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Roadside Baseball: The Locations of America's Baseball Landmarks
Capturing such quintessentially American pastimes as baseball and road trips in one fascinating work, this updated and expanded guide chronicles more than 500 important events in baseball history with detailed descriptions of the event and information on each location. Packed with historical data, trivia, photographs, and baseball lore, entries include the birthplaces of baseball legends, ballparks, museums and halls of fame, final resting places, and many places that are no longer standing. From out-of-the-way spots to the most popular stadiums in the U.S. and Canada, no site is too small or insignificant to be included in this comprehensive directory. Entries include the Buckminster Hotel in Boston, where the Black Sox planned their fix of the 1919 World Series; the original little league field and museum in Williamsport, Pennsylvania; the birthplace of Jackie Robinson; the place where Mickey Mantle was discovered by a scout from the New York Yankees; and the site of the original Wrigley Field, erected in Los Angeles in 1925.
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Chris Epting
64 books37 followersA pop culture (and baseball) history aficionado, Chris has a lifelong penchant for documenting the exact sites where things both great and small occurred. As an author, Epting has found that unearthing and chronicling ‘hidden’ locations offers him a challenge. What began as an inquisitive hobby soon developed into the writing and photographing of 14 books based on his discoveries, including James Dean Died Here…The Locations of America’s Pop Culture Landmarks, Elvis Presley Passed Here, Even More Locations of America’s Pop Culture Landmarks, Images of America – the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Roadside Baseball, The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Artifacts and Led Zeppelin Crashed Here.
As an extension of his efforts to chronicle the unique, Epting joins Hampton Hotels for a fourth exciting year as national spokesperson and consultant for the Hidden Landmarks program in support of the brand’s national “Explore the Highway with Hampton Save-A-Landmark™” campaign (the program recently won the President’s award). He was also recently national spokesman for the launch of Microsoft Windows Live Local travel web site and is the current spokesman for EMusic.com, an online music download company.
Chris is a frequent featured guest on numerous radio and television programs such as National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” “The Savvy Traveler,” “Access Hollywood” and FOX TV’s the “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” plus international programs in Australia, Japan and the U.K.
He has contributed articles for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Westways, Travel + Leisure and Preservation magazine, and was the Travel Editor for Chicken Soup for the Soul Magazine. He also writes and voices a series for Major League Baseball Radio, and writes a weekly column for the Huntington Beach Independent newspaper and a monthly feature in Orange Coast magazine. Chris hosts The Pop Culture Road Trip radio show on webtalkradio.net and his 14th book, “The Birthplace Book,” comes out in Spring ‘09.
Chris lives in Huntington Beach, CA with his wife and their two children.
As an extension of his efforts to chronicle the unique, Epting joins Hampton Hotels for a fourth exciting year as national spokesperson and consultant for the Hidden Landmarks program in support of the brand’s national “Explore the Highway with Hampton Save-A-Landmark™” campaign (the program recently won the President’s award). He was also recently national spokesman for the launch of Microsoft Windows Live Local travel web site and is the current spokesman for EMusic.com, an online music download company.
Chris is a frequent featured guest on numerous radio and television programs such as National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” “The Savvy Traveler,” “Access Hollywood” and FOX TV’s the “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” plus international programs in Australia, Japan and the U.K.
He has contributed articles for such publications as the Los Angeles Times, Westways, Travel + Leisure and Preservation magazine, and was the Travel Editor for Chicken Soup for the Soul Magazine. He also writes and voices a series for Major League Baseball Radio, and writes a weekly column for the Huntington Beach Independent newspaper and a monthly feature in Orange Coast magazine. Chris hosts The Pop Culture Road Trip radio show on webtalkradio.net and his 14th book, “The Birthplace Book,” comes out in Spring ‘09.
Chris lives in Huntington Beach, CA with his wife and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 6, 2024
I spent most of my childhood in a tiny Northern Illinois town which had two things that attracted visitor’s eyes: The first was a giant Nuclear Power plant. The second, and far more interesting claim to fame, was that Byron happened to be the birthplace of Albert Spaulding, the 19th-century baseball pioneer and sporting goods titan.
As a kid I was obsessed with baseball. (Still am, really.) Watching Cubs games and collecting baseball cards was my pastime. Baseball was also a rare shared interest between my parents and me, their only child. But there was never a definitive guide for our road trips. No easy way to find the home Albert Spaulding was born in if we didn’t, quite literally, live two blocks from the plaque which marked the spot.
Had Roadside Baseball existed in the late ‘80s it would have been a dog-earned, marked up, mess of a book in short order. Because that’s what you do with useful things…you use them up. Fill the margins with notes, reminders, and jot down memories of the travels inspired by a good guide.
