SEASONS PAST: The Story of Baseball's First Century, as Witnessed by Three Generations of an American Family

This breezy saga spans 100 years in the life of a New York family who ""not only lived and breathed baseball but made it a religion."" The author's roguish grandfather, Fletcher ""the Bird"" Rice, made his living ""hippodroming"" (fixing) games back in the 1860s before becoming a major-league utility player with the Brooklyn Eckfords of the National Association. A faro dealer thereafter, he followed the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers (a.k.a. Bridegrooms and later Superbas) and New York Giants before the formation of the NY Yankees (then called Highlanders) in 1903. Sons Alex and Harry were youngsters when they first rooted for John McGraw's Giants in the early 1900s (Harry was in the stands for Fred Merkle's celebrated bonehead play of 1908). The author himself, a faithful Dodger fan, used to watch Brooklyn games for free from the vantage point of his Uncle Harry's roof across the street from Ebbets Field. The book concludes one afternoon in 1960 when Alex left his nursing home to witness the razing of the old ballpark. A memorable family album as well as a splendid testimonial to the game.