Big League, Big Time: Birth of Arizona Diamondbacks

by Len Sherman

In the first book ever to chronicle the birth of a major-league baseball franchise from conception to Opening Day, Big League, Big Time takes you inside the Diamondbacks dugout - and their corporate suite - to examine the billion-dollar business of baseball and its enormous impact on our culture.
Complete with profiles of new Diamondbacks players from Travis Lee to perennial all-star Matt Williams, an exclusive inside-the-war-room look at the expansion draft, a dissection of the media's role in the global growth of the sports industry, and insights into the promotional blitz from spring training to opening day, Big League, Big Time is a rare glimpse into the politics, business, and promise of baseball.

Genres: Nonfiction, Baseball, Sports

Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Matt Layman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun look at life in Phoenix, Ariz. in a previous era where Major League Baseball was just being injected into the life of the community. It was fun to travel back in time and view the expansion through the lens of the people at that time and learn more about how a franchise got started. A heavy read that at times was hard to consume in large quantities but overall very well written and interesting.

[Dane Nealson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at the behind the scenes action of an expansion ball club as the new millennium approached. Interestingly, some of the predictions with regards to the media have proven to be off-base, which is a reminder that this happened a quarter century ago and not today. But still, a very interesting read I thoroughly enjoyed.

[Tim Basuino · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book focuses on the creation and execution of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who joined the Major Leagues in 1998, it is more of a story of American Business in the 1990's, or the 2000's, or the 2010's. Most telling is the personification of the current governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer, who at the time was a city council member who voted against the imposition of a tax to help the Diamondbacks build their stadium as a pandering, simplistic politician. Funny how things sometimes don't change!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting stuff... took me forever to finish because it's not exactly a page turner, but in the end I did enjoy it and learned a lot about my favorite sports team. (Go my favorite sports team, go!)