In this third edition of his lively history of America's game—widely recognized as the best of its kind—Benjamin G. Rader expands his scope to include commentary on Major League Baseball through the 2006 season: record crowds and record income, construction of new ballparks, a change in the strike zone, a surge in recruiting Japanese players, and an emerging cadre of explosive long-ball hitters.| Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Fraternity and Its Game 2. A Commercial Spectacle 3. The First Professional Teams 4. The First Professional Leagues 5. The Players' Revolt 6. The Great Baseball War 7. Baseball's Coming of Age 8. The Big Fix 9. The Age of Ruth 10. An Age of Dynasties 11. Baseball's Great Experiment 12. The Last Days of the Old Game 13. Baseball in Trouble 14. The Empowerment of the Players 15. The Demise of Dynasties 16. The Resurgence of America's Game 17. It Was the Best of Times, It Was the Worst of Times Bibliographical Essay Index Illustrations follow page 000 |

"A grand slam. . . . An entertaining, insightful history of the national pastime set within the context of major issues in American society. . . . By far the finest one-volume history of America's game ever written." —Larry R. Gerlach, author of The Men in Blue: Conversations with Umpires
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Benjamin G. Rader is James L. Sellers Professor of History at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the author of American Sports: From the Age of Folk Games to the Age of Televised Sports.