Product Description

Take a picture-packed look at what makes Major League ballparks so special. This beautiful book details every Major League team’s home turf—both the National and American League ballparks are covered. You’ll discover: - The address - The capacity - Opening day statistics - Dimensions - Defining features - The venue’s most memorable moments - And more! With engaging, informative text, and breathtaking photographs including aerial views and historical snapshots to capture the ever-changing cityscapes and the sport itself, this remarkable compendium paints a fascinating portrait of the evolution of American baseball. An essential for every baseball fan!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #571857 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From the Publisher
The historian Jacques Barzun famously wrote: "Whoever wants to know the heart and mind of America, had better learn baseball." In a similar vein, whoever wants to know baseball had better learn ballparks. this book is an excellent start.

From the Inside Flap
The Green Monster in Boston, the ivy in Chicago, the center field hill in Houston, the Bermuda Triangle in Miami, the convertible roof in Seattle, the baggy in Minneapolis, and the cove in San Fransisco: baseball is unique among American sports. Football, basketball, and hockey are played on identical fields, courts, and rinks. Only in baseball does the park define the game.

This massive book tries to highlight those differences. It is a picture-packed look at what makes the current Major League parks, and some of the famous old ones, so special. It highlights what it is like to sit in the stands, stretch in the seventh inning, and watch the sun go down over a cityscape.

Some qualities seem certain to endure. The perfect diamond, the lush turf, the intimacy between the players and the fans, the geographic landmarks that let you know exactly where the game is being played. For 30 major league cities, there are few structures that better tell their story than their ballpark.

About the Author
Jim Sutton is a publishing and marketing consultant with an international client list. His affection for the game began at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, New York where, on very special days, his father would take him to cheer for the Dodgers. Jim now roots for the Baltimore Orioles from his home near Frederick, Maryland.

Marc Sandalow is the San Francisco Chronicle's Washington Bureau Chief, and a lifelong Minnesota Twins fan. Though newspaper duties typically confine him to politics and policy, he was on assignment at Candlestick Park during Game Three of the 1989 World Series when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. Sandalow lives with his wife and two boys in Bethesda, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Great Color Pictures Of Current Ballparks, BUT...
...there aren't as many of the old, non-existant parks as one might be led to believe! There are a "few" here and there of the Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field, Tiger Stadium, (original) Yankee Stadium, Shibe Park, Forbes Field and Comiskey Park. But the people involved in putting this volume together missed out on several of the others such as Sportsman's Park, Crosley Field, Braves Field, etc. that are such a big part of baseball's heritage! Also, the copyright year(2004) must have been the early part of the year. Why? Simply with the mere mention of the two parks that opened this past season.....Petco Park(San Diego) and the new Philadelphia park but no pictures AT ALL!! I guess I'll have to be more careful in selecting "books" over the internet in the future....unless I've already had the opportunity to examine them ahead of time(locally) or received a good recommendation from a reputed individual whom I am familiar with beforehand as well!!!

Low quality editing
While the size of the photos is a treat, this book offers little else. Most every photo can be seen in other books, and the editing is just horrible. There are many captions that are clearly in error, for example, calling a US Cellular game between Chi and Clv the all-star game, and labeling a Dodger Stadium pic as being from 1983 when it is clearly within the last 4 years. Who dunnit????

So nice to see a book like this
This is such a wonderful book. The photos, the colors, it took me back to my childhood. While it was given to me as a gift, I should have bought it before. If you are looking for a gift for that baseball nut you have in your family, get them this book. You will not go wrong and they will love you for it.