Just finished thumbing through A History of Baseball in 100 Objects
The objects included herein represent the game since before its “formal” recognized inception in the mid 1800s (and please don’t write about the exact DOB of the game). But the narrative is not just about that particular item, some of which are more ethereal than physical; it goes into the deeper meaning of what those pieces represent. Examples include “Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 1992” (#84) as the prototype for the new wave of ballparks with “personality”; and “The Baseball Postseason, 1994” (#75), on account of that season’s strike; and “Syringe, late 1990s” (#92) because, duh.
There are lots of items in the way of things that fit on a bookshelf, including trophies, scorecards, equipment, jewelry, etc., but of particular interest for readers of this blog:
- Object #55: Meet Your Braves Magazine, 1953
- Object #89: Program from the First Interleague Game, 1997
- Object #95: Moneyball, 2003 (Interesting that Ball Four didn’t make the cut)
is available on Amazon.com,
{ 1 comment }
Ron, thanks so much for the nice write-up! "Ball Four" was definitely on the shortlist of items to consider, as that book was influential in changing how fans and, ultimately, journalists thought about pro athletes. Perhaps one for the next 100 objects….
I'd also alert your readers to Object #10, "Beadle's Dime Base-Ball Player" of 1860, the first annual baseball guide, written by Henry Chadwick.
Thanks, too, for the great conversation on your podcast!
Comments on this entry are closed.