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Also by Zev Chafets:

Rush Limbaugh, June 2010
Hardcover
Cooperstown Confidential, June 2009
Hardcover
A Match Made in Heaven, January 2007
Hardcover

COOPERSTOWN CONFIDENTIAL
By: Zev Chafets

Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame

Bloomsbury USA
June 2009
On Sale: June 9, 2009
256 pages
ISBN: 1596915455
EAN: 9781596915459
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction

The first book to draw back the veil on the Hall of Fame, combining an insider’s history of the Hall and its players with a consideration of baseball’s place in culture.

The National Baseball H all of Fame is the holiest institution in American sports. It’s not just a place to honor great athletes. It’s where America’s pastime announces to the world what it is and what it wants to be. It’s not just a sports museum; it’s a mirror of American culture. As Zev Chafets points out, it’s no coincidence that the first black Hall of Famer, Jackie Robinson, was inducted in 1962, at the height of the civil rights movement. Or that the Hall is now planning a wing to honor Latino players. For a hundred years, the story of the Hall of Fame has been deeply tied up with the story of America.

For the first time, this book shows the inner workings of the Hall: the politics, the players, and the people who own and preserve it. From the history of the founding Clark family to a day on the town with the newly inducted Goose Gossage, from the battle over steroids to the economics of induction and secret campaigns by aspiring players, this is a highly irreverent and highly entertaining tour through the life of an American institution. For anyone who cares about baseball, this is essential reading.

Media Buzz

Colbert Report - July 23, 2009