Roadside Baseball: The Locations of America's Baseball Landmarks [Paperback]

Chris Epting (Author), Joe Buck (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

Capturing such quintessentially American pastimes as baseball and road trips in one fascinating work, this updated and expanded guide chronicles more than 500 important events in baseball history with detailed descriptions of the event and information on each location. Packed with historical data, trivia, photographs, and baseball lore, entries include the birthplaces of baseball legends, ballparks, museums and halls of fame, final resting places, and many places that are no longer standing. From out-of-the-way spots to the most popular stadiums in the U.S. and Canada, no site is too small or insignificant to be included in this comprehensive directory. Entries include the Buckminster Hotel in Boston, where the Black Sox planned their fix of the 1919 World Series; the original little league field and museum in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; the birthplace of Jackie Robinson; the place where Mickey Mantle was discovered by a scout from the New York Yankees; and the site of the original Wrigley Field, erected in Los Angeles in 1925.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the best travel books of 2009!"  —Los Angeles Times

"For the fan, this is the ultimate road trip . . . the perfect [guide] to lead you to all [the] great baseball stops."  —Joe Garagiola, announcer and former major league baseball player

"What a wonderful book. All the 'stations of the cross' of our national pastime are here, big and small, telling and frivolous. I can imagine this book in the glove compartment of every true fan’s car, a handy reference to this beloved game no matter where in the country you are."  —Ken Burns, Academy Award–nominated director

"It's a perfect gift for anyone who loves baseball and travel."  —Chicago Tribune

"If it doesn't make baseball fans feels as if they've died and gone to heaven, it'll at least get them to Dyersville, Iowa's Field of Dreams, where the set for the movie of the same name attracts thousands." —USA Today

"This one-of-a-kind road atlas takes baseball fans across the United States to out-of-the-way spots and near-forgotten sandlots, where the remnants of baseball history still endure."  —The Sporting News

"Chris Epting has delivered a stand-up triple (baseball's most exciting play) in Roadside Baseball . . . he doesn't miss a beat in the 336-page atlas, loaded with pictures."  —Chicago Sun Times

"Reading Roadside Baseball is like spending an afternoon rummaging around in baseball’s attic." —Jim Bouton

About the Author

Chris Epting is the author of numerous books, including Elvis Presley Passed Here; James Dean Died Here; Led Zeppelin Crashed Here; Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here; and The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain. He lives in Huntington Beach, California. Joe Buck is an Emmy Award–winning sportscaster. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Santa Monica Press; Second edition edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595800417
• ISBN-13: 978-1595800411
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Chris Epting is the author of 17 travel/history books, including James Dean Died Here (Santa Monica Press), Roadside Baseball (McGraw Hill) and most recently The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra and Einstein's Brain -- The Locations of America's Pop Culture Artifacts (Santa Monica Press). He has contributed articles for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Westways and Travel + Lesiure magazine, and writes a weekly newspaper column for the Huntington Beach Independent. He is the national spokesman for Hampton Inn hotel's Hidden Landmarks program and hosts the weekly syndicated radio show, The Pop Culture Road Trip. In addition, Chris is a frequent talk show guest, appearing on shows including National Public Radio, the E! Channel and Access Hollywood.Originally from New York, Chris now lives in Huntington Beach, California with his wife and their two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE ULTIMATE BASEBALL BOOK, May 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Roadside Baseball : Uncovering hidden treasures from our national pastime (Paperback)

I cannot remember enjoying a baseball book this much. It focuses on hundreds of historic baseball landmarks, and the breadth of places is fascinating. There are all of the classic former ballpark sites like the Polo Grounds and Ebbets Field, complete with a description and photos of what is there now. Dozens of baseball museums I never knew existed, historically placed markers identifying famous homeruns by Babe Ruth, the home of Connie Mack, sacred baseball burial grounds and much more. I cannot believe how much I learned from this book (and I have studied the game for a long time). Some fine detective work here--like where Lou Gehrig really played his last game, the birthsite of Jackie Robinson, and where Babe Ruth pitched a notable yet obscure game against Walter Johnson in California. Lots of historic Negro League sites, too--for we baseball fans who love the road and who love history, this is our ultimate guide and I've never seen anything like it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars America's Pastime - On the Road, June 1, 2005

