Baseball remains one of the most popular sports in the United States, with millions of fans attending Major League games each season and countless more following along on TV and online. From packed stadiums on summer evenings to neighborhood Little League games, the sport holds a special place in American life.
Join us for the program, “Selling Baseball: A Book Talk with Author Jeffrey Orens,” on July 7 at 7pm.
The nineteenth century was a time of rapid growth and development for the game of “base ball,” and players George Wright and Albert Spalding were right in the thick of it. These two young men, the first superstars of the professional game, won the hearts of a country in search of a unifying spirit after a devastating civil war. Their rise as players and businessmen mirrored the rise of a nation that would lead the world in the coming century.
Through a PowerPoint presentation, as well as excerpts from his book, “Selling Baseball: How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America”, author Jeffrey Orens will discuss the birth and maturation of baseball in the mid- to late-1800s as seen through their careers.
Both men were stars on the field, then each retired and entered the sports equipment business and became hugely successful, in the process popularizing other sports such as tennis, golf, and hockey. They were friendly rivals for over forty years, both inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for their accomplishments. While they came from starkly different backgrounds—Albert was a young, gangly pitcher from the country’s rural heartland and George the consummate athlete from the New York City area—their captivating performances on the field, along with their promotion of the game and of sports equipment, fed the public’s insatiable appetite for leisure-time pursuits and helped grow professional baseball to unprecedented heights.
George Wright and Albert Spalding’s stories are masterfully woven together in Orens’ book to paint a sweeping picture of the early days of professional baseball, the evolution of sports as a business, and the advancement of sports equipment and the sporting goods industry. Booklist has recently given the book a “Starred Review,” terming it “a sneaky good baseball history.”
Jeffrey Orens is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and his work has appeared in History Magazine, True West Magazine, and other historical publications. He is also the author of The Soul of Genius: Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and the Meeting that Changed the Course of Science. Orens resides in New Jersey.
Whether you’re a sports enthusiast, an American history buff, or interested in biographies of people who have impacted American culture, this presentation will be something you won’t want to miss. Copies of the book will be available for purchase.
As America’s beloved pastime, baseball has inspired countless tales both on and off the field, finding a lasting home in literature. From gripping nonfiction accounts to heartwarming fictional stories set on the diamond or involving players, here are some titles available with your Livingston Library card.
The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski
Posnanski tells the story of the sport through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, unfairly forgotten All-Stars, talents of today, and more. He doesn’t rely just on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players’ origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present.
Charlie Hustle : The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O’Brien
A page-turning work of narrative nonfiction chronicling the incredible story of one of America’s most iconic, charismatic, and still polarizing figures, baseball immortal Pete Rose; and an exquisite cultural history of baseball and America in the second half of the twentieth century.
The Dad Coach : How to Lead Kids to Succeed on and off the Baseball Field by Mike Matheny
Long before he became manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Matheny grasped the core values of what really mattered when it came to playing baseball. It wasn’t attention from fans or the trophy at the end of a match that guided his morals, but the hard-won discipline, labor, and humility that he incorporated into every game he played. Here, Matheny puts his philosophy into action and provides a step-by-step template for coaches and parents to develop solid fundamentals and a strong sense of character in their players.
The Fireballer : A Novel by Mark Stevens
A poignant story about hopes, dreams, and how far one man’s talent takes him before he realizes it’s about what you do and how you do it.
Heavy Hitter : A Novel by Katie Cotugno
This is a funny, sizzling, ripped-from-the-headlines romance between an international pop star and a major league baseball player who thought his best days were behind him.
The High School Athlete : Baseball : The Complete Program for Strength and Conditioning for Players and Coaches by Michael Volkmar
This book is the ultimate model of motivation, nutrition , and training for any student playing baseball in high school, as well as any coach aiming to keep their methods fresh.
Homestand Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper
A poignant memoir exploring small town baseball as a lens into what’s right and wrong with modern America—written by an acclaimed journalist and Army Ranger who, after returning from Iraq to a painfully divided country, rediscovered its core values in the bleachers of a minor league ballpark in Batavia, New York.
