Ballparks: A Panoramic History

Here's another outstanding book that's part of my growing library of baseball literature. Anything and everything you wanted to know about today's current parks, with the exception of the new Yankee Stadium, Busch Stadium, Citizens Bank Park, PETCO Park, Citi Field, Nationals Park, Target Field and Marlins Park (anything 2004 and younger). I love the panoramic shots that are in this book. I would probably take some out and frame if it didn't destroy the book itself. One of the greatest things Ballparks has going for it is the fact that it doesn't gloss over some of the well known ballparks that are long gone. Ebbets Field, Shibe, Crosley...they're all found in here. I also appreciate the fact that each team is broken down by division as compared to alphabetical. There's a ton of information in this book and it's definitely not something that can be read in a day. But I will say that I've read through this book more than once and I have learned something new each time I've flipped through it's pages. It also makes me appreciate the stadiums of today and yesterday a little bit more if not for their quirky designs, then for the history that took place on those hallowed grounds from summers long ago.

Rain Delays

During the fall of last year my wife picked up a few baseball books for me while she hit the local Goodwill and Volunteers of America stores. While a few were hit and miss (such as Mickey Mantle's Quality of Courage) I did enjoy reading Rain Delays by Burt Sugar. Sugar does a decent job immersing readers in stories from summer days of long ago. While not one story stands out more than another, each was a unique trip back to when the national pastime WAS the national pastime. You won't find stories in here from the past decade, but you will find a treasure trove of tidbits that range from prior to the golden era of baseball to the psychedelic 70s. Definitely a good read if you're a fan of the game.

A Must Read...Even if You're NOT a Tribe Fan

It's no secret that I'm a Reds fan. Born and raised in Cincinnati, I've spent more than ten years here in the Cleveland area when I transferred here due to a job offer when I graduated college. Over the years I have grown to love Cleveland. It's a city that still has a grittiness that's reminiscent of it's industrial heyday. The city has been clawing it's way out into a post industrial world slowly, but with much success. It's been great to watch the revitalization of downtown Cleveland... my adopted hometown.  One thing that has stood out to me since coming to Cleveland is the city's passion for it's sports teams. It doesn't matter where I'm at, there's always someone talking about the Indians, Browns, or Cavaliers. It's something I didn't witness much while I lived in Cincinnati where conversations involving the Reds or the Bengals were few and far between. Recently, I decided to make it a point to familiarize myself with as the history of the different franchises that comprise Cleveland sports.

A few weeks ago I began reading Our Tribe by Terry Pluto, a local Cleveland sportswriter who works for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. I wasn't expecting much when I began this book, just an intro into the follies that have haunted the Cleveland Indians since the 1950s. What I discovered, however, was a book that reaffirmed that baseball is not just a sport but an experience that's shared by generations, passed from father to son. As we grow up and grow apart from our Dad, when it seems as though we have nothing left in common, we can still talk about baseball. Pluto does an amazing job sharing the journey he had with his father growing up with Cleveland baseball. He takes the reader along as he details the joys and sufferings this town has witnessed with their ball club. But most importantly, Pluto allows us to see the final years he and his Dad share together in the mid 1990s as the Indians once again become a post season contender.