By 

Theo Logos (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Roadside Baseball : Uncovering hidden treasures from our national pastime (Paperback)

Nothing is more quintessentially symbolic of America than baseball and road trips, and Chris Epting has brought the two together in this delightfully quirky road guide to all things baseball throughout the land. The book is divided first into sections (East, South, Midwest, West, & Outside the Lines),and further divided into states, listed alphebetically, within each section to make it convienent to use as you travel. And even the most knowledgable and die-hard baseball fan is likely to discover events and places within its covers to surprise and delight them.

While 'Roadside Baseball' can direct you to well known present and former shrines of baseball (Wrigley Field; the Ebbets Field apartments with its cornerstone marker commemorating the Dodger's old home field on that site), it is the many lesser known and often quirky places it discovers that really gives it its charm. Epting has discovered roadside markers, plaques, statues, memorials, and museums all over the country dedicated to baseball players, stadiums, and history. Some are charmingly kitchy, like the bed and breakfast in New Hampshire once owned by Babe Ruth's daughter, in which room #2 where the Babe often stayed has been maintained with all of its original furnishings. Others tie baseball history to the history of America, like the marker in Postville, Illinois marking the location of a field where Abe Lincoln played townball, an early form of baseball. And some mark arcane baseball history, like DeVault Memorial Stadium in Bristol, Virginia, where minor leagure Ron Necciai (a pitcher once deemed by Branch Rickey to be of the same quality as Dizzy Dean) once threw a 27 strikeout game, before disappearing into obscurity.

It was seeing many of the references that I know from my own experience that proved to me how comprehensive this book truly is. As a Pittsburgher, I was pleased to see not only the outfield wall and preserved homeplate of Forbes Field listed, but the roadside plaque in nearby Homestead that commemorates the great Negro League team the Homestead Grays. I also found here the tiny church yard in rural Ohio where Cy Young lies buried directly behind the grave of my great grandfather, who was his neighbor; a surprise find I had made years earlier while working on my genealogy. Very little seems to have escaped Mr. Epting when he compiled this wonderful little book.

If you love baseball, road trips, and Americana at its best, you can't afford to miss this outstanding guide to all three.

Theo Logos

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visiting the shrines of Baseball, July 10, 2004

By 

J. J. Kwashnak "voracious reader" (Monroe, LA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Roadside Baseball : Uncovering hidden treasures from our national pastime (Paperback)

For many, baseball is almost akin to a religion in America. Many undertake the pilgrimage to all the Major League ballparks, but Epting has created the ultimate cultural tour of history that goes far beyond these parks. Sure, anyone can go to see where Babe Ruth hit his final home run, but would we know where to go to see where he hit his first (or as Epting makes the distinction, where he hit his first professional home run, and where he hit his first professional home run in a regular season game)? No event escapes Epting for potential inclusion in this journey into our heritage. Each site is identified with an address, often a photo and an explanation of why it is important to note. But also, Epting's book can serve as a warning to us. So many of the important sites from the early years of baseball have been lost; they have become the victims of "progress." He takes the time to try and show us where historic fields are, but too often they are fully tossed aside, with an apartment building, or a parking lot now occupying the spaces where the pioneers played and set our early records. For each ballpark that has been lovingly restored or kept in good condition, there are two that have become lost to the wrecking ball. This is one of the ways that Epting's book should open up our eyes to prevent further loss of our sports history in the name of progress. Someone like Epting helps make sure that we never forget, even if others have. Put this in your glove box, and find a bit of our national pastime history across the country.