I Love Baseball : Players, Managers, Sportswriters, and Fans Talk About their Love for the Game by Wayne Stewart
From zany mascots to the most beautiful ballparks ever, and from great traditions to humorous anecdotes from the game, this book explores the many reasons we love baseball. Based on assiduous research and features the author’s exclusive interviews with baseball legends past and present.
In a League of Her Own : A Novel by Kaia Alderson
An ambitious Harlem woman’s husband upends her social climbing when he buys a Negro Leagues baseball team and appoints her as the team’s business manager. Overnight, Effa Manley goes from 125th Street’s civil rights champion to an interloper in the boys’ club that is professional baseball. Navigating her way through gentlemen’s agreement contracts, the very public flirtatious antics of superstar Satchel Paige, and a sports world that would much rather see this woman back in her ‘place’ at home, Effa ultimately whips her team, the Newark Eagles, into the Negro Leagues Champions of 1946.
The Last Folk Hero : The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson by Jeff Pearlman
Drawing on an astonishing 720 original interviews, sportswriter Pearlman captures as never before the elusive truth about Jackson, Auburn University’s transcendent Heisman Trophy winner, superstar of both the NFL and Major League Baseball and ubiquitous “Bo Knows” Nike pitchman.
The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball by John W. Miller
This book uncovers the story of Weaver’s St. Louis childhood with a mobster uncle, his years of minor league heartbreak, and his unlikely road to becoming a big league manager, while tracing the evolution of the game from the old-time baseball of cross-country trains and “desk contracts” to the modern era of free agency, video analysis, and powerful player agents.
Moon Baseball Road Trips : The Complete Guide to all the Ballparks, with Beer, Bites, and Sights Nearby by Timothy Malcolm
Baseball is called America’s pastime for a reason. Experience the best of the MLB cities and stadiums with this guide.
Out of His League by Caroline Richardson
Sometimes you’ve got to leave your heart on the field. Gretchen Harper has always been practical. Dependable, solid, predictable. She’s never taken risks, and she’s especially never bought coffee for gorgeous professional athletes in airports. That is, until she meets her favorite baseball player on the worst day of his career. Being sent to the minor league is just the first of Joshua Malvern’s many worries–he’s got an injury that won’t heal and his entire career and future are on the line. When a beautiful woman offers him coffee, that simple kindness is exactly what he needs to lift him out of his funk.
Selling Baseball : How Superstars George Wright and Albert Spalding Impacted Sports in America by Jeffrey Orens
Orens breathes fresh energy into baseball’s origin story with this captivating tale of two vibrant personalities whose rivalry cum friendship was integral to the rise of the professional game. It’s a fascinating look back on the sport’s humble beginnings and its rapid transformation into the national pastime.
62 Aaron Judge, The New York Yankees, and the Pursuit of Greatness by Bryan Hoch
The definitive story of Yankees slugger Aaron Judge’s incredible, unparalleled run to break Roger Maris’s home run record and the franchise both men called home.
Sons of Baseball : Growing Up with a Major League Dad by Mark Braff
A collection of personal stories from sons of major league baseball players who talk about what it was like growing up with a famous father. Along the way, we get a rare glimpse of the ballplayers themselves, not as pitchers, hitters, managers, and coaches, but as dads and granddads.
The 1998 Yankees : The Inside Story of the Greatest Baseball Team Ever by Jack Curry
Revisiting the Yankees’ 1998 season, during which they won their twenty-fourth World Series title, an award-winning sports journalist draws on interviews with more than twenty-five players, coaches, and executives to discuss how that team was built and why the Yankees were such a talented, refreshing, and successful club.
The Yankee Way : The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era by Andy Martino
With rare access to the inner sanctum of the New York Yankees, SNY analyst Andy Martino weaves two years of exclusive interviews with general manager Brian Cashman into a revelatory account of never-before-told stories about Derek Jeter, Aaron Judge, Alex Rodriguez, the complex front office, team ownership, and insights into the World Series wins and day-to-day running of the team that fans never get to see.
—Archana, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian