72 Stories: From the Baseball Collection of Geddy Lee

by Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee, the beloved, iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Rush bassist, and New York Times bestselling author of My Effin’ Life, shares the stories behind some of the special pieces in his lovingly curated and extensive baseball collection.

One of the greatest bass players of all time, Geddy Lee is also a self-proclaimed baseball geek who assembled a noted collection of baseballs signed by some of the game’s greatest players—selections from which he recently auctioned at Christie’s. In 72 From the Baseball Collection of Geddy Lee, Geddy shares his love of the game and the stories behind some of his favorite baseballs and other items from his vast collection.

“Baseball was in my bones long before music started to seriously divert my attention,” Geddy writes. He later sang the national anthem at the 1993 All-Star Game in Baltimore, cheers for the Toronto Blue Jays from his seat behind home plate and attends MLB games across Canada and the US. That lifelong love of the game comes through in 72 Stories. Told with the same charming candor that infused both of his memoir, My Effin’ Life, and Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass, the stories told here relate to the legends of baseball—Satchel Paige, Joe Dimaggio, Shohei Ohtani among them—and to other famous figures who signed balls, such as the Beatles (during their final concert at Shea Stadium), Neil Armstrong, and John F. Kennedy.

A lively personal tour through cultural and sports history, illustrated with more than 180 color photographs, 72 From the Baseball Collection of Geddy Lee is a delightful and loving tribute to the game.

Genres: Baseball, Sports, Nonfiction, Pop Culture, History, Canada, Memoir

163 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2025

About the author

Geddy Lee (29 July, 1953) born Gary Lee Weinrib, is a Canadian musician, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the rock group Rush since 1968.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a Rush fan not as a baseball fan but I honestly loved it. This isn’t just a book about the game it’s also about someone who loved the game and became a passionate collector and it highlights some of the players and greatest moments of the sport, I loved the history of it all. It’s very special that this passion for collecting began in the city I live in and that Geddy has generously shared some of his collection with the Negroe Leagues Baseball Museum here in Kansas City. I had the pleasure of meeting Geddy today at a book signing at NLBM it was something I’ll always remember.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I savored reading this coffeetable-size book for the last 7-8 weeks. You should, too.
A Christmas gift from one of the sons I loved watching playing baseball, Geddy Lee's book was one I took my time with it, finishing up just today; perfect timing, with spring training games just getting underway as the MLB season starts rolling.
Who knew that Geddy, one of the musician/vocalists of Rush, was a baseball nut, or that he had collect enough autographed baseballs and other baseball gear and memorabilia to have every inch of the walls of a room in his home crammed with the stuff.
As much as the book is about Geddy's love for and obsession with baseball and his collection, it's a terrific collection as well of anecdotes from and about players fans will have seen play, read about, wished they been around when they'd played way back when, maybe never heard of.
For example:
— Known for having a great arm, the Pirates' Robert Clemente threw the javelin in high school and was considered good enough to represent Puerto Rico in the Olympics.
— Hall of Famer Eddie Collins, a second baseman who holds the MLB record for the most career sacrifice bunts and played on five World Series winners with the A's and the White Sox, made his pro debut in 1906 under the alias Eddie T. Sullivan. He did so because he was still in college and quarterbacking the Columbia University freshman football team.
— The crafty Warren Spahn, who won 363 games pitching for the Braves both in Boston and Milwaukee, holds the National League record for home runs by a pitcher. He also was the most decorated ballplayer who served in World War II, honored with a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, a battlefield commission and a Presidential Citation.

While autographed balls are featured in "72 Stories," a signed photo might be one of the coolest pieces in Geddy's mass of goodies.
It's a scene from the Detroit dugout in August 1905 where the manager in the suit, William Armour, sits with 18-year-old Ty Cobb five minutes before his first Major League game, and ". . . is telling me to go out there and be calm and not over-awed by stands or crowd," Cobb recalled years later. The look on Cobb's young face says it all.

[Daniel Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The longtime musician and frontman of the band Rush shares pictures and stories of some of the most significant and special pieces of his extensive baseball memorabilia collection.

Lee's collection is incredible. Most of the items featured were signed baseballs. The game's giants, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Christy Mathewson, Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, and many many more are given their due. Many of the one page write-ups rely on information from the Society for American Baseball Research. Lee also shares some interesting stories about certain pieces and how he came to have the item in his collection. I appreciated that lesser known figures, like amputee pitcher Bert Shepard, baseball artist George Sosnak and WWII era spy Moe Berg are profiled along with the luminaries. Lee's passion for the game and its history is evident throughout. There were a number of misspellings and incorrect dates scattered throughout that were noticeable.

[Shannon Heaton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think there's a subsection of people that will enjoy this book -- Rush fans, baseball collectors -- that will REALLY enjoy this book and I'm not sure how many casual readers will pick it up, because it's a big coffeetable book.
But those within the subsets will probably DEFINITELY pick this up and I just might be one of them. I did learn a few things about Geddy's interactions with baseball players, and there are MANY. I bet when he was a kid he never would have expected how much it would be, and I'm grateful, as both a fan of the sport and of Rush, that he's very self-effacing about his privilege.
And he has an INCREDIBLE collection of baseballs.

[Brett Plaxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Geddy Lee from Rush talking about his love of the game of baseball, his baseball collection, what certain baseballs mean to him and his collection and a brief blurb about the players or notable people who have signed the baseballs. If that’s your sort of thing, heck this book out!

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes Geddy gets more caught up in talking about the players the collectible is from, as opposed to the story of how/why Geddy obtained it. Overall, the book works because you can feel how enthusiastic he is about his collection.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read (and look). The stories Geddy includes are fantastic and the more obscure stories were better. The visuals in the book are amazing and you can tell by attention to detail Geddy loves each piece of memorabilia in this book. A must read for all baseball fans.

[Lorrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geddy Lee chats about some of the baseballs and other memorabilia in his collection. Pretend you’re sitting next to him in that premium seat behind home plate, enjoying a cold beverage while you watch the Jays win another game. Interesting and conversational.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an entertaining audiobook. A love for baseball helps, but Geddy is a good story teller and his passion for the sport and the players is at the heart of this book.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

796.357

History and descriptions of Lee's baseball collection
Some RUSH references
skimmed

[Space Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

great baseball stories from a real rock star

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Rush or baseball, you will enjoy this book. I listened to the audio version read by the author and plan to also purchase the physical format.

[Joe Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wowzers. Geddy knows a lot about baseball! He provides a tons of facts about a host of players I have never heard of... and still makes it all interesting.

Totally worth it for fans of baseball and/or Rush. Play ball!