"These charming essays on baseball themes range from topics like 
first gloves—mine was a Rawlings Marty Marion model—to the 
tragic story of the Billy Southworths, father and son, to being 
relegated to right field or having troubles playing first base. These 
are tasty morsels."—Fay Vincent, former baseball commissioner

"Twenty wonderful writers—that's just enough for two full all-star 
teams—and two designated hitters." —Christine Brennan, USA 
Today sports columnist

Stefan Fatsis sends his "stunningly perfect, consummately 
perfect, why-would-anyone-use-anything-else? perfect" glove to be 
restored by the Glove Designer at Rawlings; Susan Perabo considers 
retiring from her imaginary career in the majors and assesses the 
likelihood of women finding actual careers on the baseball field; Sean 
Wilentz imagines a Cooperstown Fans' Hall of Fame, with its 
cowbells, frying pans, bedsheet banners, and more. And in one of the 
three previously published, now classic pieces in the collection, 
George Plimpton reflects on the slow demotion of aging or slumping 
players from pitcher to first base, to the outfield. United by the authors' 
fervent love of the game, these essays remind us of the unique role 
baseball plays in our national history and collective imagination.

A collaboration between SMU Press and the literary journal Creative 
Nonfiction.

_________________________________________________________

LEE GUTKIND is the founding editor of Creative Nonfiction and 
prize-winning author or editor of over a dozen books, including The 
Best Seat in Baseball, But You Have to Stand! The Game as 
Umpires See It. ANDREW BLAUNER is a literary agent in New York 
City and editor of Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a 
Difference.


Sport in American Life, C. Paul Rogers III, series editor



What people are saying about this book

"When Lee Gutkind wrote a book about Major League umpires in the 
1970s, he threw a curveball of controversy into the game. Gutkind, 
along with co-editor Andrew Blauner, is back with another baseball 
book, "Anatomy of Baseball," and this one is a collection of 20 
essays that hit hardball from all angles."—Doug Miller, MLB.com, 
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article_entertainment.jsp?ymd=20080505&
content_i d=2645126&vkey=entertainment&fext=.jsp


"When your team is slumping, when the scandalous headlines have 
got you down, or when winter seems like it will never end, Anatomy 
of Baseball will remind you why you fell in love with the game. 
This is one of the finest baseball anthologies of all time."—Jonathan 
Eig, author of Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First 
Season and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig

"An exceptional collection—a lively, rewarding read."—Robert W. 
Creamer, former Sports Illustrated writer and editor and author of Babe: 
The Legend Comes to Life

"Baseball's most lasting gift may be its power to stir our curiosity, 
memory and imagination into such a rich and loving tribute."—Robert 
Lipsyte, author of The Contender