In “Roadside Baseball: The Locations of America’s Baseball Landmarks,” Chris Epting has taken care to bring his own notes, and the additions of countless other baseball lovers and travelers, into this updated third addition. There’s new trivia, locations, pitstops and detours, along with inclusion of the ongoing work to document The Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project.
Even if you have previous editions of Roadside Baseball, the third addition is a must have for fans. Organized by state, city, and landmark, the digital copy is easily searchable and convenient to keep on your phone if carrying around the physical book is a bit too ‘80s. I don’t know, though, nostalgia makes me suggest both.
________
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Monica Press for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
As a kid I was obsessed with baseball. (Still am, really.) Watching Cubs games and collecting baseball cards was my pastime. Baseball was also a rare shared interest between my parents and me, their only child. But there was never a definitive guide for our road trips. No easy way to find the home Albert Spaulding was born in if we didn’t, quite literally, live two blocks from the plaque which marked the spot.
Had Roadside Baseball existed in the late ‘80s it would have been a dog-earned, marked up, mess of a book in short order. Because that’s what you do with useful things…you use them up. Fill the margins with notes, reminders, and jot down memories of the travels inspired by a good guide.
In “Roadside Baseball: The Locations of America’s Baseball Landmarks,” Chris Epting has taken care to bring his own notes, and the additions of countless other baseball lovers and travelers, into this updated third addition. There’s new trivia, locations, pitstops and detours, along with inclusion of the ongoing work to document The Negro Leagues Baseball Grave Marker Project.
Even if you have previous editions of Roadside Baseball, the third addition is a must have for fans. Organized by state, city, and landmark, the digital copy is easily searchable and convenient to keep on your phone if carrying around the physical book is a bit too ‘80s. I don’t know, though, nostalgia makes me suggest both.
________
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Monica Press for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 13, 2024
Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Santa Monica Press, and Chris Epting for the advanced reader copy of the book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.
I love all things baseball. I’ve made several treks to historic baseball sites such as the Field of Dreams in Iowa. One of our goals as we’re traveling around the country in our camper is to visit different major and minor league ballparks. This book is right up my alley.
Author Chis Epting has done extensive research into various historic locations as they pertain to baseball across the country. This is the third edition of the book. Epting had help from fans across the nation who suggested locations to him. The result is a very large book that is also very detailed. Epting also updated it to cover stadiums that were torn down since the previous edition was published.
Each state is treated separately, so if you’re visiting an area you can find landmarks in that location. Epting also suggests things to look for when you are a ballpark chaser like us, visiting major league stadiums across the county. Epting doesn’t just cover major league baseball, but also the minor leagues, the Negro League, little league, and various historical and local teams that popped up across the country from time to time.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
I love all things baseball. I’ve made several treks to historic baseball sites such as the Field of Dreams in Iowa. One of our goals as we’re traveling around the country in our camper is to visit different major and minor league ballparks. This book is right up my alley.
Author Chis Epting has done extensive research into various historic locations as they pertain to baseball across the country. This is the third edition of the book. Epting had help from fans across the nation who suggested locations to him. The result is a very large book that is also very detailed. Epting also updated it to cover stadiums that were torn down since the previous edition was published.
Each state is treated separately, so if you’re visiting an area you can find landmarks in that location. Epting also suggests things to look for when you are a ballpark chaser like us, visiting major league stadiums across the county. Epting doesn’t just cover major league baseball, but also the minor leagues, the Negro League, little league, and various historical and local teams that popped up across the country from time to time.
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
January 3, 2014
A great compendium of baseball trivia and locations, organized by state. I was able to catch up on the baseball history of Oregon and Washington.
I also learned a lot about Mickey Mantle memorial locations in OK and KS.
But when I went to find out some new things about New Mexico, I found that it was the one state left out of this book!
No Tingley Stadium, Dukes Stadium, or Isotopes Ballpark? Nothing about old ballparks in other areas of NM? What's up with that? Very disappointed, so I lowered my rating from 5 stars to only 3 stars. This is a second edition, so hope that a third edition comes out with the addition of the Land of Enchantment!
I also learned a lot about Mickey Mantle memorial locations in OK and KS.
But when I went to find out some new things about New Mexico, I found that it was the one state left out of this book!
No Tingley Stadium, Dukes Stadium, or Isotopes Ballpark? Nothing about old ballparks in other areas of NM? What's up with that? Very disappointed, so I lowered my rating from 5 stars to only 3 stars. This is a second edition, so hope that a third edition comes out with the addition of the Land of Enchantment!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews