Baseball's first inning : a history of the national pastime through the Civil War / William J. Ryczek
- Author:
- Ryczek, William J., 1953-
- Published:
- Jefferson, North Carolina ; London : McFarland & Company, inc., Publishers, [2009]
- Copyright Date:
- ©2009
- Physical Description:
- viii, 261 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm
- Contents:
- No rounders! -- If not Doubleday, what about Cartwright? If not Cartwright, what about Adams? or Wheaton? -- What about rounders? What about old cat? -- The jolly old Knickerbockers, 1845-1856 -- The base ball club -- The transition years, 1857-1859 -- Mad dogs and Englishmen : other antebellum sports -- Why not cricket? -- The southern front : sporting life in antebellum New Orleans -- Baseball in Philadelphia -- The Massachusetts game -- Year of the Excelsiors, 1860 -- Abner Doubleday invents the Civil War, 1861 -- The sporting and not so sporting press -- The manly fly game vs. the boyish bound rule and the fair pitch vs. the jerk -- The Eckfords take the championship, 1862-1863 -- The evils of championship play, 1864 -- The road to professionalism.
- Summary:
- "Describes evolution of baseball. The New York clubs are a primary focus as examples of how the sport became more sophisticated and popular. The author compares theories about many of baseball's "inventors," exploring the fascinating stories. The impact of the Civil War on the sport and baseball's unsteady path to becoming America's national game is analyzed"--Provided by publisher.
- Subject(s):
- Genre(s):
- ISBN:
- 9780786441945 (softcover ; alk. paper)
0786441941 (softcover ; alk. paper) - Collection:
- Ronald A. Smith Sports History Book Collection.
- Bibliography Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 253-255) and index.
- Source of Acquisition:
- Rare Books copy: Gift of Jaime Schultz.
View MARC record | catkey: 28892455