawl.

Whether you have the opportunity to hear him or you value hearing baseball stories that have something interesting to learn from in each story, you will enjoy this book.

If you are a person that enjoys learning from people that have shared their life with others and brought a positive influence to the world, you will enjoy this biography of a hall of famer.

Thanks Ernie!

Ernie Harwell has the ability to articulate his thoughts and possesses a vast reservoir of anecdotes and observations based on his lengthy career. The combination made this into one of the more enjoyable baseball books I've read in recent years.

Ernie Harwell popped up in a lot of unexpected places in the year 2001. On October 3rd, he broadcast the official recreation of the 1951 Miracle at Coogan's Bluff game for Major League Baseball's official website; later on, he broadcast the final game of a World Series for an all-time-greats fantasy league also run by MLB. Not bad, for a man who was fired by his longtime Detroit Tigers employees over a decade ago for being "too old".

"My 60 Years in Baseball" has a very unusual title for an autobiography. That's because it's not an autobiography -- it's a standard bio, written by columnist Tom Keegan. Presumably this was done with Ernie Harwell's full cooperation, and reprints of several Harwell newspaper columns highlight the book. I'm just a little confused by the use of the word "My".

I know Tom Keegan's columns from the New York Post, and "My 60 Years" reads very much like a 275-page human interest story. It's a puff piece, but in the best way possible. Keegan tracks down interviews with athletes, writers and friends who have known Harwell at various points along his 60-plus-year career, and the stories related are mostly heart-warming. The best chapter in the book is an interview with Denny McLain, one-time Tiger pitching ace, from his cell in federal prison. Even repeat convicts love the voice of Ernie Harwell.

Don't read "Ernie Harwell" because it's the best sports bio of all time, but read it to become more familiar with one of the last of the original (and now "old school") announcers. I listened to Ernie for the brief time I lived in the Detroit metro area, and I'm glad I had the chance. It's a specific style of broadcast, heavy on imagery and game detail, that's no longer in vogue and will be dearly missed when the last of its practictioners hangs up their microphones. Read the stories Keegan finds, and read again the reprinted Harwell columns, which are a delight of word choice, firm opinion, and humor.

As a young boy growing up in a Detroit suburb, I often fell asleep at night with a transistor radio and an earphone, listening to Ernie Harwell and George Kell broadcasting Tigers' games. I've been a fan since. This book brought back a lot of those memories. It was well written and a fitting tribute to a man who has meant so much to the game. Well done.

Gordon's despriptions vividly depict emotion, and she writes like no one else.

Her narrator, Willie, is burdened with the weight of parental expectations. "You would be so good at the violin if you practiced," his mother says. "Your teacher says you have potential."

Willie is the kind of kid who hides in the outfield, hoping no one hits the ball his way. His own expectation: I will screw up.

I loved this book. It's full of big ideas -- how families fall apart and come together again, how art and music are essential, even a touch of political activism. This book also holds a quiet wisdom. You find your passion, then let's see about potential. In the end, it shows children they can be important, too.

I'm looking forward to the sequel.

This story is about a boy who has a boring life, and he has nothing to do this summer. His Aunt Bridget calls and wants him to come stay the summer with her in the city of Gloria. He goes and meets a lot of new friends, and plays on a baseball team at the Gill park. Willy the boy really likes the park. After a few days of being there Otto Pettingill says hes going to sell the park. Willy helps save the park and otto dies a few days later.
HE leaves the park to willy.

The Gorillas of Gill Park was a really good book. It was about a boy named Willy, who over the summer went to visit his Aunt Bridget in Gloria. His parents were reluctant, but Willy had nothing better to do, so they let him go. Willy's aunt makes costumes for people, and her current assisgnment is to make 30 gorilla costumes. Aunt Bridget's apartment is across the street from Gill Park. In the park there is a mysterious music maker. Willy can hear this music in his room. The next day, Willy goes to the park and meets some kids who play baseball. Well, these kids need one more player,so Willy agrees to play. Willy has a great adventure with baseball, those 30 gorilla suits,and finding out who the mysterious music maker is. So come along for the ride!!

