America's Favorite Pastime

The first day of spring not only signals the beginning of warmer weather across the United States, but it also begins the anticipation of opening day of Major League Baseball! We begin to look at rosters, pitching stats and whose rookie is going to be the breakout star of the year.  You start driving by the stadium more often and you can almost swear you can smell the hot dogs being prepared, even though the games are still a few weeks away.  The oiled baseball gloves come out of the closets, along with the giant fingers, baseball caps and jerseys, ready for the first game of the season. 

Opening day for 2012 is Thursday, April 5th, with seven games scheduled.  Several milestones will be celebrated this year.  The Boston Red Sox will be celebrating 100 years in Fenway Park on April 20th, on Friday April 6th the Baltimore Orioles will be celebrating 20 years at Camden Yards and Jackie Robinson Day will be held across the league on April 15th commemorating his start in baseball in 1947.  Also, the Los Angeles Dodgers April 10th home against the Pittsburgh Pirates will be the 50th anniversary of their first game at Dodger stadium and the New York Mets and the Houston astros will also be marking their 50 years in existence.  You can find game schedules for the first weekend of baseball from the MLB website.

Of course we here in Albuquerque are geared up for our local team the Albuquerque Isotopes beginning league play.  They also start out on Thursday, April 5th with an away game with the Omaha Storm Chasers and the first home game will be at Isotopes Park on Friday, April 13th at 7:05 pm also against Omaha. 

In the meantime here are some items to check out from the library to get you ready for opening day:

The House that Ruth Built: A New Stadium, A Yankees Championship and the Redemption of 1923 by Robert Weintraub

Stan Musial: An American Life by George Vecsey

Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season, and Fenway's Remarkable First Year by Glenn Stout

500 Ballparks: From Wooden Seats to Retro Classics by Eric Pastore

Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress by Harry Katz

But Didn't We Have Fun? : An Informal History of Baseball's Pioneer Era, 1843-1870 by Peter Morris

Opening Day: The Story of Jackie Robinson's First Season by Jonathan Eig

Big Bam: The Life and Times of Babe Ruth by Leigh Montville

Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero by David Maraniss

A Mile in His Shoes  DVD

Moneyball  DVD

The Last Play At Shea  DVD

The Natural  DVD

Field of Dreams  DVD

The Pride of the Yankees  DVD

For more sports titles, please visit our Booklists for Adults & Teens LibGuide, where you'll find a "Best Sports Reads" list.