Professional baseball has always consisted of a variety of characters, from likeable youngsters to notorious rebels. From 1871 to the present, the sport has witnessed the likes of Germany Schaeffer, an infielder with a penchant for “stealing” first base; Joe Medwick, the only player ever removed from a game for his own safety; and first baseman Hal Chase, noted for being one of the most corrupt players in baseball history. The Cooperstown Chronicles takes an entertaining look at the unusual lives, strange demises, and downright rowdy habits of some of the most colorful personalities in the history of baseball. Chapters profile the game’s well-known tough-guys, the hard-drinking revelers, head-hunting pitchers, players who took their own lives, and those who died far too young from accidents or diseases. Frank Russo goes beyond the stats and delves into each player’s personality, his life outside of baseball, and even his final resting place. The stories of little-known players like Terry Enyart, who pitched just one and two-thirds innings in the major leagues, are told next to those of superstars such as Mike Flanagan, who played professional ball for 18 years. However brief or long a career he may have had, every major league player has a story to tell. The Cooperstown Chronicles gives a voice to many of those players who are no longer able to tell their stories themselves. Compelling, fun, and often surprising, this book will entertain baseball fans and historians alike.

This is an anthology of 24 papers that were presented at the Fourteenth Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, held in June 2002, and co-sponsored by the State University of New York at Oneonta and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Subsequent to initial presentation, papers were revised and edited for publication. The anthology is divided into five parts: Timebend: Baseball as History; The Business of Baseball; Race: Soul of the Game; Baseball Media: Literature, Journalism, and Cinema; and Baseball Culture: Age, Sexuality, and Religion. Timebend: Baseball as History ruminates on the lingering resonance of the game's past. The Business of Baseball examines sport from a commercial perspective. Race: Soul of the Game chronicles the African-American experience in baseball. Baseball Media: Literature , Journalism, and Cinema analyzes depictions of the game in the popular arts. Baseball Culture: Age, Sexuality, and Religion explores the social fabric of sport. Each part contains multiple essays related by theme and topic. A guide to the paper follows.

This anthology gathers selected papers from the 2006 and 2007 meetings of the Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, the long-running academic conference held annually at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Essays in the first of the volume's six sections, "The African American Experience," examine Negro League playing styles as cultural expression, media coverage of Curt Flood's battle against MLB, and autobiographical accounts by Flood and Jackie Robinson that recall slave-narrative tradition. In "The Women's Game" the legacy of Title IX is explored, along with gender constructions at the time of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Teams and their towns are the focus of "Baseball and Community"; essays deal with Dodgertown and Vero Beach, baseball and advertising in Brooklyn, and the baseball identity of a mining town in New Mexico. In "Baseball Ideology" the game's films, wartime rhetoric, and the approaches to its ethnic history are investigated. Essays in "Biography: Baseball Lives" relate the true stories of a Depression-era felon treated to a World Series game at Wrigley and the post-Katrina struggles of pitching great Mel Parnell. Finally, in "The Business of Baseball," essayists gauge the effects of the recent steroids scandal, three decades of free agency, and MLB's new global perspective.

The 2011-2012 volume in the Cooperstown Symposium series is a collection of new scholarly essays that use baseball to examine topics whose import extends beyond the ballpark. The essays represent 16 of the leading presentations from the two most recent proceedings of the annual Cooperstown Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, held on June 1-4, 2011, and May 30-June 1, 2012. The essays are divided into six parts. "Baseball History, Myth, and the American Past" considers the distinction between reality and remembrance. "Decade of Transition: The 1960s in Baseball and America" explores a critical passage in the evolution of the nation and the game. "Baseball Economics: Owners, Profits, and the Public" provides perspectives on sports as business. "Out of the Bleachers: Women Umpiring and Playing" links the game to those who participate and care about it despite the expectations of atavistic gender roles. "Casting the Game: Stage and Screen" examines theatrical and cinematic treatments of baseball. Part 6, "Game of Numbers: Statistical Baseball," examines the sport and its artifacts quantitatively.

A journey through the national pastime’s roots in America’s small towns and wide-open spaces: “An absorbing read.” —The Tampa Tribune In the film Field of Dreams, the lead character gives his struggling farming community a magical place where the smell of roasted peanuts gently wafts over the crowded grandstand on a warm summer evening, just as the star pitcher takes the mound. In The Farmers’ Game, David Vaught examines the history and character of baseball through a series of essay-vignettes—presenting the sport as essentially rural, reflecting the nature of farm and small-town life. Vaught does not deny or devalue the lively stickball games played in the streets of Brooklyn, but he sees the history of the game and the rural United States as related and mutually revealing. His subjects include nineteenth-century Cooperstown, the playing fields of Texas and Minnesota, the rural communities of California, the great farmer-pitcher Bob Feller, and the notorious Gaylord Perry. Although—contrary to legend—Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball in a cow pasture in upstate New York, many fans enjoy the game for its nostalgic qualities. Vaught’s deeply researched exploration of baseball’s rural roots helps explain its enduring popularity.

The Collected Novels of James Fenimore Cooper: 30 Western Classics, Adventure Novels & Sea Tales is a comprehensive collection showcasing Cooper's prowess in storytelling through various genres. Known for his vivid descriptive style and exploration of themes such as wilderness, nature, and the clash of civilizations, Cooper's works provide a glimpse into the American frontier during the 19th century. With intricate plots, memorable characters, and detailed settings, this collection appeals to readers interested in American literature, historical fiction, and adventure tales. The inclusion of illustrations enhances the reading experience, bringing the narratives to life. Cooper's influence on the literary world can be observed through his pioneering contributions to the development of the American novel, particularly within the genres of Western fiction and sea tales. His experiences as a frontier settler and his observations of Native American cultures inform his narratives, adding depth and authenticity to his storytelling. Fans of classic literature, historical fiction, and adventure stories will find this collection to be a treasure trove of captivating tales that have stood the test of time.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1871.