The National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection: Celebrating the Game’s Greatest Players

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Officially licensed, The National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection gathers biographies, statistics, and photos of over 175 members of the most exclusive club in the sport, all in one beautiful book every baseball fan should own.

Separated into chapters by position, The National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection highlights the best and the most memorable players, events, championships, moments, and more. Meet the greats of the game from before you were born and relive the memories that you shared with your diamond heroes of recent years. The text is updated through the 2020 Hall of Fame elections, with Derek Jeter and Larry Walker joining their fellow inductees in a book that features:

Profiles of more than 175 legendary Hall of Famers Photo explorations into rare memorabilia, including replica tickets, scouting reports, scorecards, and contracts Notable awards, records, stats, and a complete list of over 300 Hall of Fame members Full-color photos and informative sidebars throughout

Become an expert on your favorite teams and players as you take a glorious trip into the storied history of America’s pastime. Maybe you won’t become a member of the Hall of Fame, but after you read The National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection, you’ll feel like part of the club!

From the Publisher

The National Baseball Hall of Fame Collection

Profiles of more than 175 legendary Hall of FamersPhoto explorations into rare memorabilia, including replica tickets, scouting reports, scorecards, and contractsNotable awards, records, stats, and a complete list of over 300 Hall of Fame membersFull-color photos and informative sidebars throughout

INTRODUCTION

Baseball has a deep and abiding history, a permanent, ongoing connection to not just its own past, but to the history of America itself.

The game was forged on grass about the same time our Union was forged in war. It grew from pastoral settings to urban playgrounds as farms gave way to cities and suburbs. Baseball as commerce expanded with the growing commercial world of modern America. At every point in the past century, the game has intersected with the wider society. And in recent years, though it’s been international since its earliest days, baseball has had a greater connection with the wider world of sport as well.

VISITING COOPERSTOWN

At least once in every baseball fan’s life, he or she should travel up New York’s Route 80, past farms and barns and little towns, over hill and dale and diner . . . to Cooperstown. Whether the place was actually a part of baseball’s birth or not (it wasn’t), it doesn’t really matter anymore. For nearly 80 years, Cooperstown has been more than a bucolic destination for vacationers seeking baseball and a lakeside idyll.

It has overcome the fact of history and become the dream destination for anyone who loves the game.

The classic brick building has undergone several extensive renovations, with the result being that the Hall of Fame today is an impressive, entertaining, and beautiful museum of baseball. Room after room catalogs the heroes, the moments, the pioneers, the champions.

Visitors see the spikes Hank Aaron wore, the uniform Lou Gehrig made famous, the bat Roberto Clemente wielded, and the cap that Christy Mathewson put on to take the mound. From the game’s earliest twinklings to the bright stars of today’s heroes, all are featured in the Hall’s numerous displays, films, and exhibitions. And yes, the Museum Shop is awesome.

TWO-SEAM FASTBALL

FOUR-SEAM FASTBALL

CURVEBALL

SLIDER

KNUCKLEBALL

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The name comes from the position of the first two fingers along the seams at their narrowest point. Arm motion can impart slight sinking or “running in” motion. The classic power pitch, it gets backspin when released off the fingers, while arm speed provides the power to make it the fastest of the fastballs. Two fingers grip one of the seams and use the traction gained to give the ball spin, aided by a twist of the wrist upon release. A great curveball can buckle knees and reduce hitters to jelly. Another breaking pitch, it has more side-to-side motion than the sweeping or sharp-breaking curveball. It also moves faster, more like a fastball. At release, the wrist turns like opening a doorknob. It should be called a fingernail ball, since that’s what actually grips the ball. It is released straight ahead out of a grip like this one. The lack of spin means that it can bob and weave erratically plateward.

MARIANO RIVERA

SUPER SAVER

There are more than 330 members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. All of them went through an election process to earn their spot. And among all of those legends, heroes, superstars, and giants only one—one!—has been elected unanimously. Mariano Rivera earned that unique distinction with a magnificent career as the preeminent closer in the game’s history. His 652 career saves are most all-time, while his postseason 0.70 ERA will probably remain unmatched for a long time. He had nine seasons with 40 or more saves, including 44 in his final season of 2013.

MARIANO RIVERA ON THE HILL

Rivera was blessed with two things: long, pliable fingers that allowed him to throw his untouchable cut fastball, and an innate desire to succeed both as a player and as a person. In 19 seasons, he was the personification of excellence on the mound, always coming through for his team but also deflecting praise with humility. He was a 13-time All-Star, earning the game’s MVP award in 2013 on his way to Cooperstown.

His Yankee teams won five World Series, with Rivera at the heart of all of them. Rivera pitched in 96 postseason games and had saves (42) in nearly half of them.

Hall of Fame voters are experts and they know greatness when they see it. They’re also human, and it was Rivera’s remarkable calm, thoughtfulness, and consideration that truly put him in a class by himself—Mr. 100 Percent.

RIVERA’S CAREER HIGHLIGHT UNIFORMS

Above, Mariano Rivera’s New York Yankees home jersey worn during the 2008 All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. The black armband was added in memory of Bobby Murcer. Bottom right, the cap Rivera wore at his last All-Star Game. Bottom left, Rivera’s shoes from the 1999 World Series where he was named Series MVP.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Epic Ink (September 22, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0760369348
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0760369340
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.95 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.55 x 0.95 x 11.7 inches