Baseball's Archives, 1845-1959

Today, major-league baseball is more science than art. That is to say, hitting, base stealing, pitching, catching, and fielding are executed with a precision that's been calculated down to the minutest detail.

But what was the game like in the beginning, and how did it evolve?

A good way to see the remarkable evolution of the sport is to study the record books and read the eye-witness accounts. Doing that, as you might guess, is a lot of work. But, out of love, I guess, I have taken that journey—immersing myself in endless memorabilia, considering the astonishing firsts, facts, and feats that somehow caught the hearts of Americans.

You'll read about some of the greatest performers ever to play the game; how it evolved from small ball strategies to power hitting and swinging for the fences. You'll see how critical rule changes allowed the evolution of the game, and how a few individuals had the vision and passion to grow the game, actually right along with the country, thus assuring that it would remain the national pastime.

You'll learn how, in the 1800s, Alexander J. Cartwright, Jr., took the first steps in introducing organized baseball; how early immortals such Ty Cobb dazzled the crowds in the dead-ball era; how the redoubtable Babe Ruth, roaring through the '20s, saved the game after the horrific “black sox” scandal. You'll get facts about Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Ted Williams, and Joe DiMaggio, all of whom brought moments of joy to fans struggling through the Great Depression; about the strange baseball played without the stars who went to World War II.

You'll read about baseball's Golden Age in the '50s: Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson. And of course, in their time, the remarkable expansion of the game.

As we know, Major League Baseball had a hand in addressing racial issues in America. You'll read about that. And of course you'll read about women in the game in World War II. There was a bit of lightness and emancipation in that, too. Yes, there's something truly magical about baseball. Jack believes most Americans feel it. Reading this book, you'll recall the journey we've been on together—Americans and baseball—through the years.