Dating back to 1869 as an organized professional sport, the game of
baseball is not only the oldest professional sport in North America, but
also symbolizes much more. Walt Whitman described it as "our game, the
American game," and George Will compared calling baseball "just a game"
to the Grand Canyon being "just a hole." Countless others have called
baseball "the most elegant game," and to those who have played it, it's
life. The Historical Dictionary of Baseball is primarily devoted to the
major leagues it also includes entries on the minor leagues, the Negro
Leagues, women's baseball, baseball in various other countries, and
other non-major league related topics. It traces baseball, in general,
and these topics individually, from their beginnings up to the present.
This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes,
and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 900
cross-referenced entries on the roles of the players on the
field-batters, pitchers, fielders-as well as non-playing
personnel-general managers, managers, coaches, and umpires. There are
also entries for individual teams and leagues, stadiums and ballparks,
the role of the draft and reserve clause, and baseball's rules, and
statistical categories. This book is an excellent access point for
students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the sport
of baseball.