Ah, eccentric old millionaires. Where would children's literature be without their kindly loopy presence? Why we wouldn't have brilliant books like, "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin or "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler", by E.L. Konigsburg, that's for sure. If children's books have taught us anything, it's that millionaires are often kindly (unless they're villainous developers) and that they like to set up elaborate games and clues for their child friends. "The Gorillas of Gill Park" features a slightly different kind of millionaire. He has all the usual characteristics: A home full of objects he collects, odd habits, a love of art, etc. He doesn't set up an elaborate game in this particular book (though its sequel is another matter entirely). Instead, it is through his kindly intervention that our hero is able to do a public service to the community and learn how to be his own separate person. There are many things to love about "The Gorillas of Gill Park". I just wish there had been more gorillas.

Willy Wilson doesn't think he has much of a personality. But getting shipped off to spend the summer with his eccentric costume-making Aunt Bridget might change all of that. When he comes to live with her in the large city of Gloria and right across the street from the fabulous Gill Park, Willy finds all kinds of new and exciting things about this home away from home. The park constantly pumps out wonderful music via its eccentric millionaire musician owner Otto Pettingill. It's filled with alternative baseball player kids, one of whom recruits Willy to be a first baseman right off the bat. There's Lisle, the odd little orphan who belongs to Otto and constantly does her own thing. There's also the fact that Aunt Bridget is now making gorilla costumes this summer, so the apartment is full of black fluff. Unfortunately, just as Willy starts getting comfortable with his new home, tragedy strikes. Otto Pettingill is going to sell off the park to a man who wants to turn it into a shopping mall. Lisle is being adopted by parents who don't fit her personality in the least. And Otto Pettingill himself has disappeared entirely. It's up to Willy now to save the park, save Lisle, and find the mysterious Mr. P before it's all too too late.

The writing in this book starts out a little slow, but eventually you get into it. What Ms. Gordon does particularly well is conjure up rather disgusting but effective descriptions. Lisle is reported to wear a cap of a particular color. "It might have been red once, or orange, it was hard to tell - now it was sort of the color of tonsils". It's almost a pity that a color picture of that same cap appears on the book's cover. Kids will undoubtedly check and double check it for an idea of tonsil colorations. It would have been nice if that could have been left entirely to their own imaginations. The story plays out at a fast clip, balancing the big story (the imminent destruction of the park) with the subplots (most centering around Willy's work on the baseball team). When the park plot wraps up a good 50+ pages before the end of the book, the story stalls out a little. You feel like you've experienced the climax and that the end should be a lot sooner than it is.

And look, if the word "Gorillas" appears in your book's title and you sport a picture of one on your cover, title page, and bookflaps, people are gonna want gorillas. Lots of `em. And unfortunately Amy Gordon is skimpy with the gorillaness of it all. Towards the end of the tale the gorillas finally play a little more into the plot, but not enough to justify their absence beforehand. There were other small problems with the story as well. For one thing, the book is entirely reliant on the reader wanting Lisle not to return to the uptight guardians millionaire Otto Pettingill inadvertently placed her with. The problem is that while our hero, Willy Wilson, is enamored of the wild child, the reader can't see her good points. She's the kind of child hero who when she's been repeatedly saved and helped by kind-hearted Willy, still hasn't the slightest problem with calling him a coward when he doesn't want to play his violin for her. She's charmless, is the problem. A nasty, mean, runty little thing without a speck of manners or pleasantness in her body. She's smart, sure, but not the kind of person you particularly feel like rooting for. She's been kidnapped by Pettingill's representative? Hooray! Throw away the key, so say I.

Of course, there's a lot to enjoy about this book. Each chapter begins with a picture of a person who appears in that chapter with a quote or sentence from that person that explains something especially important about their personality. The drawings of each character are credited in tiny tiny type to one Mr. Matthew Cordell. They're simple little pictures, rather sweet and simplistic. Mr. Cordell has done a nice little job (and I'm not just saying that because he's married to a school librarian). The characters in the tale aren't exactly three-dimensional (the plant guy speaks entirely in plant-like metaphors, the French woman with a Miss Piggyesque accent, etc.) but there are some surprising moments. I liked the bad-guy vegan or the fact that a little old lady could be a xenophobic moron. There's not a whole lotta depth to the book, but at least it's still a lot of fun.

It needs more gorillas though. A lot more. One can only pray that the sequel, "The Return to Gill Park" will contain some increased primate appearances. Altogether this is a good book for kids already into baseball in some way, shape, or form. It requires a knowledge of the game but still has enough action and adventure (not to mention a very realistic conjuring up of a truly fictional town) to justify its existence on bookshelves everywhere. Not the first book I'd think to recommend, but a nice read all the same.

I picked up this book not expecting to finish it due to the fact that I never have the time to read. I soon found myself caught among the memorable characters and the storyline. I could not put this book down!

From Willy first going around Gill Park to the teary ending....

this book is fantastic!

Gene Budig has given us an insightful snapshot into the lives of nine outstanding individuals who were driven to success in spite of adversity and sometimes outright hostility.

The essays are made more vibrant because Mr. Budig's personally knew these remarkable people. Reading about each person's strength, innate desire and determination to achieve desired goals makes this a most enjoyable and refreshing read.

Gene Budig has written a delightful and enlightening book about some major sports figures, a gifted newspaperman and the significant politicians, Bob Dole and Bob Kerrey.
He knows all well and profiles their achievements along with their vivid personalities in a riveting way. As a daughter of the Midwest, it made me cheer for my achieving brothers from America's heartland. It is a fast read and you'll learn a lot in an enjoyable way!

This is a great "travel" book for the airplane or beach, or just an evening at home. The book has short essays on famous people, giving an insider's perspective on what makes them tick. There is plenty of interesting information, presented in an easy-to-read fashion. I think it will appeal to young and old.

Gene Budig has taken us inside the lives of colorful figures most of us know only by their deeds and reputation. Budig shows us them as flesh and blood people whom he knows as friends. It's a great read.

Dr. Budig has the pleasure of knowing all these fine individuals personally. His insight to there lives and their accomplishments is told in a wonderfully well written book. At times you feel like you are having a live conversation with him in his personal account of their lives. It is thoroughly enjoying to read.

A teriffic account of the begining of professional base ball. Every season from 1871 - 1900 is reviewed accompanied by numerous photographs. A pitchers and players index for all 19th century ball players is included and an all-time records section is also compiled.
A very thorough work on 19th century base ball.

A true treasure house of information regarding an era that has been overlooked for WAY too long------my congrats to Mr. Nemec

A tremendous work on the games beginings. This book containsnumerous photos of 19th century baseball which brings the game alive.Every season is reviewed with complete statistics of team standings and players. There are many side articles on individual players, teams and accomplishments. The rules of play for each year are updated and there is a player and pitcher register for all who played.

A historical and statistical must! END

The season stories and sidebars are all excellent. So are the photos. This isn't really a criticism, but I do wish the season stats for each player had been a bit fuller. I'd be glad to take a smaller type size if it meant getting in stats like batter strikeouts, sacrifice hits, etc. The same with the career stats. I like the way the author sorts the players according to the most prominent positions they played, but it would help not to have to look up stats like doubles and triples in other encyclopedias. This isn't really a big deal, just a suggestion if the author ever does a new edition of this wonderful book.

For some reason, 1900/1901 seems to be a magical boundary for baseball history books. There are two possible reasons for this. First, 1900 or 1901 (depending on how you look at it) marked the beginning of the twentieth century, and, in the eyes of many, the "modern era" of baseball. Second, 1900 was the inagural season of the American League, the renamed incarnation of Ban Johnson's Western League. In 1901, the American League elevated itself to major-league status, initiating the two-league format that exists to this day.

While those are certainly convenient benchmarks, they arbitrarily overlook what came before as somehow "irrelevant" or not "modern". David Nemec's book proves that baseball is a story of gradual evolution, rather than an overnight coming of age. It can be argued that modern baseball began in 1871, the year that the first professional baseball (or Base Ball) league began play. The National Association of Base Ball Players officially recognized baseball as a business -- even if the Supreme Court still refuses to do so. Players were openly paid to play what many had argued was an amateur sport of gentlemen, clubs, exercise, and grand feasts. The NA had its share of problems -- gambling, contract-jumping, rowdiness, and organizational chaos. Teams came and went -- Philadelphia had three separate teams in 1875. One team, the Boston Red Stockings, was dominant in a field of teams with questionable talent. All a team needed to do was pay a $10 fee and they were in the association. Hence teams from Chicago and Boston were forced to play squads from Middletown (Connecticut), Fort Wayne (Indiana) and Keokuk (Iowa).

