Bases to Bleachers: A Collection of Personal Baseball Stories from the Stands and Beyond

by Eric C. Gray

Overview

One day during an afternoon at the ball park, author Eric Gray asked his wife, daughter, and friend to identify their favorite game that they had been to. Little did he know, that simple question would soon take on a life of its own. As the question made its way to family members, friends, friends of friends, strangers and beyond, it gave way to a surprising collection of incredibly diverse stories and perspectives. Thus, Bases to Bleachers was born.

Much more than your average baseball book, the many special and unique stories shared with readers here, whether they’re about watching or playing, either at the Major League level or Little League, represent a wide gamut of experiences. Some entail meeting the stars or attending famous games—and some offered are personal, intimate moments involving family connections and the importance of baseball in people’s lives.

Unlike most baseball books, this is not a biography, or a discussion of a team, or analysis of a season. Baseball here is a setting in which both astounding feats and some of the most beautifully touching moments in peoples’ lives have happened. Whether it’s the first game, falling in love at the park, or even a beloved baseball glove that survived World War II, these stories are about more than just baseball. They reflect the joys, triumphs, and disappointments of the human condition, and often illustrate what’s truly important in life—those things we hold most dear in our hearts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641111799
Publisher:	Tell Me Your Stories
Publication date:	07/05/2019
Pages:	356
Sales rank:	251,091
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Eric Gray is originally from Plainview, New York, and earned his Bachelor of Arts from SUNY New Paltz. In 1974, he came to San Francisco, began a thirty-nine-year career at the U.S. Department of Labor, met his future wife Lynn Rhodes, and never moved back to New York. His hobbies include rock and roll, following politics, playing and watching baseball and basketball, hiking, and hanging out with friends and family. He and his wife have two children, Rachel and David. All are baseball fans.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Generation to Generation: Family and Baseball; Let’s Beat the Traffic; Love and Baseball; Women in Baseball; The Negro Leagues; Baseball: The International Game; Not Quite the Major Leagues; What Baseball Means to Me; Bunts; Singles; Doubles; Triples; Home Runs; Mickey, Can I Have Your Autograph?; My Time on the Field; Famous, Historic, and Memorable Games; Mini-Chapters: A Sneak Preview; Afterword and Acknowledgements

Editorial Reviews

Eric Gray's book pays homage to the love of "the one constant through all of the years", the game of baseball. He does so with an anthology of anecdotes from ordinary fans(and some celebrities) about what baseball means to them, and how the game made memories that have lasted from generation to generation. I thought I would take my time and read the book in short passages since you can pick it up anywhere and not lose context. Instead, I could not stop reading it. I finished it in less than three days because each anecdote provided some comfort and meaning that I could identify with as a baseball fan. Some stories, especially the ones about special needs children, made me choke up with tears - Harold Kasselman

Spent the evening with a new old friend, who has written a TREMENDOUS book chock full of baseball stories told from a fan's viewpoint. This collection is a treasure, and MUST be on the bookshelf of anyone who considers themselves even a casual fan of the game. It'll make you smile, it'll make you cry, but most of all it'll make you fall in love with this game all over again. – Jim Kulhawy

From the Publisher