Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs [Two Volumes]

Subjects:

• Popular Culture » Sports
• Popular Culture » Popular Culture (General)
• History » American History (General)
• History » American History -- 1900 to 1945

Reviews:

• Devotees of the national pastime will be consulting these volumes for their fine narrative histories of the extant teams....This reference work offers a good summary for current fans, and the bibliographies are up-to-date. Recommended for libraries seeking to bolster their baseball and sports collections.
  —Library Journal October 1, 2006
• This two-volume set places the history of the Major League Baseball franchises in the context of the history of the cities in which they operate. While each essay chronicles the on-the-field history of a franchise, much of this work details the financial and administrative histories of each club. Contributors weave into the essays brief discussions of the economic, political, and sociological history of each city. The essays offer readers a greater understanding of why franchises like the Cardinals and Yankees were successful both on and off the field, whereas others--like the A's and Braves--relocated to different cities in search of greater financial success. Essays vary in length, from 40 to 50 pages for franchises that have existed more than 100 years, to 10 pages for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who have fielded teams for fewer than 10 seasons. Statistics include the standard lists of standings and statistical leaders, but what make this resource especially valuable are the appendixes listing a wealth of payroll, dividend, and profit-and-loss data from various periods in baseball history. Essential. Lower-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers; general readers.
  —Choice February 2007
• Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs is a remarkably well-done reference book. The work is a convenient one-stop source for information on major league baseball clubs, and much more. The statistics included as part of the club histories, combined with the seventeen appendices, provide a wealth of data.
  —Reference Reviews November 2007
• Arranged according to teams in volumes on the National and American Leagues, this encyclopedia prepared by Riess brings together 30 essays on teams from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Washington Nationals. Essays give historical accounts and list achievements, records, managers, and postseason appearances. Contributors are mostly historians or work in American studies in the US; some are authors of books on baseball. Appendices provide information on season standings, attendance, profit and loss, salaries, and ballparks.
  —Reference & Research Book News November 2006
• Sports historians and baseball fans will treasure this works in-depth histories of active major league baseball teams....[t]he team histories not only chronicle the successes and failures of the teams on the field, but cover management and labor practices, economic developments, media influences, and even fan reactions. Throughout, attention has been given to larger social issues that transcend baseball....[t]his work proves an excellent and up-to-date starting point, oftentimes placing baseball within the larger framework of U.S. history. This work is recommended for academic library collections in support of both the general undergraduate curriculum and advanced programs in sports history. Other libraries with strong baseball or sports history collections will also want to consider this solid, yet modest work.
  —Reference & User Services Quarterly Summer 2007
• The exhaustive Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs presents the history of each team through selective intelligent, in-depth essays that give all basic on-the-field facts, but much more with social and economic data such as business and labor issues, community relations and local cultures. Team origins, annual campaigns, the glory and failures year by year, players, managers, owners financiers, politicians, neighborhoods and fans all receive their due. Stir in gambling, stadium construction, racism, liquor sales, Sunday play, national events like the World Wars, the Great Depression and the Cold War, media coverage and broadcasting and the plate is full.
  —Sports Collectors Digest February 23, 2007
• Professional baseball is not only a competitive sport but a big business as well. After reading this encyclopedia, one will know why-the sport is based on earnings, rankings, politics, and the bottom line. Editor Riess and 32 contributors provide a glimpse into the historical, cultural, political, and economic impact of major league baseball clubs in the U.S. from their beginnings in 1876 to the present....The text is laden with historical and cultural facts about the cities, the players, and social life in the U.S. An important focus is the way war, Prohibition, player strikes, politics, and commercialization have affected the sport and the clubs. Although quick, factual data is easy to glean from various index entries and statistical charts, users will benefit by reading entire club entries....Recommended for academic libraries with sports programs and all libraries with an interest in professional baseball.
  —Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin February 15, 2007
• From exploits on the field, to machinations in the front office, to data on the cities where they play, the Encyclopedia of Major League Baseball Clubs presents the team history of each of the MLB teams. Intelligent, in-depth essays provide social and economic histories of each club that go beyond the recounting of team glories or failures year by year. Team origins, annual campaigns, and players and managers all figure into the story, but so do the owners, financiers, politicians, neighborhoods and fans. National events, like World War I, World War II, the Great Depression and the Cold War, and their impact on the national pastime, are also brought into the picture where they are relevant. The work is illustrated, has a comprehensive bibliography, and is thoroughly indexed.
  —ACCENT on Tampa Bay Nov/Dec 2006
• The hard-hitting histories chronicle the ups and downs of each team, with generous details on not just on-field heroics, but also missteps by management and players alike....[c]overage of the past century of professional baseball is comprehensive....This excellent guide will find avid readers in school, public and academic libraries.
  —Lawrence Looks at Books September 2006

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: A Brief History of Major League Baseball Teams by Steven A. Riess
• National League
• Arizona Diamondbacks by Laura Purcell and John H. Jordan
• Atlanta Braves by David Stevens
• Chicago Cubs by John E. Findling
• Cincinnati Reds by Edward J. Reilly
• Colorado Rockies by Thomas Altheer
• Florida Marlins by Kevin Witherspoon
• Houston Astros by Ben D. Lisle
• Los Angeles Dodgers by Steve Gietschier
• Milwaukee Brewers by Christopher Miller and John McCarthy
• New York Mets by Maureen Smith
• Philidelphia Phillies by John P. Rossi
• Pittsburgh Pirates by Richard Peterson
• San Diego Padres by Sarah Trembanis
• San Francisco Giants by Andrew Goldblatt
• St. Louis Cardinals by Jon David Cash
• Washington Nationals by Michel Vigneault
• American League
• Baltimore Orioles by William A. Borst
• Boston Red Sox by Robert K. Barney and David E. Barney
• Chicago White Sox by Richard Lindberg
• Cleveland Indians by Philip Suchma
• Detroit Tigers by Steven A. Riess
• Kansas City Royals by Myles Schrag
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by Joel Franks
• Minnesota Twins by Christin Anderson and Chris Kimball
• New York Yankees by Steven A. Riess
• Oakland Athletics by Robert F. Lewis II
• Seattle Mariners by Adam R. Hornbuckle
• Tampa Bay Devil Rays by Paul Pederson
• Texas Rangers by Jarrod Schenewark
• Toronto Blue Jays by Russell Field
• Appendix
• Bibliography