Synopses & Reviews
Baseball is increasingly popular throughout the world, as evidenced by the many talented players (such as Ichiro Suzuki, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, and Hideki Matsui) coming to the Major Leagues from around the globe. The influx of such players is testament to the many high-quality professional and amateur leagues that thrive throughout the world. In this reference book—the first of its kind— narrative chapters trace the history of baseball in Australia, Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and throughout the rest of the world. Bjarkman profiles the teams and leading players from each country. He also covers the history of tournament play throughout the world, including Olympic baseball. This volume provides an invaluable and unprecedented source on the growth of America's national pastime into a global phenomenon that one day might feature a true World Series. Backmatter includes a chronology of important events, an annotated bibliography, and contact information for official baseball federations throughout the world.
Review
This fascinating story of cultural exchange and adaptation will be welcomed in any library serving baseball enthusiasts.Lawrence Looks at Books
Review
[W]ell researched and beautifully produced....The author has also provided us with a fascinating Introduction which provides an historical analysis of the international game and its problems....All in all, a fine work.Reference Reviews
Review
Truly a triumph of research and good writing, this gem should be on the reference shelves of any library boasting a serious baseball collection.Library Journal
Review
It's an attempt to do for the rest of the world what the Baseball Encyclopedia does for Major League Baseball.The Cincinnati Enquirer
Synopsis
Baseball is increasingly popular throughout the world, evidenced by the many talented players (such as Ichiro Suzuki, Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, and Hideki Matsui) coming to the American Major Leagues from around the globe. The influx of such players is testament to the many high-quality professional and amateur leagues that thrive throughout the world. In this reference book--the first of its kind--narrative chapters trace the history of baseball in Australia, Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the rest of the world. Bjarkman profiles the teams and leading players from each country. He also covers the history of tournament play throughout the world, including Olympic baseball. This volume provides an invaluable and unprecedented source on the growth of America's "national pastime" into a global phenomenon that one day might feature a true World Series. Backmatter includes a chronology of important events, an annotated bibliography, and contact information for official baseball federations throughout the world.
Synopsis
Written by a leading expert on international baseball, this is the first complete reference book on the history of baseball around the world.
Synopsis
The author is perhaps the leading scholar on international baseball. In each chapter, he carefully traces the evolution of baseball in that country or region—often dispelling myths that have accompanied the globalization of baseball. Each chapter includes a history of championship play and biographies of famous players throughout history.
About the Author
PETER C. BJARKMAN writes extensively about baseball, basketball, and travel-related topics. He has published two previous books on Cuban baseball, plus a history of baseball in Latin America and more than three dozen other titles treating major league baseball, NBA basketball, and NCAA basketball. His recent work includes team history encyclopedias on the New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks. A fluent Spanish speaker, Bjarkman has twice been featured on Cuban national television discussing Cuban League baseball and the Cuban national team, the only American to claim this distinction during the 40-plus years of the Cuban Revolution.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Birth of the International Pastime
Cuba
Canada
Japan
The Dominican Republic
Venezuela
Puerto Rico
Mexico
The Rim of the Caribbean Basin
Europe and Africa
Asia and Oceania
Baseball's Olympic Movements
The Caribbean World Series
Appendix 1: International Baseball Chronology: Greatest Moments in World Baseball History
Appendix 2: International Baseball Annotated Bibliography
Appendix 3: International Baseball Federation 2003 Membership Roster