false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175111611m/480519.jpg 480519 1 The <I>why</I> behind Hall of Fame sportswriter Leonard Koppett's <I>Concise History</I> is almost as impressive as the authoritative and fascinating volume itself. Given that baseball's best pitch is the richness of its lore, Koppett was appalled that upon their arrival in the majors, contemporary stars like Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly knew nothing of Lou Gehrig, and Ken Griffey Jr. had little more awareness of Jackie Robinson than his name. If the players themselves don't appreciate the legacy or importance of what they're part of, what chance do the rest of us have? Koppett's mission is to change that. <p> What makes the <I>Concise History</I> such a valuable addition to an already packed baseball bookshelf is that it's an original. First and foremost, its strong, narrative push spans the divide between statistical encyclopedias and the chronicles that generally focus on individual years or teams or issues. It's quite thorough--reaching back to the 1840s and covering the game up through the 1998 sale of the Dodgers--clearly linking the game of baseball to the business of baseball. It covers trends as well as players and events, and, in one of its most useful features, offers succinct seasonal recaps at the end of each chapter. Koppett's a fine writer with a well-established voice, which he uses to analyze as well as report; he's no fence straddler on the more complex questions like free agency, franchise moves, collusion, realignment, and the replacement of family ownership by conglomerates. Like a good home run race, it's a book unique to this particular game, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere. <I>--Jeff Silverman</I> 468905 29 2 2004 Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball total:9|5:4|4:2|3:3| 9 37 16 2 4 0 false false Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 07 18:00:23 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 18:07:46 -0700 2009 Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball is a sweeping survey of our National Pastime. Leonard Koppett takes the reader from baseball's disputed origins all the way to free agency. Reading through this 500+ page book (and they're big pages, trust me) puts all of problems of today's game ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu May 01 14:40:20 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 14:42:05 -0700 2008
It's major downfall i...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jul 09 23:20:58 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 23:20:58 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Mar 19 11:44:03 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 11:44:16 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Mar 15 19:55:07 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 19:55:07 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jan 02 11:28:05 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 11:28:12 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon Sep 15 08:13:57 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 15 08:13:57 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Sat Jun 14 22:45:27 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 14 22:45:27 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Fri May 23 10:31:23 -0700 2008 Fri May 23 10:31:23 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Dec 29 16:00:54 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 29 16:01:00 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Thu Dec 27 20:18:25 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 27 20:18:25 -0800 2007 0 0 false false Mon Oct 22 21:11:41 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 22 21:11:51 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Fri Aug 31 21:12:33 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 31 21:12:36 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Tue Aug 28 18:17:12 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 28 18:18:01 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Wed Aug 08 15:46:49 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 08 15:46:49 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Mon Jul 30 18:35:31 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 30 18:35:31 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=480519