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Koppett's Concise History of Major League Baseball
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Binding: Paperback
Edition: Updated
Format: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 521
Publication Date: January 01, 2004
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Editorial Review:
The why behind Hall of Fame sportswriter Leonard Koppett's Concise History is almost as impressive as the authoritative and fascinating volume itself. Given that baseball's best pitch is the richness of its lore, Koppett was appalled that upon their arrival in the majors, contemporary stars like Yankee first baseman Don Mattingly knew nothing of Lou Gehrig, and Ken Griffey Jr. had little more awareness of Jackie Robinson than his name. If the players themselves don't appreciate the legacy or importance of what they're part of, what chance do the rest of us have? Koppett's mission is to change that.
What makes the Concise History such a valuable addition to an already packed baseball bookshelf is that it's an original. First and foremost, its strong, narrative push spans the divide between statistical encyclopedias and the chronicles that generally focus on individual years or teams or issues. It's quite thorough--reaching back to the 1840s and covering the game up through the 1998 sale of the Dodgers--clearly linking the game of baseball to the business of baseball. It covers trends as well as players and events, and, in one of its most useful features, offers succinct seasonal recaps at the end of each chapter. Koppett's a fine writer with a well-established voice, which he uses to analyze as well as report; he's no fence straddler on the more complex questions like free agency, franchise moves, collusion, realignment, and the replacement of family ownership by conglomerates. Like a good home run race, it's a book unique to this particular game, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere. --Jeff Silverman
Koppett's Concise History provides an overview and explanation of all the major events and personalities that made baseball America's national game.
As early as the 1880s, many basic baseball strategies-pitching high and tight or low and away; first basemen lining up well wide of the base they were "covering"; throwing breaking balls and change-ups; bunting as well as swinging away-were already in use. But the history of the game is a story of changes that have been controversial for fans and players.
Leonard Koppett takes the reader through the long-standing back-and-forth over the balance between offense and defense-dead balls versus lively balls, changes in the strike zone and mound height, and arguments about competitive balance among teams in different eras. He explores the controversies over the introduction of night baseball, radio and TV broadcasting, the farm system, domed stadiums, the expansion draft to create ten-team leagues, divisional play-offs, franchise moves to new cities, and interleague play.
How baseball as business affects the nature of the game is an issue throughout the book. Whether he's talking about free agency, strike actions, or the policies of different commissioners and owners, Koppett is never afraid to say whose interests are being served.
A major portion of each chapter is devoted to Koppett's lively narratives of the shape and significance of each season from 1892 through 1995. On each point, Koppett has the facts, the stories, and an opinion about what works for the game and what doesn't.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - THE KOPPETT EDGE
This is easily the most comprehensive look at baseball history out there. And it's written with the Koppett edge, which lets you know that you're getting the whole truth and nothing but the truth. His genius was in being lucid and thorough in everything he wrote. BUY THIS BOOK if you love baseball history or know someone who does.
Rating: - Truly Phenomenal
I used to always enjoy reading Leonard Koppett's columns. He would make a point, then be able to back it up by using stats or his own knowledge of baseball to prove his point. This updated edition in some ways is like reading a greatly extended column of his. And at 550 pages or so, it's a highly impressive piece of work. Not only does he take on the history of major league baseball, he does so with a flair for not only using stats to make numerous points, he also discusses what events were going ... Read More
Rating:  - A textbook of basebal history
Leonard Koppett's book does not get a 5 star rating by me only because it is hard to rate a textbook as a 5. Still, this is a great book. It is along the lines of an SABR release, though the statistics are of a different type. I liked this book, but it will appeal only to those who want a deeper understanding of how the game has mirrored society and how the issues of today are not unlike those of the past. This is a history project, but a very good one. Read this with some of the histories ... Read More
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