Home of the Game: The Story of Camden Yards

enlarge

Author: Thom Loverro
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$24.95~~
Buy New: $2.00
You Save: $22.95 (92%)

New (6) Used (16) Collectible (3) from $0.34

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

1 reviews
Sales Rank: 698584

Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.3

ISBN: 0878332227
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.3570687526
EAN: 9780878332229
ASIN: 0878332227

Publication Date: April 25, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! 1999 Hardcover.

Similar Items:

•	Ballpark: Camden Yards and the Building of an American Dream
•	From 33rd Street to Camden Yards : An Oral History of the Baltimore Orioles

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
"If you consider baseball to be sports theater, a drama played out in green cathedrals," suggests Loverro in this spirited exploration of how one ballpark changed the essential experience of the fans and a city's image of itself, "then Camden Yards has become the stage for the game." Indeed it has, and the model for things to come as well. In the first half of his Camden yarn, Loverro reconstructs the complex thinking and planning that went into creating the archetype of new-wave retro ballparks. As he examines the confluence of events (including the remarkable collaboration between baseball and Baltimore) required to raise a mecca for the game and a renaissance for a city in decline, he also offers a smartly concise history of stadium evolution and shows the influence Camden Yards has had on every park built since. The book's second half is devoted to memorable moments on the field itself--none, of course, more dramatic and inspirational than the thrilling 1995 series against the Angels in which Cal Ripkin tied and then broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive-game streak. It was an event that first stirred baseball from its poststrike doldrums, a high drama played out on a stage that seemed custom-built for its very occasion. --Jeff Silverman

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars

Angelos Apologism Mars This! November 3, 1999
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

The story of the construction of Camden Yards is well-told and there are also some good accounts of Baltimore Oriole history since the park opened, particularly the controversy surrounding Cito Gaston's refusal to let Mike Mussina pitch during the 1993 All Star Game.

I was very surprised though to discover as I read, that author Loverro is the biggest apologist for Oriole owner Peter Angleos on the face of the earth. Every one of Angelos's actions that have helped turn the Orioles into a lousy team today are defended at every turn for all intents and purposes. I really can not figure out Loverro's defense of Angelos overriding GM Pat Gillick who wanted to trade Bobby Bonilla and David Wells during the 96 season. Sure, Baltimore got to an ALCS where they got outclassed by a superior Yankee team, but what Loverro fails to grasp is that the Orioles mortgaged their future way too much in going for a postseason where they had little chance of going all the way.

I would love to see an Orioles beat reporter one day write a defninitve history of the Angelos years, one that recognizes how Angelos today acts more like George Steinbrenner than Steinbrenner himself. This book unfortunately, despite its virtues in other areas, isn't it.