Reading's Big League Exhibition Games

Reading's Big League Exhibition Games
Author: Brian C. Engelhardt
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 128
Release: 2015
Genre: History
ISBN: 1467133809

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While Reading may be known today for the Fightin' Phils, it has also been the site of 72 games played by 17 major-league franchises and barnstorming teams since 1874. Among the teams that have played in these exhibition games are the Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals, along with appearances by baseball greats Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mike Schmidt, Ernie Banks, and Rogers Hornsby. Reading fans have looked on as both the 1906 Phillies and A's tried to catch a bunny on the field mid-game, cheered for Christy Mathewson's shutouts, sang "Happy Birthday" to Pete Rose, and watched "Shoeless" Joe Jackson hit a home run.

Baseball Barnstorming and Exhibition Games, 1901-1962

Baseball Barnstorming and Exhibition Games, 1901-1962
Author: Thomas Barthel
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2007-04-04
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0786428112

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Until 1947, professional ball players were paid only from opening day to season's end. Even during the season, a lot of their expenses came out of their own pockets. Even the best-paid players had trouble making ends meet. One answer to their money woes was barnstorming--tours out of season. Cities lacking their own major league teams were happy to host big-league players for such events, as well as for special exhibition games whose proceeds sometimes went to local charities. Here is a history of barnstorming and exhibition games from 1901 (when both of the two current major leagues began operating) through 1962 (when a team led by Willie Mays was unsuccessful in its attempt at a tour, signaling an end to true barnstorming). Decade by decade, it covers the teams, the games, and the players for a detailed look at how barnstorming and exhibition brought big-league baseball to the backyard ballparks of America.

Highlights in the History of Reading, Pennsylvania

Highlights in the History of Reading, Pennsylvania
Author: Charles J. Adams III, Editor
Publisher: Masthof Press & Bookstore
Total Pages: 224
Release:
Genre: History
ISBN: 1601268238

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This book is a collection of stories from the researchers and writers of the Berks History Center's quarterly journal, The Historical Review of Berks County. It is not a "history book" in the classical definition, more so a collection of informative and entertaining feature stories. You will discover the backstories of familiar city landmarks and be introduced to fascinating men and women who have left their marks on the social, sporting, industrial, entertainment, and cultural elements of life in the city of Reading. (224pp. illus. Masthof Press, 2022.)

Stadium Games

Stadium Games
Author: Jay Weiner
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 550
Release: 2000
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780816634347

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"Stadium Games begins with the events leading to the arrival of the Twins and Vikings to the state in 1961 and traces subsequent controversies about professional sports in the region up to the present. Weiner discusses the factors that make Minnesota the poster child for the nation's stadium debates - the recent departure of the North Stars hockey team, the near departure of the Timberwolves, the strong opposition of taxpayers, and the apparent greed of team owners. Stadium Games reveals the behind-the-scenes deals and inside scoop on what went wrong in the recent unsuccessful campaign for a new ballpark, divulging how public relations experts failed and how government leaders conspired to fake out Minnesota's citizens."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

For the Win

For the Win
Author: Jaime Winters
Publisher: Baseball Source
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9780778714774

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Every year since 1903, teams in Major League Baseball have battled for the chance to play in the final games of the World Series. This exciting book explores historic moments in World Series games, the famous stadiums where fans have cheered on their favorite players, and the top teams who have hoisted the Commissioner's Trophy.

Home Game

Home Game
Author: Bret Boone
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2016-05-10
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1101904917

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From the first third-generation player in Major League history, a sometimes moving, always candid inside look at his family’s seventy years in baseball A five-foot-ten fireball questioned by scouts because of his small stature, supposed lack of power, and cocky attitude, Bret Boone didn’t care about family legacy as he fought his way to the Major Leagues in 1992; he wanted to make his own way. He did just that, building a career that featured three All-Star appearances, four Gold Gloves, a bout with alcohol­ism, and the mixed blessing of being traded three times. But now that he’s coaching minor leaguers half his age—and his fifteen-year-old son has the potential to be the first fourth-generation Major Leaguer—Bret has a new perspective on his remarkable family, with its ten All-Star appearances, 634 home runs, 3,139 RBIs, and countless kitchen-table debates about the game’s great­est players. For the first time, he’s ready to share his adventures as part of the sport’s First Family. Infused with Bret’s candor and deep love of the game, Home Game traces baseball’s evolution—on the field and behind the scenes—from his grandfa­ther Ray’s era in the 1950s to his father Bob’s in the ’70s and ’80s to the one he shared with his brother Aaron in the ’90s and 2000s—sometimes called the PED era—when players made millions, dined on lobster in the clubhouse, and, in some cases, indulged in performance-enhancing drugs. Along the way, his book also touches on Boone family lore, from Ray playing with his hero Ted Williams and Bob winning a World Series with the 1980 Phillies to Bret’s flop in a nationally televised home-run derby and Aaron’s historic home run in the 2003 playoffs. Blending nostalgia, close analysis of the game, insight into baseball’s un­written codes, and controversial thoughts on its future as a sport and a busi­ness, Bret Boone offers a one-of-a-kind look at the national pastime—from the colorful, quotable scion of a family whose business is baseball.

