The National Pastime offers baseball history available nowhere else. Each fall this publication from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) explores baseball history with fresh and often surprising views of past players, teams, and events. Drawn from the research efforts of more than 6,700 SABR members, The National Pastime establishes an accurate, lively, and entertaining historical record of baseball.

 

 

With great sadness, we run in this issue the late Ralph Horton's final article for SABR, a typically well-researched, clearly written exposition on the Big Four who brought success to Detroit in the 1880s. Ralph's example as an exemplary colleague, researcher, and friend, will stay with us.

 

SABR members fortunate enough to attend the annual convention in Scottsdale, Arizona this past June had two never-to-be-forgotten thrills: watching José Jimenez pitch the Arizona Diamond Diamondbacks' first no hitter, and listening to Tommy Henrich's marvelous keynote talk at the banquet. Our lead article in this issue is Old Reliable's appreciation of outfield mate Joe DiMaggio Along with the baseball insights, we learn just how quiet and distant the Clipper was, even with longtime teammates.

 

Chris Lamb writes perceptively about how differently the white and black press covered the first spring training appearances of Jackie Robinson with Montreal. This pairs nicely with Tom Gallagher's piece on the role played in baseball integration by Lester Rodney and the Daily Worker.

 

David Voigt gives us his choice of the twelve key years of baseball's twentieth century-and a little philosophy to boo.

 

There's plenty more, of course, from Grove to Gumpert, from semipro to the minors to Japanese ball. Jump in!