The Boys of Spring: Timeless Portraits from the Grapefruit League, 1947-2005

Frank Deford of Sports Illustrated calls the photography of Ozzie Sweet "rich and dreamy," and Sweet is at his rich and dreamy best as he presents a personal album of his favorite baseball photographs. The photographs were created at spring training in Florida and Arizona from 1947 through 2005, and include never-before seen images of such stars as Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Whitey Ford, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Ted Williams and many others. Also included are Hall of Famers from the 1940s and '50s such as Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays, greats of the '60s, '70s and '80s such as Brooks Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Steve Garvey, and Dave Parker, and contemporary stars such as Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero and Alex Rodriguez.

Together, the intimate images are a grand celebration of baseball, and are accompanied by Sweet's reminiscences and anecdotes about the players, plus his reflections on a lifetime of viewing baseball through a camera lens. Also included is a wonderful selection of non-baseball photos shot by Sweet during his many visits to Florida, including a 1970s photograph of then-aspiring actress Victoria Principal.