Last Time Out

Last Time Out
Author: John Nogowski
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 329
Release: 2022-07-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1493068474

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Most sports fans know that Ted Williams ended his major league career with style, swatting a home run in his final at bat. But what about Babe Ruth? Ty Cobb? Joe DiMaggio? Willie Mays? How did some of baseball's greatest players bow out of The Game? Last Time Out answers that question as it examines how the greatest players in baseball history left the game they once ruled. The stories of these men and how they finished their careers, never collected anywhere before now, show another side of the men whose achievements on the field made them legends. After hours and hours of research, through biographies, microfilm, magazines, and memories, award-winning sportswriter John Nogowski culled the stories of the final games of 25 of The Game's greatest athletes-Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, Jackie Robinson, Dizzy Dean, Satchel Paige, Carlton Fisk, Bob Feller, Joe Morgan, and Carl Yastrzemski are among those featured. This impressive work recounts the circumstances surrounding these final games and puts you in a box seat to witness and sense the moment as these glorious careers ceased, most often with little fanfare. Whether it be Shoeless Joe Jackson, Lou Gehrig, Pete Rose, or Cal Ripken, Jr., Last Time Out beautifully captures in words and photographs the essence of these players' last time in uniform and celebrates the magic of the game these famed players mastered and loved.

A Kid's Look at Big League Baseball

A Kid's Look at Big League Baseball
Author: Leslie Roberts
Publisher: Dorrance Publishing
Total Pages: 52
Release: 2023-04-10
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN:

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About the Book This book walks readers through the experience of going to a major league ball game, describing what the reader will see, hear, and smell, as well as a kid-friendly description of the action on the field. This is coupled with photographs of major league stadiums with an interesting fact about that stadium and an outline map of the U.S. with an arrow pointing to its location. This book aims to show kids- and remind their parents- what fun a trip to the ballpark can be! About the Author When Leslie Roberts was very young, she remembers walking home from school and finding her mother watching the Brooklyn Dodgers play in the World Series. She became a lifelong fan of all levels of baseball. Her three sons and their wives organized her 50th wedding anniversary celebration at a Triple-A baseball game--and she threw out the first pitch! Roberts spent over 30 years as a teacher and a principal and still volunteers regularly as a reading tutor in two local schools.

Bigger Than the Game

Bigger Than the Game
Author: Dirk Hayhurst
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2014
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0806534877

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"The best writer in a baseball uniform." --Tyler Kepner, The New York Times After nearly a decade in the minors, Dirk Hayhurst defied the odds to climb onto the pitcher's mound for the Toronto Blue Jays. Newly married, with a big league paycheck and a brand new house, Hayhurst was ready for a great season in the Bigs. Then fate delivered a crushing hit. Hayhurst blew out his pitching shoulder in an insane off-season workout program. After surgery, rehab, and more rehab, his major-league dreams seemed more distant than ever. From there things got worse, weirder, and funnier. In a crazy world of injured athletes, autograph-seeking nuns, angry wrestlers, and trainers with a taste for torture, Hayhurst learned lessons about the game--and himself--that were not in any rulebook. Honest, soul'searching, insightful, hilarious, and moving, Dirk Hayhurst's latest memoir is an indisputable baseball classic. Praise for The Bullpen Gospels and Out of My League "Dirk Hayhurst writes about baseball in a unique way. Observant, insightful, human, and hilarious." --Bob Costas "A fun read. . .This book shows why baseball is so often used as a metaphor for life." --Keith Olbermann "Entertaining and engaging. . .reminiscent of Jim Bouton's Ball Four." --Booklist "A rare gem of a baseball book." --Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated "A humorous, candid, and insightful memoir of Hayhurst's rookie season in the majors. . .Grade: Home Run." --Cleveland Plain Dealer

Frank "Home Run" Baker

Frank
Author: Barry Sparks
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2005-10-31
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 0786423811

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In the decades before baseball fans became enamored of sluggers like Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx, very few players were identified with the long ball. Instead, the game was dominated by men like Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner, players who sprayed the ball around the park, stole bases and mastered the hit and run. In fact, only one player entered the baseball mythology for his slugging: Frank "Home Run" Baker. Born in Trappe, Maryland, in 1886, Baker earned his moniker by hitting two game-changing homers in the 1911 World Series. That was the also the first year he led the American League in home runs, with the grand total of 11. Altogether, he led for four consecutive years (1911-1914), though he never hit more than 12 dingers in a single season. Playing third base for the Philadelphia Athletics and the New York Yankees, Baker led the way for the more Ruthian totals to come in the Roaring '20s. His is the story of a young player who at the height of his career risked throwing it all away in a contract dispute with the legendary Connie Mack. It is the story of the deadball era and the transition to the game we know today.