Roadside
Baseball: The Locations of America's Baseball Landmarks ,
by Chris Epting
In this new edition of Roadside Baseball,
Chris Epting's coast-to-coast compendium of places of
significance to baseball lovers, he has packed in even
more fascinating facts about the history of America's
national pastime. Illustrated with historical and contemporary
photographs, the result is a tapestry guaranteed to
captivate and entertain baseball fans of all ages.
The book is organized into sections by
geographical area and then by states, and finally into
the places of interest grouped by city. Each site gets
a descriptive paragraph to put it into perspective.
You'll discover locations of long-forgotten ballparks,
graves where many of baseball's luminaries are buried,
and other places important to the history of baseball
in Canada and the United States, including Alaska and
Hawaii. For example, if you're ever in Deadwood, South
Dakota, you'll able to find the room in the Historic
Franklin Hotel where Babe Ruth once stayed, now decorated
with appropriate memorabilia.
Now home to the Dunsmuir High School
Tigers, Babe Ruth once played here.
"Jackie Robinson resided here with his family
from 1922 to 1946"
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By assembling an amazing lineup of historical
highlights anchored in the locations where they took
place, Epting has created a mosaic history of baseball.
I now know that the first World Series took place in
1903 in Boston, Massachusetts, where to find the site
where Lee Richmond pitched the first perfect game in
1880, and details about the birthplace of the Little
League in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Reading about
all these baseball milestones has enriched my appreciation
for the game and its colorful history. Knowing where
all the events took place means that when I travel,
I'll now be more aware of the many places where baseball
history was made.
Another appealing feature of Roadside
Baseball is Epting's enthusiasm for the game, which
shines through in his descriptions of plaques and monuments
like the statue that memorializes Ty Cobb's famous base
slide and the birthplace of nineteenth-century baseball
pioneer Albert Spalding. Epting's diligence in seeking
out obscure but important sites is evident in his description
of the plaque in front of a vacant lot in Pasadena,
California. It marks the location of a long-gone house
where Jackie Robinson once lived. Without Epting's guidance,
this site would be nearly impossible to find.
Like Epting's other books, James
Dean Died Here, Marilyn
Monroe Dyed Here, Elvis
Presley Passed Here, Led
Zeppelin Crashed Here, and The
Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain,
Roadside Baseball is fun to read whether you're
sitting at home or using the book as a guide while you
travel. Even the most rabid baseball fan will learn
something new about the game, and all readers will be
left with a greater appreciation for the remarkable
role baseball has played in America's cultural history.
Michael
Dickman
5/22/09
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