Imagining Baseball

Imagining Baseball PDF Author: David McGimpsey
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253336965
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 222

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Book Description
"... McGimpsey displays erudition, clever insights and a knack for the wickedly funny wisecrack (several of which are aimed at his beloved, and beleaguered, Montreal Expos). Literary baseball may be a drastically over-analyzed subject, but, like an overachieving rookie, McGrimpsey produces a far better book on it than one would have ever thought possible." --Louis Jacobson, Washington Post "This is the most important critical book on baseball literature in many years." --Murray Sperber, author of Onward to Victory From Field of Dreams to The Natural, from baseball cards to highbrow fiction, this book explores the place of baseball in American popular culture.

Imagining Baseball

Imagining Baseball PDF Author: David McGimpsey
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253336965
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Get Book

Book Description
"... McGimpsey displays erudition, clever insights and a knack for the wickedly funny wisecrack (several of which are aimed at his beloved, and beleaguered, Montreal Expos). Literary baseball may be a drastically over-analyzed subject, but, like an overachieving rookie, McGrimpsey produces a far better book on it than one would have ever thought possible." --Louis Jacobson, Washington Post "This is the most important critical book on baseball literature in many years." --Murray Sperber, author of Onward to Victory From Field of Dreams to The Natural, from baseball cards to highbrow fiction, this book explores the place of baseball in American popular culture.

Creating the National Pastime

Creating the National Pastime PDF Author: G. Edward White
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 140085136X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 385

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Book Description
At a time when many baseball fans wish for the game to return to a purer past, G. Edward White shows how seemingly irrational business decisions, inspired in part by the self-interest of the owners but also by their nostalgia for the game, transformed baseball into the national pastime. Not simply a professional sport, baseball has been treated as a focus of childhood rituals and an emblem of American individuality and fair play throughout much of the twentieth century. It started out, however, as a marginal urban sport associated with drinking and gambling. White describes its progression to an almost mythic status as an idyllic game, popular among people of all ages and classes. He then recounts the owner's efforts, often supported by the legal system, to preserve this image. Baseball grew up in the midst of urban industrialization during the Progressive Era, and the emerging steel and concrete baseball parks encapsulated feelings of neighborliness and associations with the rural leisure of bygone times. According to White, these nostalgic themes, together with personal financial concerns, guided owners toward practices that in retrospect appear unfair to players and detrimental to the progress of the game. Reserve clauses, blacklisting, and limiting franchise territories, for example, were meant to keep a consistent roster of players on a team, build fan loyalty, and maintain the game's local flavor. These practices also violated anti-trust laws and significantly restricted the economic power of the players. Owners vigorously fought against innovations, ranging from the night games and radio broadcasts to the inclusion of African-American players. Nonetheless, the image of baseball as a spirited civic endeavor persisted, even in the face of outright corruption, as witnessed in the courts' leniency toward the participants in the Black Sox scandal of 1919. White's story of baseball is intertwined with changes in technology and business in America and with changing attitudes toward race and ethnicity. The time is fast approaching, he concludes, when we must consider whether baseball is still regarded as the national pastime and whether protecting its image is worth the effort.

National Pastime

National Pastime PDF Author: Stefan Szymanski
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0815797648
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
This is the story of two great sports. One is "America's game," while the other is "the world's game." Baseball and soccer are both beloved cultural institutions. What draws fans to one game is often a mystery to fans of the other. Despite superficial differences, however, the business and culture of these sports share more in common than meets the eye. This is the first in-depth, cross-cultural comparison of these two great pastimes and the megabusinesses that they have become. In National Pastime, Stefan Szymanski and Andrew Zimbalist illustrate how the different traditions of each sport have generated different possibilities for their commercial organization and exploitation. They pay special attention to the rich and complex evolution of baseball from its beginnings in America, and they trace modern soccer from its foundation in England through its subsequent expansion across the world. They illustrate how Victorian administrators laid the foundation for Major League Baseball (MLB) and soccer leagues such as the English Premier League, Italy's Serie A, and the European Champions League. The authors show how the organizers of baseball and soccer have learned from each other in the past and how they can continue to do so. Both sports are rich in tradition. In some cases, however, these traditions—often arbitrary rules established by long-defunct administrators—have obstructed the healthy development of the sport. By studying the experiences of other sports, it might be possible to develop new and better ways to operate. For example, soccer might benefit from greater cooperation among teams as in baseball. On the other hand, MLB could learn from soccer's relegation rules and more open system of ownership, thus avoiding some of the excesses (competitive imbalance, uneven team resources) associated with monopoly. National Pastime does not advocate the jettisoning of all tradition to adopt wholesale the approach of another sport, of course. In an era of globalization, where business interests are increasingly looking to transplant organizational ideas in order to maximize profits, the authors argue that fan-friendly reforms may be necessary in order to avoid something worse. Ultimately, they propose no simple solutions, instead suggesting specific reforms to the organization of baseball and soccer, drawing on each other's experiences. Lively and accessibly written, this book is essential reading for business analysts, journalists, policymakers, and managers of both sports. Most of all, however, it will appeal to baseball and soccer aficionados, whether they root for the New York Yankees, Manchester United, or Real Madrid.

Picturing America's Pastime

Picturing America's Pastime PDF Author: The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Publisher: Mango Media Inc.
ISBN: 164250534X
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
Baseball Photography Classics “It’s a great addition to your coffee table, or as a gift to the baseball fan in your life.” ―baseballmusings.com #1 New Release in Photojournalism, Photo Essays, Statistics, History, Sports Photography, and Sports Picturing America’s Pastime celebrates baseball through a unique photography collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s unmatched archive of baseball photos. Preserving History, Honoring Excellence, Connecting Generations is the mission of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Now, with this unequaled collection of photos from baseball history, you can revel in the moments we share at the ballpark, the grand sweep of the stadium, the drama of the game, and classic images of baseball greats. Celebrate the history of baseball and baseball photography. Go beyond the standard highlights of baseball history in this collection of rarely seen photos that reveals the full landscape of our national pastime as no other collection can. Selected by the historians and curators at the Baseball Hall of Fame, the photographs reveal the rich relationship between photography and the game. Each image includes an historic quote and a detailed caption, often highlighting little-known information about the photographers and techniques used across the 150 plus years covered in the book. Experience the storied history of this great game through iconic images: • Panoramic photos of historic stadiums • A thoughtful Honus Wagner studying his bat • Early African American team portraits and photos of such greats as Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, and Orestes “Minnie” Miñoso • And much more! If you have enjoyed baseball photography books such as The Story of Baseball: In 100 Photographs, 100 Year in Pinstripes: The New York Yankees in Photographs, or Baseball: An Illustrated History, you will love The National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Picturing America’s Pastime.

National Pastime

National Pastime PDF Author: Martin C. Babicz
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442235853
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 293

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Book Description
From its modest beginnings in rural America to its current status as an entertainment industry in postindustrial America enjoyed worldwide by millions each season, the linkages between baseball’s evolution and our nation’s history are undeniable. Through war, depression, times of tumultuous upheaval and of great prosperity – baseball has been held up as our national pastime: the single greatest expression of America’s values and ideals. Combining a comprehensive history of the game with broader analyses of America’s historical and cultural developments, National Pastime encapsulates the values that have allowed it to endure: hope, tradition, escape, revolution. While nostalgia, scandal, malaise and triumph are contained within the study of any American historical moment, we see in this book that the tensions and developments within the game of baseball afford the best window into a deeper understanding of America’s past, its purpose, and its principles.

Baseball and Rhetorics of Purity

Baseball and Rhetorics of Purity PDF Author: Michael L. Butterworth
Publisher: University of Alabama Press
ISBN: 0817317104
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
Butterworth argues that baseball cannot be viewed as an innocent diversion or escape and that by promoting myths of citizenship and purity, post-9/11 discourse concerning baseball ironically threatens the health of the democratic system. Instead, he highlights how the game on the field reflects a more complex and diverse worldview, and he makes a plea for the game's recovery, both as a national pastime and as a site for celebrating the best of who we are and who we can be. --Book Jacket.

Bid Whist

Bid Whist PDF Author: Herman Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781410718723
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 108

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Book Description
One of the joys of being a baseball fan is the uncovering of some of the bizarre and unusual happenings that occur each year in the game of baseball. This book explores those instances where a major league player, famous or obscure, does something never before done, and to this day has not been duplicated. Whether it be heroic, record-shattering or embarrassing it has found its way into the annals of baseball history and is brought out in this book.

The Presidents and the Pastime

The Presidents and the Pastime PDF Author: Curt Smith
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 1496207394
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 472

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Book Description
The Presidents and the Pastime draws on Curt Smith's extensive background as a former White House presidential speechwriter to chronicle the historic relationship between baseball, the "most American" sport, and the U.S. presidency. Smith, who USA TODAY calls "America's voice of authority on baseball broadcasting," starts before America's birth, when would‑be presidents played baseball antecedents. He charts how baseball cemented its reputation as America's pastime in the nineteenth century, such presidents as Lincoln and Johnson playing town ball or giving employees time off to watch. Smith tracks every U.S. president from Theodore Roosevelt to Donald Trump, each chapter filled with anecdotes: Wilson buoyed by baseball after suffering disability; a heroic FDR saving baseball in World War II; Carter, taught the game by his mother, Lillian; Reagan, airing baseball on radio that he never saw--by "re-creation." George H. W. Bush, for whom Smith wrote, explains, "Baseball has everything." Smith, having interviewed a majority of presidents since Richard Nixon, shares personal stories on each. Throughout, The Presidents and the Pastime provides a riveting narrative of how America's leaders have treated baseball. From Taft as the first president to throw the "first pitch" on Opening Day in 1910 to Obama's "Go Sox!" scrawled in the guest register at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014, our presidents have deemed it the quintessentially American sport, enriching both their office and the nation.

Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter

Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter PDF Author: Theodore Roosevelt
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Hunting
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description


You Gotta Have Heart

You Gotta Have Heart PDF Author: Frederic J. Frommer
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
ISBN: 1589798449
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
“First in War, First in Peace . . . and Last in the American League.” Expressions such as this characterized the legend and lore of baseball in the nation's capital, from the pioneering Washington Nationals of 1859 to the Washington Senators, whose ignominious departure in 1971 left Washingtonians bereft of the national pastime for thirty-three years. This reflective book gives the complete history of the game in the D.C. area, including the 1924 World Series championship team and the Homestead Grays, the perennial Negro League pennant winners from the late 1930s to the mid-1940s who consistently outplayed the Senators. New chapters describe the present-day Nationals, who, in 2012, won the National League East led by the arms of Gio Gonzalez and Stephen Strasburg and the bats of Ryan Zimmerman, Adam LaRoche and rookie Bryce Harper. The book is filled with the voices of current and former players, along with presidents, senators, and political commentators who call the team their own.