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Featured
Book Review
The Ballpark Book
by Ron Smith
 When Green Cathedrals was released in 1992, it set the
standard for books about baseball parks. It provided more thorough
research and more photos of more parks than had ever been assembled in
one place. It still stands as perhaps the greatest book on this
subject.
But that was 1992, and much has happened since then. A new
wave of "retro" parks have sprung up around the country, and
the way baseball fans revere the parks where the game is played has
increased noticeably.
That's why the timing was perfect for The Sporting News to publish The
Ballpark Book. Ron Smith's fascinating histories of each park are
punctuated with lots and lots of incredible photography and, best of all, by the
illustrations of Kevin Belford. These illustrations of each park,
which fill two-page spreads at the beginning of each section (each is devoted to
one park), are beautifully done, and text is superimposed over the illustration
to show where special moments occurred in that park. For example, text
located near right-center field on
the drawing of Fenway shows where "(Ted) Williams homered in final
big-league at bat, Sept. 28, 1960." An example of Belford's wonderful
illustrations -- this one is of Camden Yards -- can be seen on the cover of the
book itself.
Smith begins The Ballpark Book with a chapter entitled
"Ballparks: Now, yesterday and forever." Here
Smith poetically captures the sensory offerings endemic to every
ballpark:
You remember the smells, of the hot dogs that always taste better here
than anywhere else, roasted peanuts with shells you can throw right on the
floor . . . You remember your heroes, larger than life in victory, painfully
human in defeat, and the anticipation you feel before the game and the sadness
you feel when it's over. You remember the explosion of green when you
spot the field and the comforting sense of camaraderie, pride, fun, excitement
and exultation after you sit down . . . Of course you remember. A
ballpark is personal, it's sensual and it's filled with soul-stirring
magic. It's a special place, a special time in your life . . . A
ballpark defines the timeless fascination we have for a game and fills voids
in our lives. It's now, it's yesterday and it's forever.
Smith goes on to chronicle the evolution of the ballpark --
from humble, wooden beginnings in the 19th Century, to the era of the
"stadium" ushered in by "The House That Ruth Built (that) was
bigger, grander and more spectacular than anything fans had ever seen," to
the multi-purpose facilities (some with domes, ugh!) built in the '60s
and 70s, to the "retro park" movement of the '90s to today:
"The ballpark-building craze continued into the new century with every city
trying to outquirk and outquaint the other."
Following this introductory chapter, the book is divided into
five major eras, each with sections on the parks (still in use today) built
during that period:
"The Classics," with sections on Fenway, Wrigley
and Yankee Stadium.
"The Middle Ages," featuring Anaheim, Dodger
Stadium, County Stadium, Shea, Oakland Coliseum and Jack Murphy.
"The Turf Era," which includes Riverfront, Kauffman,
The Vet, Three Rivers and Busch. As I guess you can tell, the author
prefers not to call these parks by their newer "corporate sponsorship"
names!
"The Dome Era" -- which had to be included
unfortunately! -- on the Metrodome, Olympic Stadium and SkyDome.
"The New Wave Era," with sections for Arlington,
Turner, Camden, New Comiskey, Jacobs, Coors, Pro Player, Bank One and Tropicana
Field.
It would have been easy to have stopped here, including
details on only the parks currently in use (opened by 1999). However,
Smith went on to include "Gone, But Not Forgotten," a section which
includes wonderful photos and descriptions of another 20 facilities, including
such lovable old places as Griffith Stadium, Sportsman's Park, Forbes Field,
Crosley, Comiskey, The Polo Grounds, Tiger Stadium and, of course, Ebbets Field.
The Ballpark Book is obviously written by someone who
has a very special place in his heart of our National Pastime. And it is
equally true that everyone
else who loves baseball should have a copy of his book.
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