Larry King is a true-blue baseball fanatic. A lifelong love affair began the night he attended a Dodgers game at Ebbets Field as a kid in 1940s Brooklyn. That was a simpler era in our country's history, a time when tickets to a game cost fifty cents and parish priests prayed for Gil Hodges to break out of a slump. In this heartfelt valentine to America's favorite pastime, King recalls the many pleasures the game has brought him over the past sixty years. In the course of his broadcasting career King had the opportunity to meet and interview many of the legends of his youth. Jackie Robinson, Casey Stengel, Ted Williams, Leo Durocher, Stan Musial...they're all here plus many, many more. From the golden days when Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Duke Snider were all playing center field for New York teams at the same time, to the Subway Series in 2000 and the stirring first ballgame in New York after 9/11, this unique history is full of wonderful anecdotes. Friends and fellow baseball fanatics Bob Costas, Charlie Bragg and Herb Cohen have contributed essays on their love for the game, and King discusses his favorite books, movies and songs about the sport. This ode to baseball is a must for all fans and will be treasured by lovers of the game everywhere.Larry King is a true-blue baseball fanatic. Going to his first game as a kid in 1940s New York was the start of a lifelong love affair. This heartfelt valentine to America's game evokes a simpler time in our country's history: complete with the smells of popcorn, beer, and hotdogs; the sight of the green, closely-mowed infield; the darkbrown dirt paths; the crisp white uniforms; the sound of the excited voices of announcers; the crack of the bat; and the roar of the crowd.
Baseball, he discovered, is its own unique universe. When he finally had the opportunity to personally interview legendary manager Leo Durocher, Larry was so happy that he kept the return phone message for twenty years, just so he could look at it and remember the day. Passion for the game has suffused his life. Even now, he revels in the Orioles and the Mets. Every reason to love baseball is laid out in this nostalgic book, as King gives an inside view to the trading cards, the scuffles, the most classic plays, the labor disputes, and the personalities that pervade the sport. It is the only team game without a clock or a designated ending time. Larger-than-life personalities make up its history. Why I Love Baseball will appeal to anyone who recognizes baseball as America's favorite pastime. King has loved baseball for as long as he can remember, and this ode to the game is truly a love song. In a time of serious national focus, Larry King's personal reminiscences and unique view of the impact of baseball is a welcome look at the modern history of the game. Every reason to love baseball is laid out in this nostalgic book, as King gives an inside view to the trading cards, the scuffles, the most classic plays, the labor disputes, and the personalities that pervade the sport.