The National League of 1876 changed all of that. Unlike its predecessor, it centered around teams, not players. It instituted reforms such as the hated reserve clause and territorial rights and market threshholds. Gambling was not tolerated. Nor were Sunday games or beer at the park.

Baseball evolved over the following decades into the "modern" game that historians pick up from 1900. Batters were no longer out if their hits were caught after one bounce. Three strikes -- not four -- resulted in an out, while four balls -- instead of nine -- lead to a walk. Home plate became five-sided, and the pitcher's box was replaced by the familiar mound. This compensated for the move of the pitcher from 45 to 60 feet, 6 inches from the plate.

Nineteenth-century baseball also had its share of heros and characters. Cap Anson, who became the first player to amass 3,000 hits, was the primary figure behind the drawing of the racial color line to haunt the game for decades. Other greats included Dan Brouthers, Cal McVey, "King" Kelly, Wilbert Robinson, and so on.

Nemec's book captures the development of the game quite well through his season-by-season accounts from 1871 to 1900, showing the evolution of the rules of the game and the major events of each season. The book is liberally peppered with rare team and player photographs. Most importantly, the book is a virtual clearinghouse of statistics for nineteeth-century players.

Now for a few criticisms. While Nemec's style is chatty, with plenty of sidebars detailing unusual characters and trivia about nineteeth-century episodes, the text clearly reflects Nemec's passion for statistics. Some episodes revolve around debates over batting averages or pitching numbers that occured over a century after the fact. Nemec focuses on his personal disputes with accepted statistics, which is fine to a point, but he gets carried away with his "findings".

Also, while he spends a good deal of time on the changing nature of the rules of the game from year to year -- which is quite eye-opening -- he spends little time on some of the other, more subtle changes off the record books that were equally important. No mention is made of the development of modern equipment, such as masks or gloves, or how this affected the game or led to the changing of the rules. No discussions involved the way in which ballparks evolved, how baseball coverage changed, or how baseball became a truly modern business with expanding numbers and types of fans.

Having said all this, this is the most comprehensive and systematic treatment of nineteenth-century baseball yet compiled. If nothing else, this book's significance may lie in forging the path for other books to follow and expand upon its scope.

This book is the baseball fan's dream. Packed with almost every record imaginable, even to statistics about the umpires, it is an organized chronicle of the firsts in baseball. Records for minor league teams and by a teenager are also included. Hours can be spent in poring over the contents of this book; it is both a history of the game and a giver of credit to many players who rarely get it. I enjoyed every page.

This book contains the most discriminating baseball facts
imaginable. It is written for the baseball buff. For instance,
the first night game of baseball was recorded on 9-2-1880.
Mack holds the record as the longest manager in baseball's
history. Babe Ruth has the most bases. If there is any
fact concerning baseball, it will be listed here in all
likelihood. This book would make a wonderful gift for
any baseball enthusiast. There are previous versions
so that it has been battle-tested over the years.
Without question, the work is a collector's item.

If you're like me and thousands and thousands of other baseball fans, you love arguing about who was the best player at a particular feat, be it home runs, batting average, stolen bases, etc. The updated version of this book covers this and much more. Everything among standard records is here, along with time capsules of the period from the 1870s until now, and summaries of each season's World Series. For example, the National League originally wanted to vote in the DH back in the 1930's, but the American League didn't want it! There are enough records listed in this book to keep virtually all "stat-heads" happy. Records by position, obscure records, even a section on all-time minor league records, they're all here.

One minor flaw I noticed in the 2003 edition. Nemec doesn't always keep things completely updated. A mention of Gregg Jefferies, the ex-Met lists him as still active, even though he retired a couple seasons ago. Last season Shawn Green broke the single game total bases mark in an early season game, and yet Joe Adcock is still listed as the holder of that record.

Still, if you love baseball records you will love this book. It's full of those and quite a bit more.

I've picked up four editions of this book over the years, including the 1999 one. It's interesting to me, and fun, to watch how Nemec manages to incorporate new records and new developments in the game and at the same time maintain the book's basic structure. He even added a new era a couple of years ago--but so neatly I wasn't even aware of it at first. It also brought out the first study I've ever seen on pitchers' batting records. I'd guess there'll be another new edition in 2000, and it'll be interesting once again to see how all the wild new developments in this past season are interwoven.

