One of the great bards of America's Grand Old Game gives a rousing account of baseball, from its pre-Republic roots to the present day. Vecsey casts a fresh eye on the sport, illuminates its foibles and triumphs, and makes a classic story seem refreshingly new. This book is a narrative of America's can-do spirit, in which stalwart immigrants could transplant cricket and rounders in the fertile American culture and die-hard unionist players could later become the tightfisted avatars of the game's big-money establishment. It's a celebration of champions and underdogs. But most of all, it is a testament to the unbreakable bond between our nation's pastime and the fans, who've remained loyal through the fifty-year-long interdict on black athletes, the Black Sox scandal, franchise relocation, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs by some major stars.--From publisher description.