Book Review: Cooperstown Hall of Fame Players

Visits: 2

Ever wanted a picturesque book complete with large full page stories and statistics of all of the great ballplayers enshrined in Cooperstown (through 2005)? Well, look no more because Cooperstown: Hall of Fame Players is as good as it gets.

This coffee table sized work has magnificent pictures and in depth stories about every player in the hall of fame. The book is a team effort written by well-known baseball writers Pal Adomites, David Nemec, Matthew D. Greenberger, Dan Schlossberg, Mike Tully, Pete Palmer and Stuart Shea. Their research and in depth knowledge of each player shines through easily as the reader turns the brilliantly laid out pages to learn about the greatest players to ever step foot on a diamond.

Each player has one full page dedicated to him. This includes a pictures of their Hall of Fame plaque on the left side of the page, under which the teams they played for and years they were there are listed. Accompanying that picture are two more of the player, typically one in the field and one of something else such as a famous jersey or them on the cover of a magazine. Scrolling around these pictures is a brief, yet telling story of the player’s career. Last, but not least, on the bottom left hand side of the page, the reader will find the Hall of Famers statistics.

The players are listed in order of election to the Hall, not alphabetical order, so if read in order, the book reads as a history of the game through its players. However, there is an alphabetical list of what page each player is on at the beginning of the book if you are looking to just read up on a certain player, or brag about one of your favorites to a friend.

Included in the book is a ten-page introduction speaking about the Hall of Fame. Complete with pictures of the Hall, it will bring that familiar feeling of nostalgia back to any baseball fan who reads it. Be careful though because your next step may be over to a computer to book your stay in Up State New York to experience it all in real life.

At the end of the book, there is also a list of the people who have won both the J.G. Spink Award and the Ford C. Frick Award. The Taylor Award honors those who have made meritorious contributions to baseball writing and the Frick award honors those who have made major contributions to baseball as a broadcaster. Along with each name comes a brief description of that individual’s career achievements in their respective field.

This 312-page work is a great book to get lost in during a lazy afternoon of remembering baseball greats of the past. What cannot be understated is the photographs present on each page of the book. They are illuminating in a way that puts the viewer right into that place of history and provide a really valuable guide to how things have changed in baseball over the years.

The only drawback of the book is its size and weight, making it not the perfect travel companion, but it would be worth noting that the size allows for the pictures that help make it so great. Just seeing the cover emblazoned with pictures of Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Nolan Ryan and Wade Boggs, gets any baseball fan ready to see and learn more about the sport they love so much.

Baseball Reflections Rating: 4/5