- Paperback: 300 pages
- Publisher: Triumph Books; Original edition (April 15 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1600783317
- ISBN-13: 978-1600783319
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#558,000 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #88 in Books > Nonfiction > Education > Reference > Encyclopedias > Sports
- #96 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias > Sports
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
This exhilarating account skips the unforgettable athletic achievements, heroic performers, and exhilarating moments that remind fans of everything they love about sports and honest competition and gives the real skinny on baseball's unknown history. Author Robert Schnakenberg takes readers through a decidedly snarky trip through the game's rich history of buffoonery, thuggery, fashion missteps, ballpark promotions gone awry, batboys with metals claws for hands, afros, mustaches, mistresses, overzealous mascots, existence-of-dinosaurs deniers, indelible baseball-themed candy bars, wife-swapping, and hundreds of other unbelievable-but-true aspects of America's national pastime.
About the Author
Robert Schnakenberg is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and the author of numerous books of irreverent nonfiction, including Distory: A Treasury of Historical Insults, The Encyclopedia Shaternica, Old Man Drinks, and Secret Lives of Great Filmmakers. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
for all your mascot trivia,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Underground Baseball Encyclopedia (Paperback)
I really don't think the title does the encyclopedia justice. Most of the stuff in the book is not really "underground" at all as many baseball fans will know much of what is in here. The focus is mainly on the stuff that makes baseball quirky and fun from the mascots to announcers to scandals.I didn't quite get why there were so many references to the Texas Rangers throughout as who knew they were that influential? Also, beer and peanut vendor info kidn of got a bit carried away. Frankly, hippy dippy beer vendor Captain Earthman is someone that would turn me against attending a game at Coors Field. I did enjoy other little revealing bits of trivia like the fact that the New York Yankees had a mascot (named Dandy after "Yankee Doodle Dandy") for a very brief time in the late '70s and early '80s. Or that baseball bobblehead dolls were first made in Japan. Or that Chief Noc-A-Homa feuded with Homer the Brave in Atlanta's fight for mascot supremacy. Yes, much of what I took from this book had to do with mascots and, although that may be a strength, it is also a weakness. After awhile it's seemed like it was mascots-a-go-go. Yet just to have any book acknowledge the San Francisco Giants' misguided Crazy Crab mascot is worth its weight in fool's gold.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews) 11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Baseball's Unique Quirkiness,
By Larry Underwood "Author - St Louis Cardinals ... - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Underground Baseball Encyclopedia (Paperback)
I'm a baseball junkie who's not content just knowing the mundane statistical trivia associated with our National Pastime - such as Cobb's .367 lifetime batting average, Henry Aaron's 755 career home runs & Bob Gibson's 17 strikeouts in Game 1 of the '68 World Series - I want to know the weird stuff too; why Wade Boggs just had to eat chicken every day (for good luck), and why the Baby Ruth candy bar is still popular today, while the Reggie Bar never quite made the big time.For anyone fascinated with every possible aspect of the game; especially the ludicrous and zany antics from all sections of baseball's inner sanctum; this book is for you. I loved it. I also loved the reverse psychology Robert Schakenberg uses to convince readers they really need to have this book; the title explains that strategy. The truth of the matter is, the baseball junkie may be able to live without this particular piece of irreverent folklore, but life's more interesting knowing all this ridiculous stuff. So get a copy for yourself; you won't regret it. 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Less than impressive on purpose,
By J. Hundley "katies phil" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Underground Baseball Encyclopedia (Paperback)
The subtitle is indeed accurate, but still, it would be a shame NOT to know much, if not most, of the trivia, minutia, and flotsam in this volume. The randomness of what is included and what is not may be part of the charm, but it did leave me a bit wistful for something more, well, encyclopedic. Trivia does have to BE trivial. But that aside, I certainly enjoyed the read, learned a little, laughed routinely and found myself reaching for other references to follow up on a morsel or ten as I went along. A good time, all in all.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun read, great gift idea for all sports fans!,
By L. A. Philiben "CHILAP" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Underground Baseball Encyclopedia (Paperback)
If you're like me, you fondly recall playing RBI Baseball on Nintendo,remember watching Jose Canseco on The Simpsons, and think the name Rusty Kuntz is funny. Those are the kinds of things you'll read about in the Underground Baseball Encyclopedia, a book that takes a historian's commitment to research and accuracy and unleashes it on baseball's pop culture connections, minutiae, and inanity. Not only is this a great trip down memory lane, I also learned a few things I'd never heard about (did you know the woman behind Mrs. Fields cookies was an Oakland As ballgirl?). It's also got a lot of unusual and interesting photos of mascots, board games, baseball cards, and so on. One of the more enjoyable baseball books I've read in some time, and one of those books your friends will want to borrow. |
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