Analytics, technology, and the most ambitious rewrite of the rulebook in fifty years have reshaped baseball. Benjamin G. Raders account of the American pastime moves from diamonds scratched out of commons and corn fields to the multimedia theme parks doubling as todays baseball stadiums. The fifth edition follows the long arc of the games history into the third decade of the twenty-first century, an era rich in innovation but even richer from revenue streams undreamt-of by the plutocrats of old. Rader brings readers up to date with looks at the Astros cheating scandal, on-the-field changes from power pitchers to ghost runners, data-driven player development and career rebirth, and the one-of-a-kind Shohei Ohtani.
Engrossing and complete, Baseball, Fifth Edition, offers a comprehensive tour of the game and its place within American society and culture.
Recenzijas
The best single-volume history of the sport. Tackles the business and organizational evolution of the professional game, while not losing sight of how it was played on the field.--Washington Post Book World Baseball reflects Rader's firm grasp of the best and latest scholarship and his insightful understanding of American sport history.--Sporting News
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
The Fraternity and Its Game 5
A Commercial Spectacle 19
The First Professional Teams 30
The First Professional Leagues 42
The Players Revolt 60
The Great Baseball War 78
Baseballs Coming of Age 91
The Big Fix 109
The Age of Ruth 123
The Age of Dynasties 136
Baseballs Great Experiment 155
The Last Days of the Old Game 171
Baseball in Trouble 188
The Empowerment of the Players 204
The Demise of Dynasties 221
The Steroid Era 238
Baseballs New Order 261
Baseball by the Numbers 277
Bibliographical Essay 295
Index 305
Benjamin G. Rader is the James L. Sellers Professor Emeritus of History at the University of NebraskaLincoln, and the coauthor of American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports, Seventh Edition.
