Baseball Memories & Dreams: Reflections on the National Pastime from the Baseball Hall of Fame

by The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (Editor)

Overview

Discover What Made Baseball America’s Pastime 

#1 New Release in Baseball Statistics

Baseball Memories & Dreams celebrates the iconic moments, heroes, and trends that define baseball for its millions of fans  

This compendium of baseball writing covers it all—recollections of Hall of Famers and narratives from top baseball writers; stories on the rich iconography and history of the game across the full diversity of players, teams, and leagues; and reflections on the way America’s pastime has shaped our culture. Selected from the Baseball Hall of Fame’s member magazine, Baseball Memories & Dreams brings to life the best of baseball. 

More than just a baseball history book. Revel in America’s pastime and explore baseball history in articles written by notable sports writers, Hall of Famers, media personalities, and the Hall’s own expert historians. Baseball Memories & Dreams showcases the best of baseball facts, baseball biographies, and baseball media personalities into a robust catalogue of known and unknown information.

Get the inside scoop into the lives of baseball giants like Johnny Bench, Peter Gammons, John Grisham, Tim Kurkjian, Ichiro Suzuki, Joe Torre, and more. From their stories, gain insight into each individual life to see just what trials and hardships made these men into the best baseball players in history. With Baseball Memories & Dreams in hand, you’ll see America’s pastime in a new light.

Inside, you’ll find over 70 articles on America’s pastime, highlighting:

• Baseball facts, baseball biographies, stats, and artifacts—and the history and lore behind them
• Coverage of Black, Hispanic, and woman players
• Stories about baseball’s great players, teams, and rivalries, as well as the moments that trace the game’s wide-ranging history 

If you enjoy baseball books—best sellers like The Baseball 100, Cloudbuster Nine, or Talking to GOATS—you’ll love Baseball Memories & Dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642508772
Publisher:	Mango Media
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Pages:	265
Sales rank:	652,000
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Cooperstown, New York, is an independent nonprofit educational institution, dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the historical development of baseball and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to our National Pastime. Opening its doors for the first time on June 12, 1939, the Hall of Fame has stood as the definitive repository of the game’s treasures and as a symbol of the most profound individual honor bestowed on an athlete. It is every fan’s “Field of Dreams”—with its stories, legends and magic shared from generation to generation.

Read an Excerpt

I think this is one of the great blessings of being a Hall of Famer—not just among your peers, but among those who make a difference in your community and your world.

This year, like virtually every year, we’ll welcome new members into the Hall of Fame. The Cooperstown “veterans” will show our new brothers the lay of the land, sharing what they can expect with their new status. In turn, they’ll help us look through their eyes as first-timers—bringing back those special feelings that come when you stand on the Induction Stage for the first time.

It makes you remember how you got here.

If you’re fortunate enough to have been a success in anything, you’ve been fortunate enough to have people preaching the same message to you. It’s nothing new or complicated: Work hard, and you’ll get out what you put in. My mom, as well as my coaches in high school and in pro baseball—all of them told me the same thing.

No success comes without blood, sweat, and tears. If you’re willing to spill blood, break a sweat, and get through the hard times, at the end of the journey, you’ll be where you want to be.

For every one of us who has stood on that stage at the Clark Sports Center, the journey would have been impossible without the bonds we all forged along the way.

Connecting Generations. It’s the relationships that matter most.

What follows are some of our favorite stories from more than a quarter century of Memories and Dreams. Every one of them embodies elements of history, excellence, and connection that make us appreciate the game even more.

See you soon in Cooperstown.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Growing Up with the Game
John Grisham

The Rail Hitter? Abraham Lincoln & Baseball: Two Symbols of American Identity
Chief Justice Frank J. Williams

Struck Out but Never Retired
Ernest Thayer’s timeless ode to the Mighty Casey turns 125 this year
Richard Pioreck

Diamonds & Railroads
The advent of regional rail service made baseball as we know it possible
Steve Buckley

Diamonds to Dollars
A.G. Spalding revolutionized the game on and off the field
Bill Francis

Mail, Money, and the National Pastime
Baseball has long been a symbol of America on stamps and coins
David Moriah

Baseball’s Greatest Skit
Abbott and Costello’s classic routine has become film royalty
Tim Wiles

Seventy-Five Years on the Small Screen
How television transformed baseball into a national obsession
Curt Smith

Capping Things Off
Baseball has added a staple to modern culture and fashion
George Vecsey

A Paper Trail to History
Scorecard from game three of 1951 NL playoff echoes Russ Hodges’ legendary call
Tim Wiles

To Australia…and Beyond
125 years ago, baseball went global during the Spalding tour
Tom Shieber

Clip and Save
Bound volumes of the New York Clipper provide a look at baseball’s earliest days
Craig Muder

The Honus Is On You
Celebrating a hundred years of baseball’s most revered card
Tim Wiles

Do You Know the Muffin Man?
Historic book from Museum’s collection details the origin of one of baseball’s unique words
Jim Gates

King of the One Game Wonders
Larry Yount is as much a major leaguer as his more famous brother, even though he never played in a game
John Odell

Giving the House a Home
Donation by former House of David player adds important piece to Museum collection
Jim Gates

Winning Record
Derek Jeter’s talent, tenacity brought the Yankees back to the top
Tyler Kepner

Tale of a Tiger
Alan Trammell’s passion for the game paved the way to greatness
Tom Gage

Boston Beckoned, Cooperstown Called
Pedro Martínez’s journey to greatness featured tenacity, tough times, and a terrific arm
Dan Shaughnessy

Road to Cooperstown
Ozzie Smith followed his dreams to become one of baseball’s best players and ambassadors
Hal Bodley

