Category Archives: baseball

Ball Games To Get In To When You’re Not A Fan Of Football

When you have an interest in sports, you may be interested in absolutely everything. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, you just can’t get into a particular sport no matter how hard you try. And when it’s one of the country’s leading spots, as well as one that all of your friends and family get behind, you can often feel like you have to force yourself to like it. But that’s not necessarily your only option. In fact, instead of pushing yourself towards enjoying something that you really don’t like, you need to find an alternative. And when the sport above is football, there are plenty other ball-based sports to explore.

Baseball

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The 5 Most Influential Sports Stars of All Time

Sports are more than just great entertainment. Through sports exceptional individuals have not only excelled in their chosen fields, not only pushing the boundaries of achievement but influencing generations. History is rich with figures whose legacy goes beyond their sporting achievements and leaked into the broader popular culture, causing their names to become synonymous with greatness in the field and beyond.

But how have these sporting greats transcended their roots and become pop culture icons? What is it that makes their influence extend to the point that their jerseys become cherished commodities on Hollywood Collectibles? Let’s have a look through some of the most influential sports stars of all time and see how each, in their own way, has helped to change the world.

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Baseball America’s 2015 Top 100 Prospects

Baseball America just released their yearly list of Major League Baseball’s top 100 prospects.

I’m a huge baseball fan and I love reading about prospects. I look forward to Baseball America’s list. I always buy Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook as well as the annual book by Baseball Prospectus.

If you play fantasy baseball, reading about baseball’s next generation is essential in both yearly draft leagues and keeper leagues.

Many of the top prospects will see time in the Majors at some point this season. General managers have fallen in love with draft picks since they implemented a luxury tax and revenue sharing.

He is Baseball America’s 2015 list of Top 100 Prospects.

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Review: “Wrigley Field: An Oral And Narrative History Of The Home Of The Chicago Cubs” by Ira Berkow

Spring Training is fast approaching and so is the season when great baseball books are released. “Wrigley Field: An Oral And Narrative History Of The Chicago Cubs” could be the gem of the year.

Ira Berkow went all out and made the most all-encompassing book about Wrigley Field ever printed. Not only are there interesting stories, but the photos in this book are amazing. Panoramic shots from various seats in the bleachers and rooftop seats to intimate portraits of early Cubs players.

This isn’t a small book. It’s a ‘coffee table’ book in size, but with enough written content to read and not just flip through.

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Review: “The Summer of Beer and Whiskey” by Edward Achorn

If you enjoy reading about baseball history, you often know all the names and stories of past baseball greats. Even if an author claims to have a new story of an early team, the book is often filled with commonly-known players who have been written about numerous times.

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey claims to be a new story and author Edward Achorn follows it up with a fresh, interesting story about St. Louis baseball in the 1880s.

Do you ever wonder why drinking beer is such an entrenched part of watching a baseball game? If beer didn’t exist, life would be boring, and the game of baseball may not have caught on.

If you’re a baseball fan, even if you don’t usually read books about pre-Babe Ruth baseball, you’ll find this story interesting. Continue reading →

Review – "Baseball Fantography" by Andy Strasberg

Are you tired of baseball books with the same boring stock photos? You will not get that with Baseball Fantography by Andy Strasberg. This is a collection of photographs from fans that capture the intimate and personal lives of your favorite baseball players from the past and present. Strasberg began this project when he found an old picture of him with Roger Maris at Yankee Stadium in 1966. He hadn’t seen the photo in decades and a nostalgic feeling came over him. He knew that there were other people who had old baseball photos that would have a similar feeling. This is a timeless record of the fans’ baseball experience…by the fans, for the fans. Continue reading →

Review – "Baseball Americana" by Harry Katz

Harper Collins has published a great coffee table book entitled “Baseball Americana.” It’s by Harry Katz, Frank Ceresi, Phil Michel, Wilson McBee, and Susan Reyburn, it’s a lot of people’s names, but it’s a big book. There are so many great pictures and information in this book from the Library of Congress. There’s even a panoramic picture of the first Black World Series in 1924. Here is my review of “Baseball Americana”…

I’m a huge baseball fan and when I can read a book about the historical past of baseball, I jump at the opportunity. Some of the things in “Baseball Americana” are things that aren’t shown in any other book. Some of the material that this books includes are a picture baseball being played in 1787, the first ever baseball card, a rare color photograph of Satchel Paige, and even a lithograph of the first ever professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869. Continue reading →