I still have my dingy 1989 copy, which helped me get through a boring summer that year! (I was only 14 at the time)

Still, all these years later, even though some of the records have changed, and there are new ballparks and teams, I still refer to my old copy all the time, especially in December and January, when it seems like spring training will never arrive!

Not just a trivia book (though fear not; you will certainly find plenty of that, such as the last wood stadium, the best one-eyed players, the toughest batter to strike out on Tuesday when the bells ring)- more of a baseball history book, humorously told and colored with fabulous stories- truth is crazier than fiction, after all. I am overjoyed to see that this book has been updated... can't wait for the 2001 copy.

A great book!

This book was a birthday gift for my brother, a "rabid" Mickey Mantle fan!!! He's just about finished it and said it was jut "GREAT" - lots of "unknown facts" and wonderful insights by "The Mick's" team mates !

I've got several Mickey Mantle books, but I really think this one is the best. Very detailed and accurate. Well done!

Very impressed with book - my son is big fan and loves it.

My kids grew up wanting to BE LIKE MIKE. Like many of my generation, I always wanted to be like Mick. THE MICK.

Mickey Mantle was, for us, the consummate baseball player. He hit the ball hard and ran the bases fast. His arm was strong and his glove golden.

But that's only part of why he was our hero. Randall Swearingen's book, A Great Teammate, covers the rest. Mickey was one of the greatest team players the game has ever known. He found a way to win. One day he'd hit a home run. The next he'd bunt and steal--or literally outrun a fly ball. It added up. Between 1951 and 1964, Mickey's Yankees made twelve trips to the World Series. Twelve!

When his teammates batted, Mickey cheered. When they slumped, he took them to dinner. When Roger wilted in the Babe's mighty shadow, Mickey took him under his wing and into his home--even as The Mick took his own shot at THE RECORD.

Mickey played hurt nearly every game of his major league career because, as a rookie, he deferred to a teammate named Joe DiMaggio. Mickey never complained or made excuses. He just came to the park early, took his treatments, hid the pain, and played hard. As good as he was, he could have been even better with two legs rather than one.

When asked why he didn't take himself out of the lineup to rest the legs, Mickey replied that some child might come to the ball park to watch him play, and he didn't want to let that child down. Mickey didn't know it, but I was that child. My family drove from North Carolina to New York City in 1961. It was the only chance I ever had, as a kid, to watch a major league game. Mickey didn't disappoint: he hit a line drive into the right field bleachers for a home run. From then on, Mickey was my hero. And, like so many southerners in those days, I became, of all things, a Yankee.

Then came the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Sportswriters forgot who Mickey Mantle was and why he had been our hero. They publicized his alcoholism. His business failures. His divorce. If only he had fallen in his prime, they implied, like Gehrig with ALS or Ruth with cancer. But somehow he dodged the Hodgkin's curse. And even though alcoholism is every bit as much a disease as ALS, or cancer, or Hodgkin's, America stopped loving Mickey the way he had loved us. We forgot. And, I must admit, as I almost forgot.

Then I read A Great Teammate, and the memories came pouring back. Mickey winning games for his team. Mickey bringing out the best in his teammates. Mickey loving and respecting the game. Playing hard. Playing hurt. Always humble. Ever helpful. Never making excuses. And, in bottom of the 9th, whipping his toughest foe, alcoholism, and helping others do the same.

No doubt, Old Timers told these stories time and again at ball games, fantasy camps, reunions, and funerals. But, no one ever bothered to write them down for us, the fans. Until now. Mickey, Randall: thank you.

It was very important to our dad that he be remembered as a great teammate and this book does an excellent job of explaining why he was admired, not only by the fans but his teammates and opponents as well. Randall went to great lengths to research the relevant details of key events in dad's career in order to show the magnitude of dad's courage, competitiveness, loyalty, determination, athleticism and perseverance both on and off the field. Randall spent time with dad and his teammates at the Mickey Mantle fantasy camps and his knowledge and love of dad really shows in this book. Reading the book brought back many great memories and magically transported us back in time to our childhood. The Mantle family gives this book a big "thumbs up" and wishes to extend our heartfelt thanks to Randall for writing this inspiring and enjoyable book that beautifully echoes our deep love and respect for our dad. "A true teammate". - Merlyn, David and Danny Mantle