Junior’s League
Ken Griffey Jr.’s date with Cooperstown always seemed a foregone conclusion
Larry Stone

Little Joe’s Big Career
Hall of Famer Joe Morgan has devoted his life to the game—on and off the field
Hal Bodley

Paige in History
In 1971, Satchel Paige came to Cooperstown, opening the door for more legends
Scott Pitoniak

The First Face of Baseball
Christy Mathewson changed the way the public perceived ballplayers
Larry Brunt

Homers Defeat Hate
Hank Aaron overcame bigotry in his pursuit of Babe Ruth’s record
Terence Moore

Paper Trail
Black publications provide much of the known record of the Negro Leagues
Scott Pitoniak

A Road to Equality
Black barnstormers, led by Hall of Famer Satchel Paige, left remarkable legacy
Larry Tye

Jackie’s Rookie Season
In 1947, Jack Roosevelt Robinson became the first winner of the BBWAA’s Rookie of the Year Award—and accomplished so much more
Claire Smith

No Challenge Too Great
Hall of Famer Roy Campanella’s strength in the face of racism and injury served as inspiration
Neil Lanctot

Color Between the Lines
On September 1, 1971, the Pirates put forth baseball’s first all-Black lineup
Claire Smith

Let’s Play 2,632
Cal Ripken Jr.’s legendary durability had family roots
Tim Kurkjian

Still A Miracle
The Amazin’ Mets wrote what may be baseball’s most incredible story
Wayne Coffey

More than an ‘Average’ Season
Seventy years after Ted Williams’ feat, baseball awaits its next .400 hitter
Craig Muder

Mound of Effort
Fifty years ago, Juan Marichal and Warren Spahn pitched a game for the ages
Jim Kaplan

The Great Home Run Race
Fifty years have passed since Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle chased the Babe
Scott Pitoniak

Make His a Double
Seventy-five years ago, Johnny Vander Meer set what may be an unbreakable record
Bill Francis

The Sunday Manager
Burt Shotton faced challenges that no skipper ever had while leading the Dodgers to the 1947 NL pennant
Steve Wulf

The Road Stockings
The 1869 trips by the Cincinnati baseball team made the game famous throughout the United States
John Erardi

Roberto Clemente: The Father of Puerto Rican Baseball
Luis R. Mayoral

Primero Player
The majors’ Latin American roots reach back 144 years to Esteban Bellán
Jim Gates

Besting the Bambino
Hall of Famer Cristóbal Torriente’s story revisited through historic image of Babe Ruth in Museum’s collection
Alex Coffey

Cuban Baseball Legacy Rich in American Heritage
Adrian Burgos

A Cuban Revolution
Hall of Famer Martín Dihigo left a legacy that still impacts the National Pastime
Danny Torres

Kings of the World
In 1959, Havana-based triple-A team ruled minor league baseball
David Krell

Pirates of the Caribbean
The 1971 Bucs utilized a diverse lineup to help secure a World Series crown
Danny Torres

Battling on the Diamond
As the sesquicentennial observance begins, we look back at baseball during the Civil War
Steve Light

Evers Goes to France
Kept from combat by injury, Johnny Evers still served his country in The Great War
Jim Leeke

Remarkable Character
Sixty-four years ago, an Indians/A’s matchup demonstrated the strength of baseball—and of the men who played the game
Paul Dickson

The Show Must Go On
Seventy-fifth anniversary of Green Light Letter shines a light on baseball’s role in World War II
Alex Coffey

Jackie’s Battle
As a member of the US Army, Jackie Robinson fought for equality before he reached Ebbets Field
Claire Smith

Return Policy
Big leaguers showed in 1945 that their baseball skills would survive their time at war
Phil Rogers

Saluting the Girls of Summer
Women have starred on the diamond and contributed to the game for more than 150 years
Debra Shattuck Burton

Woman’s World
Hall of Famer Effa Manley blazed a trail for female executives in baseball
Scott Pitoniak

A Sacrifice of Their Own
AAGPBL players faced wartime hardships just like their MLB counterparts
Carroll Rogers Walton

Equal chance
Women’s barnstormers blazed a trail for future players
Tim Wiles

Second to None
Toni Stone broke barriers as the first woman to play in the Negro Leagues
Carroll Rogers Walton

Dolly White: Dreaming of the Diamond
Tim Wiles

Rookie Recallings
From your first year in the big leagues all the way to being a Hall of Famer, you learn a lot
Johnny Bench

Family Service
Trevor Hoffman recalls his father’s love of country and baseball
Trevor Hoffman

Right at Home
For one Red Sox broadcaster, true love is a day at Fenway Park
Joe Castiglione

Expressly Amazing
Nolan Ryan launched his Hall of Fame career by helping the 1969 Mets win the World Series
Nolan Ryan

Sharing Words of Wisdom
Frick award winner Bob Wolff recounts lessons learned from a life spent in broadcasting
Bob Wolff

Case Closed
Joe Torre recalls what made Mariano Rivera the game’s most feared relief pitcher
Joe Torre

Our Rite of Spring
Despite Many Changes, Spring Training Remains Baseball’s Proving Ground
Peter Gammons

Cooperstown’s Elephant Ear
Wade Boggs used one glove for his first fifteen seasons in the big leagues
Wade Boggs

Houston Strong
As Jeff Bagwell’s induction approaches, an Astros teammate reflects on what it means to be a Hall of Famer
Craig Biggio

Hitting the Mark
For this major leaguer, trips to Cooperstown renew a love of the game
Ichiro Suzuki

Acknowledgements
About the Hall

Editorial Reviews

Listeners who see Abrams's name as narrator should expect a solid performance, good diction, correct pronunciations, and a book that is enjoyable, listenable, and not too heavy in its tone.

AudioFile