The American Spectator

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In an ever-increasing search for more income (see above re wildly-overpaid players) there's the absurdity of attractive retro ballparks being named after corporations whose names give you no clue what their products or services are. Some of these corporations have gone belly-up after buying stadium-naming rights. You can no longer spend a few pleasant hours at Enron Field in Houston, for example.

But baseball has survived drug and gambling scandals, avaricious and pig-headed owners, pit-bull unions, a depression and two world wars, Jim Crow, strikes, as well as competition from other sports and activities for our time, money, and affection. The game that survived Chuck Comiskey and a World Series thrown for gamblers will survive George Steinbrenner and steroid-besotted sluggers who think hit and run is something that just happens at liquor stores around closing time.

The only down-side to Vecsey's splendid job of dealing with both the historical sweep and many telling details of the great story of baseball in such a short space is that I was sorry when the book was, all too soon, over. If you like baseball, you will be too. But maybe by the time you finish the book the game will have started.

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