| | |  | How-To/Reference | Home » » Ballparks, Yesterday & Today | | | | | | | Description: | | Baseball used to be played in cozy, intimate neighborhood ballparks whose dimensions reflected the quirks of their neighborhoods. Then baseball stadiums became soulless but practical concrete behemoths. Today, they are a fascinating combination of the two: big but quirky, high-tech but homey. Readers can trace this fascinating history through the lavishly illustrated, deeply detailed pages of Ballparks, Yesterday & Today.
Five extensive chapters take readers from the earliest makeshift ballfields o the corporate-sponsored architectural marvels of today, like Target Field in Minneapolis, the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and Citi Field in Queens, New York. Multiple photos, illustrations, and all manner of memorabilia festoon nearly every one of the book's 160 pages. Here is a brief look at each of the chapters: - Early Ballparks 1870-1900. Includes photos of the original Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, Boston's South End Grounds, and Union Park in Baltimore.
- The Golden Age 1901-1932. The Polo Grounds, Tiger Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and dozens more, all fully detailed.
- Early Expansion 1933-1966. Candlestick Park, Dodger Stadium, the Houston Astrodome (dubbed "The Eighth Wonder of the World"), and many more.
- The Modern Age 1966-1988. The era of cookie-cutter stadiums and their final manifestations, like the Kingdome and the Metrodome.
- The Second Golden Age 1989-Today. Jacobs Field, Great American Ballpark, the new Busch Stadium, Petco Park, Citi Field, Target Field, Comerica Park, and more.
Read Ballparks, Yesterday & Today and realize that our experience of the great American pastime is deeply influenced by the ballparks we have watched it in. | | | Features: | |
• Profiles 70 of America's famous ballparks
• Filled with historic photographs and evocative memorabilia
• Large hardcover format stands up over time
| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Phil Trexler | | Hardcover:
| 160 pages | | Publisher:
| Publications International | | Publication Date:
| January 15, 2011 | | ISBN:
| 145081087X | | Package Length:
| 11.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 9.6 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.95 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 2 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Must Have!!Mar 20, 2011
By Bags
This is the quintessential book on Ballparks! Its a must have if your a lover of baseball, especially of yesteryear. It is athoritative, informative, and quite simply put, entertaining. Lots of Pictures, facts and information that your average sports fan wouldn't know. Its a book you can sit down with your father and remember the old times at a particular park, or sit down with your young son and show him the way things used to be. Its also a good way to get a glimpse at a park that you might be visiting in the near future. Its Just a great book for La Familia!!! And I'll be passing it around. Phil Knocks this one out of the park!!! (sorry couldn't help myself)
Author slugs an inside-the-park homerDec 09, 2011
By Barry Sparks
"freelance writer"
Author Phil Trexler profiles more than 65 baseball stadiums and ballparks over the past 100-plus years. The book is graphically appealing with loads of photographs. Trexler devotes about two pages to most ballparks, some, however, are limited to one page. A few ballparks such as Tiger Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium and Camden Yards receive four-page treatments.
Trexler divides the ballparks into five eras: Early Ballparks, 1870-1900; The Golden Age, 1901-1932; Early Expansion 1933-1966; The Modern Age, 1966-1988; and The Second Golden Age, 1989 to today.
While Trexler doesn't provide a lot of depth for most of the ballparks, he does try to address their appealing characteristics, their quirks, criticisms that have been levied and influences of other stadium designs. He also includes interesting facts and statistics about the ballparks.
Here are some interesting ballpark tidbits:
Braves Field--Took 10 years before a player (Frank Snyder) hit a home run over the fence. Outfield dimensions were 402 feet in left field and right field and 550 feet in centerfield. There were 200 inside-the-park home runs hit there during that period.
Griffith Stadium--No Washington Senator hit a home run over the fence during the 1945 season.
Cleveland's Municipal Stadium--First publically funded ballpark in the late 1920s. Babe Ruth also said, "You have to have a horse to play the outfield here."
Astrodome: Owner Roy Hofheinz's suite included a barbershop and a bowling alley.
Arlington Stadium: Nachos made their major league debut here.
Tropicana Field: Houses Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame.
Wrigley Field: Babe Ruth said, "I would play for half my salary if I could play in this dump all the time."
Coors Field: Installed the first humidor. The climate-controlled shed can hold 576 baseballs.
Baseball fans of all ages should enjoy this book.
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