National Game

John Rossi offers not only an expert overview of baseball over the past 175 years; he shows how the game has reflected and contributed to changes in American society over time. The National Game chronicles baseball's popular successes and financial failures; its interleague wars and continuing struggles between owners and players; and its accommodations to radio and television-without neglecting the colorful players and managers who have won the hearts of fans. "A succinct, knowledgeable synopsis. . . recommended."-Jonathan Yardley, Washington Post.

Part 1 Preface vii
Part 2 Origins of the Game 3
Part 3 Baseball as Big Business, 1876-1891 25
Part 4 Coming of Age, 1891-1908 51
Part 5 The Wars of Baseball, 1909-1918 75
Part 6 Golden Age, 1919-1931 97
Part 7 Baseball in Depression and War, 1931-1945 121
Part 8 No Golden Age: Baseball, 1946-1960 147
Part 9 Coming Apart, 1961-1977 169
Part 10 Best of Times, Worst of Times, 1978-1994 191
Part 11 The Future of the National Game 211
Part 12 Notes 219
Part 13 A Note on Sources 227
Part 14 Index 236